Good, Cheap, Fast.

When it comes to design, development, and pretty much anything else, you can quantify your work in a project by picking 2 of the 3 adjectives in the title.

But, if you're eating on a budget, you can find plenty of ways to stretch that. Idea #1: Pasta alla Puttanesca, a.k.a. Whore's Pasta. Sounds nicer in Italian.

Let's look through the ingredients list.

Pasta

Olive oil

They don't specify, but you want Extra Virgin. It's got a much more distinctive flavor. If you're not using extra virgin olive oil, you might as well use canola - it's got the same amount of flavor (i.e. NONE). Buy the biggest container you can - it's not cheap, but it will last you a long time.

Garlic cloves

Buy a whole head of fresh garlic from the produce section in your supermarket. Powder is not an acceptable substitute, though you can use jarred in an emergency. A clove is an individual section of the head.

Red pepper flakes

Good on pizza, veggies, and just about anything else. In the spice aisle.

Anchovy Filets

Over with the canned tuna... and don't roll your eyes! Anchovies got a bad reputation a while back, probably because someone tried to eat one whole, straight from the can. They're packed in oil, and cured in salt, and have a fairly strong fishy flavor - so they taste very, very strong. 6 filets is probably about 1/2 to 2/3 of an individual tin.

Canned Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables that work out well with canning. Find a 28 oz. (or 32 oz.) can. Some people swear by organic, some people swear by San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy. You know what? Just buy a can of crushed tomatoes in their own juices or puree. If you want to spring for it, buy the Italian tomatoes. I do notice a little difference - but I notice a greater difference between individual brands - the store brand tomatoes tend to have thinner juices/puree, and less flavor than the more expensive brands (and by expensive, I mean about $1 per can from the lowest to the highest).

Capers

Weird little berry things, I think. I'm not actually sure what they are. They're probably by the roasted peppers or the olives in your supermarket. They normally come in a jar, packed in a salty brine. Try to leave brine as possible in the jar so they don't dry out, but don't freak out if it all goes down the drain - they'll be fine for a while.

Black Olives

Plain old black olives work fine.

Prep tips

Heat your pasta water first - a potful of cold water will take a few minutes to come to a boil, even on a kick-ass stove. If it comes to a boil before you're ready, turn the heat down so it's hot, but not boiling.

While your water is heating, prep your ingredients. Having all of your ingredients chopped and cans opened ahead of time lessens the likelihood of forgetting an ingredient, or burning dinner while you get something else ready.

Use the bottom of a pan, or the flat edge of a wide knife to crush the individual garlic clove before peeling it - the skin will come off much easier.

Turn the heat DOWN. Garlic will burn if it's cooked at too high of a temperature. If you're in doubt that your stove is actually cooking on medium, turn it down. It'll just take a little longer to cook.

Once the anchovies get hot, they'll break up into tiny pieces very easily. This is a good thing.

Turn the heat DOWN (again). A simmer means 'just barely bubbling.' Tomatoes have a lot of sugar, and will burn easily

Don't mix the pasta and sauce. Once cooled, leftover sauce can be poured into a freezer bag, and frozen.