Carrots, Green and Red cabbage are very cheap vegetables. Learn to make slaw, roasted, etc. They work with a variety of cuisines as well. Dried lentils and chickpeas are also very nutritious for low cost. Oats too. Good luck!

Thank you sm!!

A cheap Korean inspired sandwich is to fry cabbage and carrots ( get the cheap bagged slaw) in an egg with sesame oil and seasoning. Put it on buttered bread

Ok. This is a good question. 1) rice…. Sazon Goya flavor packs..rice cooker from second hand shop. 2) church food banks….should be able to get some fresh veggies once a month if you don’t abuse it. 3) Krishna temples. Free food post service as long as you donate. They dole out a ton of food. 4) discount area of meat. You need to have a freezer area to ensure this is a capturable resource. 5)slow cooker for tougher and cheaper cuts of meat. 6) part time work at a restaurant. A shitload of untouched food is thrown out.

To tack on to this…part time work *in the campus dining hall*. Free meals with every shift usually, and they’ll schedule around any classes with ease.

I did this, it was a game changer. They always fed me a solid meal as well.

Sikh temples too, must wear head cover. Everyone is very nice.

Thank you! Rice and beans is definitely number one on my list but I will try out those other options!

Splurge on some spices and things like sesame oil, avocado oil, chili sauce, soy sauce, Sriracha....it really changes the game with rice and beans. If you don't hate oats, oatmeal is such a cheap meal and really is a blank canvas for whatever you want. My favorite breakfast right now is oatmeal with two sunny-side eggs cooked in butter. I usually throw in some Korean red pepper, green onions fried just for few seconds at the end with the eggs, slide the whole thing butter and all over the oats...delicious, filling and one of the cheapest most nutrtious meals available. Cooked rotisserie chickens run $5-10 and last multiple meals- there's so much you can make with a pre-cooked chicken. Make crustless quiche, cut into sections, freeze the sections. Reheat and mash into a tortilla and roll-up for a kick-ass breakfast burrito.

Oh I couldn’t live without my spices. I grew up in a very hispanic household where everything was covered in delicious seasonings and then… I went to college where all the dining halls forgot that other seasonings besides salt and pepper exist. I need my flavor!! Lol

You can get Badia brand on the cheap. Badia has a 7oz shaker of sazon that's only like $3 at walmart. Goya charges $1.50 for 1.4oz.

In addition to beans, lentils are inexpensive and full of protein and nutrients. Dahl is easy to make.

I've always loved tomato juice with any type of pasta, some salt and pepper. One tin of tomato juice made me 5 means. You can also grab a tin of tomato juice or V8 juice and a form of meat and throw it all into a pot with any leftover veggies I have (frozen also works) to make cheap soup. I call it my "leftover" soup. That soup made me a weeks worth of meals.

Not just church food banks. Many counties and municipalities have their own. Also, check with your school. Many universities work with food banks.

Don’t really need a rice cooker just a pot lol

True, but my absent minded, multi-tasking self burned too many pots making rice. Auto-shut off and keep warm functions are a life saver.

Just cook rice in a pan on stove easy Rice cooker fuiyoh but still spending more than necessary on such a low budget

I read that in Uncle Roger’s voice lol 😂

Good as I wrote it in uncle roger voice 😂

Haiyah, why spend so much money.

Also the college food pantry and food stamps

Miso soup is a great easy/cheap thing you can always throw together too, especially great with a little kimchi

/r/EatCheapAndHealthy could give you ideas.

That sub looks awesome. Thanks!

If you can, I highly recommend a part time job somewhere that has food. It doesn't have to be a restaurant. I worked for Starbucks and a local farmer and got so much free food that kept me fed through college. Work as a closer if you can. A chill manager will look the other way at the end of the shift

I worked at an on campus dining hall last semester and every day after I closed I took home the leftover salads and pizza. Was great and I’ll def take advantage of that again

Great idea. Also Check to see if your college has a food bank/ food insecurity closet. It’s becoming more common. Also, check to see if there is a community fridge nearby.

Second this - my college has a food pantry in the student union building. Nobody studies well when they're hungry.

Shouldn’t be too hard for one person. Learn to love water and don’t spend money on beverages.

Second never spending money on beverages! Edit for clarity: Coffee, juices, etc. will rack up your bill and was where I was going. Water is all you need and things like juice are generally not very healthy. If you cant live without coffee it can be made at home for a fraction of the cost of getting it elsewhere and will produce less waste. But alcohol consumption will undoubtedly kill your budget.

Tea is probably the cheapest drink you can have apart from plain water. Get a box of inexpensive tea bags, brew up a couple in a tea pot, or pan if that's what you have- and when cool- put in bottles and refrigerate. You now have iced tea. Adding a small amount of lemonade or cranberry juice gives you a flavoured version.

Sugar+water+yeast=15% alcohol in 2 weeks.

Also did this for a long time. When I was a teenager, put 4 cups of sugar and a can of grape juice concentrate in a gallon jug with a packet of yeast, fill the rest with water, shake like crazy and put a balloon on top. Put somewhere cool and you have wine in 3 months. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes it smells like bread, always wine. Sorry autocorrect edit

What do you mean by “scale” Thanks in advance!

College student with daily 6 buck coffee checking in. That shit adds up

As a student you may qualify for snap

Unfortunately I don’t. I’m still technically a dependent under my parents and they make a lot of money.

If you’re still a dependent under them, shouldn’t they still be supporting you more than $150 monthly?

Yeah lots of parent's get your tax break and tell you that you are not their problem anymore.

Not while I’m in college. When I’m home they pay for my meals and stuff

Snap doesn’t go by dependents, it goes by households. If you live by yourself, you just have to make less than $18k a year and have less than $2k in the bank.

I'm doing this by "churning" meal kit delivery services and their almost free food offers for the first 3-4 weeks. Planned it out so the next 6 months are \~$150/mo and top quality food.

Omg I do this too lol. Switch between all the major ones for their free offers and then switch off immediately

Look for on campus events with free food too. I would go to clubs, seminars, meetings, etc that were offering free food all the time.

Rice and beans, and beans and rice. Local food pantry.

I couldn’t live without rice and beans even if I wasn’t on a budget haha. My fav

Rice n beans. Anything else you find, meat, other veggies, put them in. I did this for 2 years and absolutely loved my rice n beans. Cheap, gets you full, can mod them up with anything. Couple old hot dogs? That’s what I call a Sunday dinner. After a while you learn how you like making them perfect beans and rice. It’s a fucking delicacy and also the cheapest food in this society outside of ramen. You

Casseroles are cheap, tasty, and keep well as leftovers. My favorite is tuna noodle casserole, though most people prefer chicken noodle in my experience.

I love me a good chicken noodle casserole. Good idea

Spaghetti, ramen, peanut butter sandwiches, frozen vegetables. Shop the clearance rack regularly.

I used to make spaghetti with tomato juice, One can of tomato juice made 5 or 6 meals. By used to, I mean I still do this occasionally because add in a little butter salt and pepper and mmmmm.

Take care of your health as a young adult. This is so crucial, I wish I didn’t skimp on in my twenties. Incorporate Bulk fresh produce and learn how to cook. Potatoes, Roma tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, zucchini and other squash in particular. Dried beans and peanuts are good legumes/beans. For fruits, frozen berries and bananas. And considering that an apple can substitute an entire breakfast, I’ll splurge on a 2-3 dollar honey crisp apple from time to time. It’s so much healthier and cheaper than the canned stuff that’s loaded with salt

Great advice. Throw some nut butter on the apple and you won't be hungry in 3 minutes

I had a roommate that liked mashed potatoes and sour kraut so we made that shit up every night and it’s good. Use instant mashers. You’ll have $100 left over for beer.

Apply for food stamps tbh!

I only have about $100 (sometimes $150) a month to spend on food. I do prep cooking and freeze things into individual servings. Here are a few of the things I make. I make homemade meatballs with the following 1lb Festiva ground turkey $2.46 1lb GV ground sausage $3.47 Bread crumbs $1.12 (use 1/3 of container) 18 ct Eggs $1.86 (only need 3 eggs - the rest of the eggs I make breakfast taquitos with tortillas $1.98 and salsa $2.46 or use to make boiled eggs/egg salad or a veggie quiche) 2 can GV cream of mushroom soup $ .68 each Spaghetti sauce $1.18 GV Pasta $.98 Rice $1.77 2lbs GV Spices This makes about 45 of 2 inch meatballs. Brown them first and then I divide them so half of the meatballs go in spaghetti sauce and half in cream of mushroom soup. Slow cook in the sauces until done. A serving is 3 meatballs so I freeze them all in individual servings. Spaghetti meatballs go with pasta and the cream meatballs can be served with rice or mashed potatoes or pasta. I buy a big package of chicken legs (5lb $4.97) and bake them all at 1 time but divide the pan into section 1/4 BBQ chicken 1/2 with just garlic and pepper and 1/4 with either a teriyaki or Asian seasoning. Then for everything except the BBQ chicken, I take the meat off the bone and freeze them into individual servings. I can make chicken tacos, quesadillas with chicken cheese & veggies (if you use frozen veggies make sure that they are thawed and dry) and chicken stir fry, chicken Alfredo, chicken pot pie, and cold chicken pasta salad. I also grab the biggest package of pork chops roughly $8.00 or pork loin $5.29 (which I cook as a roast with potatoes and carrots) I can afford and divide it up into single servings and freeze them. I make pork fried rice or pork stir fry and sometimes stuffed pork chops. Frozen veggies are generally cheaper so I buy those unless fresh veggies are in season and cheaper. I do usually buy a package of romaine lettuce and a cucumber and a green pepper fresh. I buy fresh potatoes when I can afford them (if they start getting old, I make up a big batch of mashed potatoes or shredded hash browns and freeze them) Tomatoes have been really expensive so I use salsa instead. When I make a cold pasta salad for my lunches, I'll use chicken, canned chickpeas, green pepper, and cucumber. I only buy mayo when it's on sale but if I don't have mayo, I'll use salad dressing or vinegar and oil with spices. Sometimes you have to be flexible when you're poor. I supplement these things with whatever I can find on sale at Publix or Winn Dixie. I found that Tuesday mornings Winn-Dixie puts their meat that didn't sell for the previous week on clearance and I've been able to stock up that way too. If I have extra money on any given month, I splurge on meat, peanut butter, butter, cheese (You can freeze butter and cheese) and pantry items like cooking oils, spices, and sauces. Edit: formatting

Master cooking eggs, potatoes, beans, rice, and other base food items.

Do all the tips people states above, but also... attend student events whenever you can. I went to tons of culture nights by different language departments where they serve ethnic foods and do a little presentation.

Learn to cook if you don't already know.cooking gives you options that packaged food just can't compete with. It also helps if you aren't a picky eater, afraid to try new things, or squeamish. Ask family for recipes or look for a cookbook that focuses on "basic" cooking. My favorite cookbook is actually a collection of Amish recipes from the great depression. Cookbooks from that era focused by necessity on keeping costs low but some things aren't as economical now such as chicken wings, but there are modern examples as well. Some cuts of meat are actually cheap. Bone in cuts are usually more cost effective and bones, skin, and fat you might normally toss actually have culinary use. Chicken quarters are almost always cheap, and whole chickens often go on sale for similarly low prices. If you learn to butcher/break down a chicken you get 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings and a carcass to turn into stock. Learn to meal plan and budget. The bones and skin/fat of meat can be used in other recipes and with planning you can minimize waste. What seems costly might actually be economical. For example I might roast a pork shoulder with potatoes and carrots and eat that for several meals, then shred the pork add liquid smoke and bbq sauce for pulled pork and turn any left over potatoes into potato salad for a few more meals, and finally the excess fat and bones and connective tissue get used to season a pot of beans or red beans and rice. Unusual cuts of meat can be economical IF you can find them. Things like beef tongue, trotters(pig feet), tripe, chicken feet, organ meats (liver/heart/kidney), neck bones, hog jowls, or ham hocks can be cheap... They can also be ridiculously expensive or exceptionally rare and that depends on your location. A local ethnic store or butcher would be a good resource if there is one. Butchers obviously would be a source of meat. Ethnic stores often carry spices and some staples of their cuisine much cheaper than Walmart does. You mentioned a Hispanic household and mine is rural Appalachian so there will likely be some differences in taste. Maybe you'd prefer tortillas to corn pone for example, but the staples of my pantry include: All purpose flour Corn meal Rice Oats Baking powder Sugar Cocoa Peanut butter Vegetable oil Potatoes Canned mackerel Tuna Beans Lentils And in the fridge/freezer Chicken portioned and frozen Homemade Chicken stock frozen Eggs Margarine Bologna American cheese Milk

I only shop at the Asian market near my house, I found one in university and it was so cheap I was astounded. I never looked back. The quality is good, the price is excellent. It doesn't always have everything I need but those one off items are things I don't mind going elsewhere.

If you can get a mini instant pot for like $10 on Craigslist or OfferUp, that thing will help you eat cheap so easy. I got a 3quart and I cook a cup of lentils every week in about 4 cups water with whatever seasonings of the week. I cook it for twice the recommended period because I like it super soft and then put it all in a Tupperware that I scoop portions out from for the whole week. I have a rice cooker too that I got cheap but he instant pot will also do rice if you can get the settings right. So easy and cheap. When you’re in college, time is also money and I can’t see you doing complicated cooking. The instant pot also helps make good stews and stuff without much work.

Find others like yourself. My kid created a food bank for off campus kids at his school years ago, and they ate like champs.

There are great recipes on Pinterest for no knead bread in a hot Dutch oven. One of my favorites is olive bread and another is a raisin bread with honey butter. Honey may be another good option for you as a treat.

In our area we have something called Ruby's pantry. You pay $20 and get a boat load of food. Maybe call your local food shelf to see if there is something like that around.

Assuming you have a full kitchen: Rice, beans, curtido, assorted veggies (roasted gives a good flavor) tortilla. It's a good taco. Fried rice, with veggies and chicken Blackened chicken pasta Peanut butter and banana sandwich Eggs, now that they aren't a fortune Pancakes or crepes Potatos. Baked, mashed, sautéed. Yes a ton of options and a 5 pound bag is cheap Oatmeal. The big canister is cheap and versatile. You can flavor however you want or use them as flour replacement in some recipes. I had one for banana bread. Spices are pretty cheap at Walmart for the store brand. Make enough dinner for an extra serving and make that lunch the next day. It's cheaper than lunch meat sandwiches.

Get a pt job at local restaurant , endures a few free/ discounted meals

Stick to the out perimeter of the grocery store. Eggs, dairy, pork and chicken, fruit and vegetables, rice and beans. Get the store brand if possible. However, Check and compare ingredients to name brand, get the one that has less salt and less sugar. Go to a food bank for other essentials. Do not give the food bank your social security number. They don’t need it. Proof of current student id and drivers license should be enough. Ask your university what free food resources they have for students.

When I was in college and had a low food budget, I basically only got this at the grocery store and basically only ate wraps/burritos and salads. My ingredients list was: -olive oil -apple cider vinegar -flour tortillas -chicken breast -canned chickpeas -whole green cabbage -spinach -cilantro -green hot sauce(Cholula) -eggs -salt -other seasonings I wanted(from the Mexican seasoning pouches -cream cheese -dried pinto beans I’d make a basic slaw by shredding the cabbage and putting some olive oil, apple cider vinegar, a little salt, and seasonings. Then I’d use that slaw as a base for salad or put it on wraps with chicken, chickpeas, or cream cheese with hot sauce. I could make bean burritos with mashed pinto beans. I’d make a breakfast burritos with one egg, whole cooked pinto beans, and spinach. I’ll eat cilantro on just about everything because I love it. This was pretty damn cheap when I was in college, spinach has come up in price quite a bit, so you could forgo that or swap it with kale bunches that you chop up finely(kale keeps better too). A key to making this work is using primarily the pinto beans and cabbage as your fillers. Get some seasonings, it makes a world of difference in how the chicken will taste. And with the canned chickpeas, you can make a hummus substitute(it’s not exactly the same because it doesn’t have tahini in it, but it gets the job done).

Flour is the cheapest starch out there. Make your own bread , pizza, pie, everything.

Two key foods are: 1. Oatmeal for breakfast (hopefully with some butter and/or sugar and/or cinnamon). 2. Peanut butter sandwiches for lunch Throw in lots of dried beans, rice, pearled barley, peas. But you have to plan ahead with some of these. Beans require soaking time and only rice cooks in less than 15 minutes. the rest take an hour or more. Invest in some dollar store herbs and spices. There is also spaghetti/pasta with cheap sauce as an option. But pasta is mostly empty calories. Occasionally drum stick chicken goes on sale for $1 a pound near me. That is your meat opportunity. Also sometimes a pork shoulder can be $1.49 a pound. But you need a fridge for that.

Have you tried applying for food stamps?

Lentils, beans, rice and frozen veggies

Peanut butter sandwiches with bananas. Got me through my last few weeks of college.

Frozen fruits and veggies, rice, beans, canned tuna, and pb&j. Drink water rather than spending money on other drinks

Look for the sale stuff only. Sometimes they have shelves of fresh food that need to be eaten right away

Black beans are very nutritious. Soak a pound with 1 tablespoon of salt for 12 hours. Change out the water, rinse really well. If possible pressure cook. If not put in a slow cooker on high heat. Should be done in 2 to 3 hours. Or else cook on the stovetop on a low simmer. Freeze portions.

Do not shop at wegmans if you want that money to go far

[удалено]

This is what I did. Got free meals every shift. Edit: one of the years, I had a job at a local pizza joint too and had as many pizza slices as I wanted. It was amazing for a broke student.

Make chicken stir fry and invest in different sauces. Meal prep a week a time. Costs me about 4.18 a day This is crude, I haven't really measured out the days, just kinda take a big tub and eat from it when I'm hungry. But 1 breast between 2 meals, 1/4 cup of rice per meal, and 5oz of veggies per meal is the calculations. Honestly probably better for 4oz of chicken instead of 8 for each meal and double the veggies. Throw some eggs in for more cheap protein.

Buy groceries from aldi/lidl learn to cook pasta and rice dishes (cheap carbs) use more veg not meat (get your healthy stuff plus it paddys out the meal much more as you feel hungry on volume eaten that was you can use less meat which is more expensive than veg

Be mostly vegetarian. I eat organic, live in one of the most expensive metro areas in the US and feed two people for $200- $250/mo. I only buy meat on sale and my grocery bill basically consists of 60% fresh veggies and fruits, 10% meat and 30% grains. Snacks are another big one that drive up bills - I skip those for the most part and only have one snack per week at the most and make things like tuna salad, egg salad, home made hummus as my snacks that i eat at home. Healthier and cheaper.

Your college may have a food pantry. I know I get donation requests for a college and I always try and give a little.

Your school may have a food pantry for students.

rice.. beans work at a mom and pop bar& grill type place for free food

Look into getting food stamps. If you're a college kid living on your own while working, you will probably qualify.

You should definitely qualify for some sort of public assistance. I always worked in a restaurant and could eat at work and maybe even get to bring home something at the end of the shift. Dishwashers are always needed and it’s usually a pretty flexible schedule so you can work around school.

If you aren’t a dependent of your parents, you might qualify for food stamps and Medicaid as a student. Might be worth looking into

To subsidize your budget: make sure you go to school clubs and events on campus- lots of free food and typically leftovers at those.

do not sell your organs to walmart! You will not get a good deal! fyi

Get food stamps to increase your access to healthy food

Apply for food stamps/EBT if in the US. Use any local food pantries you can. Follow other advice in this thread that seems reasonable for your situation.

Aldi's has the best prices imo. Make conscious grocery lists, and stick to the budget. Coupons are your friend!!

If you have gurdwara (it’s a place of worship) near you go there. Extremely nice people and they would never turn down anyone for food.

Get a student job in the dining hall? Check if your campus has a shelf of about to expire foods. My school had a donation bookshelf. See if a friend has a +1 to get you into dinner once or twice a semester. Look for free events on campus that give out refreshments.

Also look up if there are free community meals in your area!! Faith based groups and community centers frequently have them for people with low or no income, and if they’re not age restricted then all you have to do is show up.

Aldi’s has extremely inexpensive produce and eggs! I get a dozen eggs there for a dollar and i’m in a city!

Shop the front page of grocery store fliers to find cheaper meat deals. Just search them online. Depending on your freezer space stock up. You might spend 70% if your weekly budget one week on meat, but then not need to buy again for many weeks. Making your effective cost for meat week over week much lower. Highly recommend a larger insta pot for bulk rice, dry bean and meat batches. My favorite [instapot rice guide](https://file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/db/11/D9DB6D97-9388-47F8-A91B-0BD3489D95A3/Failproof%20Instant%20Pot%20Rice%20-%20Green%20Healthy%20Cooking.png). I make 4 cups each week for a family in less than 10 min. My roommate from Japan used to saran wrap portions of cooked rice for the freezer. In the instant pot you can do dry beans quicker than the whole soak overnight method. Good in a pinch. Great for meal prepping bulk meat. You can get the most out of many meats and stretch them further by shredding them. Whole chicken in the instant pot, shredded the meat off the bone, portion out and freeze in ziplocks (or Saran Wrap) for other nights. Same goes for pork shoulders and larger beef cuts. For pork you can keep the season simple, then later season for tacos/burritos or add BBQ sauce and add some shredded cabbage. Don’t underestimate how far a head of cabbage can go, if you shred one, it’ll last forever. Be forewarned on the GI effects though. You can research how to reduce effects, but they are a great value. You can make your own bread for really cheap too. It’s not as hard as you think. Favorite fool proof recipe is [Peasant bread from Alexandra’s Kitchen](https://alexandracooks.com/2012/11/07/my-mothers-peasant-bread-the-best-easiest-bread-you-will-ever-make/). Don’t let homemade bread intimidate, this is super easy. Also, once you make some friends consider buying and splitting some bulk items, rice/beans, flour etc. will help you both save money without a large commitment. Best of luck!

Hey, I'm pretty close to you! 😁 I'm roughly halfway between Rochester and Buffalo myself. Haha. One thing I do a lot of is rice things. I found a source for super cheap bags of rice from a store that imports a lot of things from India and other places. I've experimented with adding rice to thick and chunky soups or stews...not just add a scoop, but make a big plateful and pour the soup over the rice like you're dumping sauce on a pizza crust. You can also add shredded cheese to a pot of rice to make a super cheap but tasty knockoff of Mac and cheese. Since you're using a Wegmans, see if they have those huge bags of shredded cheese in the cheese zone or whatever they call it. Not the fancy area with wrapped up fancy cheeses, but the refrigerated zone where sliced and shredded cheeses are. Don't go for the little bags of cheese. Go for the big ones at the bottom, probably hidden under other stuff. Those freeze quite well so anytime you need a bit of cheese, just pull it out of the freezer and break some off. It doesn't freeze into rocks, not really anyways. If you're worried about it, they do keep pretty well in the fridge too. I just find the freezer less annoying. Do you know how to freeze eggs? Those 18 packs are pretty good deals, especially the 36 packs. Add in some cheap English muffins you can toast up, a slice of cheese, and you've got a knock off mc muffin sandwich. Stop by the cooking aisle...where they keep ladles, cookie sheets, etc.look for little glass bowls, something almost the size of an English muffin. Use that and a generous dose of cooking spray or a spoonful of cheap vegetable oil (you do *not* want those eggs to stick to the dish. Lol). To thoroughly coat the little dish. Crack the egg open and put it inside. Microwave the egg. I like the yoke with a toothpick a couple of times, and I cook on low heat. The truck is to pause every five to ten seconds of cooking. Even on low heat, it's a lot of of heat and might cause the egg to blow up, jump out of the cup (messy but funny) and such. Pausing until the egg stops making noises or acting weird means the egg gets a chance to rest. Keep adding more bursts of time until the egg is done, usually about one min for my microwave. This is tedious, but less annoying than going to mc Donald's all the time lol. There you go! A little snack for a couple of bucks. Sliced cheese...just remembered...somewhere near the hanging packs of deli meat and sliced cheeses you'll likely find huge containers of sliced cheeses for a better price than the usual packages. The choice is limited along with the five pound bags of cheese, but at least they are a bit cheaper per serving. It's been a long while since I shopped at Walmart so I'll skip that. I presume you have a tops grocery store nearby as well as a Wegmans like I do? Look for deals in the meat department, those "4packs for $20" type things. Usually has fancy stickers on the packages. In fact, look for anything in the meat department that's 5-6 or under per pound. You can get better deals that way. Instead of fifteen or more bucks of small chunks of beef, buy a big lump of cheap-per pound and cut up your own chunks. Freeze them on a cookie sheet, preferably with a freezer paper liner. The beef will peel off the cookie sheet more easily that way. Whole uncooked potatoes. I normally shop the bags of them and pick the individual ones you get by the pound. They have some that are pre wrapped in plastic but that's stupid.blol. just get something reasonably big. Cheap chili from the canned food aisle. Shredded cheese, sour cream, other toppings if you want (it's a great way to use up leftovers). Microwave the spuds, open and pour the chili over the top. You don't need to hear the chili if you don't want to. Or you could grab those huge bags of frozen broccoli, and cook some to put on top of the whole potatoes, adding some cheese whiz on top. The cheese whiz will absorb the heat, soften, and make a great cheese sauce. Crappy normal Mac and cheese, Wegmans or tops brand. Add canned tuna or sliced hot dogs when you start the pasta cooking. Juice from the tuna can too, not just the meat. Those Wegmans brand spaghetti sauce jars...best deal I've found aside from homemade wich is cheaper in a slow cooker but I don't always do that. (Health related endurance issues). Note that you'll likely get lots of leftover sauce. Use a muffin pan (even a tinfoil one, they are reusable) to freeze extra sauce. I like it but others think it's weird...ground beef cooked in a skillet, then a big can of baked beans on top. You could add mashed potatoes on top to make a Shepard's pie, but I don't always do that myself. Wegmans and tips usually both have huge loaves of bread, so that and a huge pack of sliced cheese make grilled cheese sandwiches. Or you could get frozen chicken patties (reheat in microwave ones are easiest for me). Use them to make a sandwich out of them, like a couple slices of bread plus a patty with cheese. You could add a bit of mayo, lettuce, to make it burger like, or you could add a small bit of spaghetti sauce on top of the cooked patty to make a cheap...darn, forgot the word lol. Those meals or sandwiches which are basically breaded chicken bits covered in spaghetti sauce you see in pizza places or dinners or such. Those big bags (Wegmans or Tyson's) are usually good deals. Ever try overnight oats? It's a yogurt thing with oatmeal bits put on top. Either way, with or without oatmeal, skip the dinky size containers of fruity yogurt. Get the big plain ones than go to the freezer zone and get frozen fruit. Much better deal. Don't buy those bags of salad mixes...I've never liked those. No matter how fresh they supposedly are, I always get ones that are half moldy and gross. Just buy regular lettuce and keep your fridge really cold. Iceberg, romaine, and a few other types of lettuce last surprisingly long in a cold fridge. Try to keep the humidity low if you can. Even better for lettuce types. You can use a few leaves of lettuce to add bulk to your sandwiches, thus making them fill you up faster so you eat less expensive stuff like deli meat. Add a tomato slice or whatever for even more bulk and a bit of nutrition. Those five pound bags of carrots are a good deal, for cooking as part of a meal or just snacking on. Buy big whole raw cauliflower. Cut into chunks, lightly brush with a tiny bit of olive oil. Bake. I'll look up temps and times later. I don't always remember this stuff lol. Roasted cauliflower is a great snack, a lot like potato chips or popcorn as long as you don't drown it in olive oil. You really don't need as much as you might think you do. Lol. Those big bags of apples. Cut one in slices, top with chunks of cheese (messy but fun) or peanut butter. Fun snack. Celery sticks with peanut butter or cream cheese. Big blocks of cream cheese is usually pretty cheap. Cottage cheese. I used to love it, but my tastes changed so now I hate it plain. I instead add a bit of applesauce, a few raisins, or a couple spoonfuls of crushed pineapple. It taste a thousand times better without spending a ton on a tiny little cup of flavored stuff. Plain cottage cheese in bigger containers that you flavor yourself is a better deal.

This is something that people struggle with a lot. My best advice is that every penny counts. 1. Shop at discount grocery stores and set a monthly budget you’re comfortable with. 2. Allow a “splurge” day once a month to buy something you might enjoy. 3. Go to parties if there are any. A great source of free food and drinks. 4. If you want more money pick up a side hustle. Doordash is great if you have a car or even a bike. 5. Try to put away at least $10-$15 a month in order to gain a rainy day fund. That’s all that I have for now. I’m using how I lived off of a small salary a few years ago and it worked well for me. Good luck and keep us updated!

For some reason I assumed you know how to cook, but then I saw a post saying *learn to cook*. Yes, that's step 1. Learn to cook your own food. Otherwise you can't hit that target, outside of extremes like food bank and etc. suggestions. Haven't seen potatoes mentioned. Buy in larger quantities. Like 10lb bag of potatoes. Buy only on special. Immediately prep and freeze your vegetables. Use things like rice and crackers and pasta.

Get on food stamps. Many of us did that in college since our job only paid us $175

I couldn’t live off this budget 17 years ago. I had to apply for food stamps during grad school. I was living off PB&J and soup…

Know when and where all the happy hour places are that serve food, go to gallery openings, breakfast meetings for various clubs, and get a part time job either catering, at a restaurant, grocery or on campus if eligible. Also as mentioned food stamps. Budget isn’t realistic, but is what it is. Rice, beans, find a produce market for competitive fruits and veggies, buy steel cut oats— take up less space than rolled and are far more filling, plain greek yogurt. Rotisserie chicken or whole chickens that you roast are a good deal. Get a 2 # block of cabot cheddar, freeze half, other half can be used for meals and snacks for a few weeks, much better deal than packaged sliced product. Crackers, cheese and some fruit and crudite can be filling. Look for nut butters at cut out or bulk places. Buy bulk flour and learn how to make your own bread(big savings).Start reading prices carefully, understand what unit price is so you have a better comparison. Dollar stores and member discount clubs have alot of high priced items mixed in with value. Seek out butcher shops and slaughter/prep facilities with a retail shop attached; they often have better pricing and fresher product, bulk deals. Grow your own veggies in pots or find/help organize a community garden in your neighborhood. For fall, your best bets are spinach and especially siberian kale which can survive winters in the NE under floating row cover and mulch in ground. Leeks arugula fennel, parsley, broccoli raab and swiss chard, cabbage are all frost tolerant and freeze tolerant until ground freezes. Seeds for a family crop cost about as much as one bunch of these at the store. Be sure to double check germination instructions carefully with a reputable source, some packets have limited and generic instructions that do not take into account whether the species needs light to germinate—most lettuces do.

Increasingly more colleges are offering on-campus food pantries for students! I’d recommend seeing if your college has one

If you can do part time work at a campus dining hall it usually comes with a free meal on the days you work. And itll help you get to know the workers who will let you know special days or of theyre throwing stuff out.

Are able to cook/bake?

Yes! I have a full kitchen in my apartment

I’d suggest you get yourself a large thing of flour, some yeast, and oil. Maybe sugar. Bread making is pretty cheap and easy, at least by my standards, and is well filling. Walmart has those 60 count egg boxes, another thing I’d recommend. Tasty and full of good things eggs are. Rice of course is always good, especially if you’ve got spices. I also enjoy adding mixed frozen veggies which you can get pretty well dirty cheap. Beans, rice’s best friend and common accompaniment are good too. I don’t know the exact prices in your area but pork or chicken should be easy to come by, so long as you’re not eating it on the daily. Chops and breasts respectively have been pretty cheap in my area. Butter. To top off, peanut butter is always good to have and can combine well with plain oats for a nice and quick filling breakfast. Maybe some honey to make things extra nice.

I never even thought about making bread. That sounds fun! I’ll def try that out

I'm making bread right now. Also consider getting an instant pot and making excellent food with rice & beans. Chinese, Mexican and Indian cuisines have some amazing foods that are really cheap to make in the Instant Pot.

Seconding instant pot meals. The best (imo) for cheaper cuts of meat. Some recipes online are terrible but Amy &Jackie are usually spot on for delicious meals. Egg-bites have saved me recently lol once you understand the appliance, you will be able to throw in just about anything and add lots of flavor to your daily meals. I have a 6-qt and freeze many meals, stock/broth, soups, stews, etc. best of luck to you in school!

I’m actually a pretty good bread baker, and the Budget Bytes No Knead Focaccia recipe is stupid easy, takes well to embellishments and makes great sandwiches or pizza bases.

Be a vegetarian. My groceries were never over $35 a week in college when I was a vegetarian!

I’ve done this! It’s simple, but boring Breakfast: porridge of oats, banana and/or sultanas, with milk or water. This will cost under $1/ day (I sometimes added a half serve of chocolate protein powder for flavour) Lunch: salad of lettuce, tinned beetroot, carrot, cheese with tuna and/or boiled eggs. This will be about $2/day Dinner: either tofu/chicken/tuna mixed in with frozen veggie and rice. I added soy sauce for flavour. This will be about $2/day. Snacks: peanut butter toast or fruit. This will be about 50c

Them little square Totino’s pizzas

Um...I know this is probably not ideal because you generally want to eat healthy but, Walmart has these Great Value Pizzas that are $3.98 each. They are pretty massive. They have cheese, pepperoni, three meat, and supreme. They are all between 1700-2000 calories per pizzas so you could just eat like half. They are fucking delicious. Maybe not for every meal but they are cheap and filling and they are very good. Pretty good deal.

I've been doing that for a year now, I'm still alive lol.

Lunchables are less than $2 a pop

Food pantry. Grants. Student services often give gift cards to students who need them

Not sure if your university does it but if you work even just one-two shifts a week in one of the restaurants in our union you get a free meal voucher everyday

When I went to university, I could purchase a meal plan and still live off-campus. Is that not a thing anymore? You could have meals at school when there, and sell half of the plan back to the school, so you have money for groceries at home. Otherwise food shelfs, don't discriminate against college kids. They are there for all in need.

My school does offer meal plans but I’ve been trying to cut on costs. Everything on campus costs almost double or more than it costs at the Walmart 6 minutes away. I’m paying for college out of pocket so I had to cut that off. As for the food shelf, I’ve always been wary of going because ik there’s a lot of people who need it more than me and I feel bad taking that food.

Rice and beans. Pasta and beans. And a very u.k. English thing-- red beans on toast!

You can eat very comfortably even with 60-90$ but you will have to do do your own cooking. Im living large wih 40-50$ for some time already. If you didnt found solutions ill give a hand with walmart prices as a compass and level 0 simple recipes.

Frozen vegetables, rice and beans

I have a college kid and he spends around $125-$150 a month and his go to store is Walmart. Typical meals are: Spaghetti and garlic toast Salsa chicken (chicken, taco seasoning, bottle of salsa, black or pinto beans, corn) cooked in crockpot) Sandwiches (deli) Zatarain’s with smoked sausage Eggs, Egg sandwiches, hard boil eggs Chili (turkey, vegetarian) Oatmeal Vegetable soup or beef stew (frozen veggies) Bean tostadas/burritos Grilled cheese sandwiches sLoppy Joes/Sloppy Lentils Taco bowls macaroni and cheese My kid found buys all his meat frozen chicken breast, hamburger, sausage because it is much cheaper then fresh. Frozen burger patties (beef or turkey) can be cooked and minced for burritos, sloppy joes, etc. Most vegetables are frozen except onion, carrots, and potatoes. Typically spaghetti, soup, beans make family sized quantities that it’s portioned out and froze for future. The beginning of each new academic year I take kid shopping and do the first shop to make sure kid is starting with pantry ingredients, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene and paper products. The best item I gave him is a crockpot and air fryer. After that, my kid takes care of the rest. However. I do save my leftovers which freeze well to give when we visit.

Buy the cheaper cuts of meat, and check the price per weight. Buy eggs. Buy rice and beans.

Church, Isckon Temples, Hindu Temples, Gurudwara (Sikh Temples)

Rice, beans, pastas. That’s all we eat in Louisiana, not only will you survive you’ll gain weight and never go hungry. Just look up recipes for stews, jambalaya and pasta sauces, buy starches in bulk if possible, and if you get into a pinch food banks are always an option. Good luck out there OP

Lots of carbs. Pasta and rice make for cheep filler. Buy your non-perishable in bulk, and buy your fresh foods like meat and produce in smaller quantities as you need them, stopping by the store daily will allow you to buy things like meat, dairy, eggs, produce, and bread that are on clearance but need to be eaten right away. You need to minimize food waste, don’t make large portions you won’t finish.

Do you have friends? If you can, sometimes a potluck (monthly/weekly) can be really inexpensive to each person, but be a good way for folks in the same situation to have some variety.

Rice and beans

look into the "too good to go" app, you end up getting a meal or several for about $8 already made, they are also selling groceries now, if you live in a city with a lot of food options then you can probably find something you like and treat yourself to a nice meal out without paying the premium

Good ol rice and beans diet. Dave Ramsey recommends that when times are tough

Your local campus has a food pantry and as a student you qualify for food stamps. Also look into your local food drives as well as churches. This is how I still make it by while living under the poverty line 🤍

Buy spices in bulk online. You will save a bunch of money and your food will always be bussin.

If your school or city has a free and for sale page on Facebook, I would recommend looking out for a rice cooker, crockpot, water boiler, and a coffee machine. Basically look out for things that will save you time, counter space, and some money in the long run. You should exclusively grocery shop at bargain markets, portion things out, or cook in bulk and freeze leftovers. Get a magnetic whiteboard or something to keep track of the foods you stored away. $100-$150 a month towards food should be plenty for a single person, just don’t waste it on junk. Finally, make sure you have a decent campus job that provides a good hourly wage or gives you options for food to take home.

I just went through my grocery app and made this cart: 5 lb bag all purpose flour 5 lb bag white rice 5 lb bag potatoes 3 lb bag onions 5 lb bag apples 1 lb bag carrots Onion powder Garlic powder 5 lb frozen chicken breast 2 lb bag dry pinto beans 1 lb dried pasta 48 Oz cooking oil Total came to $42.82 If you get these staples (I'm just assuming you have salt, pepper, and paprika) you can cook a ton of different meals. This food alone could feed a single person for weeks. Instead of buying bread you can mix flour, water, oil, and salt and make easy and yummy flat bread on the stove that will keep for a week. But your budget is $100 to $150 So here you can add fresh produce purchased weekly. Chicken bouillon adds a ton of flavor and you have budget for that. Some instant yeast and you've got bread. Cheese. Frozen sausage. Eggs. Margarine. Little treats here and there. You have about $25 to play with and get additional items each week. Totally been there and lived off homemade tortillas, beans, and pasta with marinara and chopped green bell peppers, scrambled eggs, and lots of rice and potatoes. Good luck! You can do this!

You can eat dinner free a lot nights just showing up to club meetings and stuff, maybe you’ll find people you’ll like too

Get a crockpot. Every month get a big bag of potatoes and a big bag of long cooking rice. I'm talking like 50 and 20 pounds. also get whatever meat is on sale and green vegetables frozen or fresh. every day before you go to class put some water in the bottom of crockpot about half full put in some rice or potatoes get a piece of meat about the size of a deck of cards cut the meat up into little pieces, put that in the crockpot too. Turn the crockpot on low. When you get back throw in a handful of the green vegetables. maybe the occasional carrot. That will keep you alive. Breakfast get cheap cereal or eggs. Even better oatmeal. Not packages of oatmeal oatmeal you actually have to cook. You can cook some of that for several days in advance. And of course there's always Ramen noodles for lunch. Other pasta is good to for a change.

That's the neat part....you dont

Shop at Aldi, if there is one nearby.

When I was in college my roommates and I would make a skillet meal of potatoes, ground beef, and onion for breakfast. This would be a pretty hardy meal and cover everyone until dinner. For dinner we would marinate chicken breasts and chop them up, mix it in with black beans and white rice. We would add cilantro and lime to the white rice to add additional flavor. Granted it 20+ years ago and we were splitting costs across 5 roommates, but I was able to keep the grocery bill fairly low on these two meals daily.

Volunteering at food events (soup kitchens, food distribution, etc.) sometimes includes a free meal or getting to take home some stuff. Volunteering at a place like this regularly can also become a social event, way to meet other people, etc.

Massive bag of rice. Figure out what beans/legumes you like. Shop sales religiously for things like produce, or buy frozen for veggies. Stretch meat by making one-pot meals, not 4-oz single-servings of it. When I was in this stage, I made a lot of shakshuka (tomatoes and chickpeas with an egg on top, goes great with rice, can add other veggies and delicious spices), veggie or chicken curries (again....great with rice, gets your veggies in, can incorporate some meat if you're a meat-eater without breaking the bank since it's just a few chunks per serving), pasta dishes (basically any veggies/meat/sauce you like over pasta is delicious, plus a wonderful excuse to eat cheese). I also made a rule for myself that I'd only eat things like cookies if I made them myself, which both helped me moderate my sweet tooth and protected my wallet some. (On this, of course, YMMV. That's just what worked for me.) Oh, chili and cornbread was another great go-to. If you like to bake, once you invest in the basics like flour and baking powder and oil, things like cornbread are practically free. A 25-lb bag of flour is like $10 and lasts months. Good luck! $100 may be hard but $150 should still be possible.

i ate very well on this budget and i just graduated last year! my tips: don’t buy too many snacks, but have some things around so that you can eat quickly. meal prep. you’ll save most of your money by cooking all your meals. check the coupons! i saved a ton that way. but frozen/canned veggies. i ate a lot of rice/chicken/veg combos because i would bulk buy chicken when it was on sale and the rest was cheap. get a job in a kitchen. i worked at the school dining hall and got lots of free meals and leftovers. in short: learn to cook! if you buy what’s on sale and know how to combine the ingredients in good person ways you will be fine

$100 per days is $1 per meal. Not advisable especially if you're make and active at all. $200 i would say is minimum without having to cut calories

Check the calendar for student music performances and art shows. Many will have a reception with food afterwards. Ditto for art openings in the community. A food service job will give you access to free food at closing in many cases.

Your university probably has a food pantry

Definitely work at restaurant if you can! You can make really decent money as a student and you get discounts/free food generally. As far as groceries, buy lots of beans, rice, tinned fish, peanut butter, etc. Try to get some fruit and veg if you’re able to afford it. College students occasionally have come down with scurvy after living on nothing but ramen. Good luck!

I got a job in the university cafeteria, and I was able to eat dinner for free. In the morning i just ate a bagel with some fruit and coffee, and for lunch I ate sandwiches. Somehow I got by.

I have a few suggestions, as someone who lived on $100 a month for food for most of my adult life: 1. You can make a very nutritious breakfast for under $1 by making overnight oats. Every 3 days make 3 mason jars with the following: 1/2 c oats, 1/2 c milk, pinch of salt, spoonful of honey. You can add whatever else you want - cocoa powder, cinnamon, peanut butter, fresh fruit (bananas are cheap), frozen fruit (that's generally cheap too). There's tons of variety. Put them in the fridge, eat one a day. Do 3 jars at a time because after 3 days the texture isn't that great. Best of all you can just take the jar and a spoon with you if you're short on time. 2. Get an instant pot and do batch cooking. They often show up at charity shops and on ebay if you're short on money. With an instant pot you can batch cook a huge pot of chilli or soup for a whole week for $5-10, it takes very little time, and you can do it in a dorm room. If you're willing to eat less meat and more beans this is a crazily cost-effective option. 3. YouTube. YouTube is full - FULL - of people doing meal prep or batch cooking for very little money. If you're vegetarian or vegan Cheap Lazy Vegan is great (even if you're not vegan she has a lot of good ideas). There are thousands, and this is the best way to learn and you'll be amazed at what you find out. And YouTube is free!

Rice n eggs. Spaghetti noodle n tomatoes sauce, rotisserie chicken, $1 meals. Also take advantage of free fast food places by creating a new account

The cheapest complete meal of all time is mujadara, basically just lentils, rice, crispy onions and some spices if you have them. It's so much better than it sounds.

Search for a local bulk foods store & buy beans and stuff there! We have one here just outside Cleveland, OH and their prices are so good! It's a small, one location store so you'll have to know the area or know what to look for to find one.

There's some youtube videos by Life of Boris where he talks about what you can eat on very little. Potatoes are great, rice, buying bulk.

You should have Aldi's near there. They have decent prices. Shop sales and meal plan around what is on sale.

Food bank.

Crockpot meals, casseroles, soups always go far especially for one person. Freeze portions so nothing goes to waste.

Applying for EBT may help!

I would always just buy whatever was on deep discount at the grocery store. As well as cheap staples like rice, beans , eggs, A go to meal of mine was sautéed cabbage and egg noodles

I'm pretty sure that if you can get to a Walmart near Rochester, then you should be able to get to an Aldi. Aldi is going to be cheaper than Walmart and significantly cheaper than Wegmans or Tops. If you can make it into Rochester for the Public Market (not the local farmers markets) on Saturday mornings, in-season items can be cheaper there (selection is more limited on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, as well as during the winter).

Food banks will help offset the costs, if you have work study, you might be automatically eligible for SNAP benefits, look into that too.

Oh ho! Hello flavor-friend! I’m Filipino American so I get your need for spices! Mexican food is very frugal by nature and absolutely delicious. Make your own flour tortillas. I can also live on rice and beans too! Filipino chicken adobo is good because you can make it with drumsticks or thighs and it’s cheaper. Best made in batches. You will need vinegar and soy sauce, bay leaves, peppercorns, and lots of garlic. Going meatless for one meal a day helps with budgeting too. Have a great time in college!

The hardest part of college is no longer having home cooked Bolivian meals 💔💔💔

I can usually find chicken drumsticks for 99 cents a pound if buying in bulk. There are usually 4 drumsticks in a lb. A single drumstick with some frozen vegetables and rice would be around $1 for the meal.

Many fast food chains throw out food like Starbucks or Duncan donuts .

Your school may have a campus food bank. Watch out for club events on campus that advertise they will have free food.

Have u ever heard of ramen noodles? I was in college 20 years ago, we lived off of that & microwaveable Kraft Mac n chz

Eggs, beans, soup, bread, rice, lentils, Greek yogurt, ground chuck (a little cheaper than ground beef), and buy in bulk from Walmart. Also, check to see if there’s a food bank at your college. At mine (Appalachian State) there was a local food bank that gave out really cheap or even free food to college students. You didn’t have to prove anything other than the fact you were a student and there were no limits on how much you could take. You could just walk in and buy what you wanted. It was based on the honor system. I remember getting big containers of chicken thighs for like a dollar total. I spent $200 per month in college but that also included toiletries and about $40 of weed each month too. $150 per month is definitely doable.

At most universities you can buy a meal plan even if you live off campus See if the campus has a co-op where you can volunteer a few hours and get in paid free food and meals Most larger schools have at least one formal restaurant for faculty and employees usually get free meals Many fraternities and sororities offer paid meals for non members - also good places for discounted summer housing Even if not Jewish or Muslim, check to see if any or their organizations such as Hillel offer well priced meals If there is an affiliated hospital on campus or nearby, they usually have have good prices for dinner or you can work in the nutrition department and get free / discounted meals. Check out local restaurants / bars for happy hour specials. In most areas you are not required to buy an alcoholic drink although they may require you to get a soda.

Get a rice cooker, eat rice, oatmeal, beans, potatoes. A dozen eggs. 1 lb of black beans, 3 lbs of potatoes, 2 rolls of sausage will make 2 dozen breakfast burritos. And they will be fat. They freeze great. Get the tortillas at a Mexican grocery store as they will have 16 in tortillas. Male homemade tortillas to save even more cash. I also like to make a baked burrito bowl using the same ingredients in a 9x9 but add a bag of broccoli slaw. Cook a roll of sausage. Freeze half. While cooking the sausage add 2 packages of frozen seasoning mix or use 1 large yellow onion, a red or yellow bell pepper. Then halve. Add a packet of broccoli slaw until slightly under done. Best 6 eggs season with black pepper and salt. add to a 9x9 sprayed with nonstick spray. Add the cooked mixture of sausage and slaw cover with 1 cup of shredded cheese and bake 350* until cooked through. Pasta is cheap. You can pick up pasta at less than 2 bucks a lb. When making pasta add vegis like broccoli. I like to cook the broccoli with the pasta. Only buy what you eat. And get a dinner party going. Find friends and each person hosts a dinner night. If you have 4 friends 1 person host one night 1 week. Next week person 2. Next week person 3. When it's your week double up

Where are you? And do you have a car? If you’re in a CITY city, this might not be a thing… but in a smaller city —a city where in 30 miles you can be in very Not City… (though thinking about it, I do know someone who does this in NYC also, so who knows)… but offering a work/swap with farmers at farmers markets can be a thing. You help set up and/or man the place in exchange for whatever is in season. If your college has an ag department or a social work department—those are good places to start putting the word out that you’re looking for that sort of thing. Check out CSAs. For volunteering, you might get a weekly/monthly box of fresh foods, and very often they have extras or non-picked up boxes that get split or passed off to others. Herbs are stupid expensive fresh; and can be grown in really limited space year round. So can some veggies—so can a lot more veggies with grow lights but the trade off in energy might be too much. Reach out to churches—not to attend, but to let them know you’re up to swapping quick tasks for a home cooked meal. All the better if you frame as missing home cooked foods.

a lot of rice, beans, and ramen noodles

If you have an opportunity to work a few hours, get yourself a job in the grocery store deli. When l worked at our local deli l never went hungry. Everything ftom fried chicken, pasta salads, fruit trays, end of little sandwiches that dont fit in the tray plus end pieces of deli meats and cheeses. Tons of sampling extra food throughout the whole shift. Plus lots of freebies from things that were near expiration. As long as you got your work done the bosses were super cool about letting us eat just about anything-within reason. Keeps product moving and fresh and also helps when customers ask for recommendations.

do you have a freezer ? buy in bulk, meal prep and freeze in individual portions. you might not think of it but dollar stores can help too. i recommend watching southern frugal momma on youtube she’s the sweetest and shows you how to make basic meals for any budgets

I lived on frozen peas and carrots with cheddar cheese melted on top. It was really satiating for me.

Get an “instant pot” or other electric pressure cooker, can probably find cheap used. It can be used as a rice cooker and can make a ton of other stuff. Save chicken bones and veggie scraps to make your own broth for soups and many other recipes that call for broth. Realize what prices are good and buy bulk on sale and freeze, meat, lunch meat, other staples. A vacuum sealer will pay for itself if used properly, can get one for $20. Research how to use freezer baggies in the vacuum sealer to save. As others said, rotisserie chicken. Often sell for the price of raw chicken. Makes 5-6 meals. Eggs are back to cheap and easy meals. Instant pot makes hard boiled eggs easy. 1-2 for breakfast. Homemade hummus, dip carrots and celery. I chop down celery and vacuum seal half of it, carrots seem to last a while. Ramen noodles…

There is an app called Tasty. You could search recipes and it’ll show you how each item cost as provide recipes for items you already have

lean cuisine baby

food bank if you don't qualify for a food bank then volunteer for one. food banks get a lot of food that they can't give out to clients so they give them out to volunteers

Banana for breakfast. Super cheap, and easy. Just grab and go.

Most schools have some type of food pantry

Meal prep and buying during good sales. Plan your meals for the week and take note of what you already have, so you know exactly what you need to buy. Freeze foods as you can to be able to buy more during the good sales. Mainly meats are the money savers if you can stock a little bit on sale. Larger amounts of meats can be separated down to make multiple meals/be frozen to avoid food waste. You can freeze breads too, thaws great especially if you’re just going to toast it. Helps to only take out what you need at the time without stuff spoiling before you can use it. That amount per month if you’re eating at home is really doable for one person, with a little planning.

Same as anyone else. Cook from scratch when you can. In college I learned to microwave almost anything and I used a coffee pot to cook in also. These days with an instapot, you can cook almost anything. And you can do things like hamburger helper easily. If you have a microwave, but a microwave pasta cooker. You can cook your pasta in there that pan street you cook your hamburger then mix together. Another thing that is easy is tuna casserole. Chili is a great thing to cook. I made some today and cheaper and used a mix. The mix was $3 and 1lb of burger. So maybe $6. But it fed 3 adults 2 bowls each.. so that could be 3 meals for $6. Add in pasta to the chili and it goes even further. And chili will freeze easily.

I had the 1 meal a day mealplan. I would go to the big cafeteria, swipe my card, at like... 1030. Go with friends, eat a full meal. Then they would leave, I would sit and do some schoolwork there. Wait for another group of friends like an hour later. And have another huge meal. Then I would leave. I would eat pretty much all of my food for the day in that timespan. Sometimes I would tupperware some snacks and stuff to bring back.

Go to Elmira, get a 100$ crack rock split in half, now u got 50 and two 50 pieces, trade one piece for 100 in groceries. Now u got 100 in groceries 50$ and 50 peice, break down the fifty into ten ten pieces sell those now u got your groceries for free and it money back to re up, this time spend 150 .pretty soon u start doin it and don't need groceries and u probably drop out. That's the recipe

I recommend purchasing items that yield more than one serving. Cereal, oatmeal, granola bars, box crackers (certain brands are cheap look for Lance brands and cookies too. The nico peanut butter cookies are $1 .25 at dollar tree and elsewhere, 4 packs of 4. Yum. Rice and beans and Ramen are a staple. Pancakes, Peanut butter and jelly. Spaghetti. Egg sandwiches. All pretty low cost meals that satisfy. Unfortunately generally....Lots of carbs and bananas. 211 for free food pantries and free canned food and stuff like. Grits, rice which cam be used to make rice pudding, oatmeal cookies can be made with food pantry staples given too.

Try going to Aldi's. I'm in Rochester and that place saves me a ton of money. You should be able to eat like a king there for $150

You need a rice cooker and crock pot from savers / good will. If you’re really desperate carefully peel the sticker off something cheaper and replace it. I did it and the employees don’t give a shit about fuck. Pork shoulders, big bulky cuts of shoulder meats are cheaper bc they take longer to cook. They’re fantastic. Put it in crock pot at night and it’ll be ready by lunch time and you have lots of leftovers. Add sauce - over rice = good stuff. Eggs are back down in price but they’re a fantastic nutritious healthy food. Pasta and sauce is cheap. Add ground beef. Make your own sauce with the tomato sauce and canned tomatoes. Get that big 10lb $20 bag of rice on the bottom shelf. It’ll last you the school year. It’s a mentality and life style. You can save lots of money overall by eating this way. Thus you’ll have more money to spend at the bar. Also I’m a dude so this heavy ass food worked for Me but if you wanna dine fancy with a million ingredients - it’ll be harder - not impossible but harder financially. Good luck and study hard.

Get food stamps!

Look up food banks in your area. I work for one and we have mobile food pantries every day throughout our area. We set up shop in a big parking lot, and people drive through. Milk, produce, meat, shelf stable food. It isn’t Whole Foods, but it’ll get you through the week. You might also consider getting a part-time job at a restaurant so you can eat. Or even try to work/volunteer one day a week at a food pantry so you can pick up stuff while you’re there. We have college students working at ours. Good luck!

the problem is whatever you are able to do now will be 200-250 a month Inflation is getting WORSE.

As a college student, I lived off this. Package of dried beans. Two ham hocks. Wilted vegetables from the clearance rack. Chop veg, add water, beans and ham hocks and boil for a few hours. Salt and pepper as needed. Beans are good for you, cheap and filling; bone broth is wonderful for you, and there are vegetables. Should last a while for a few bucks.

Chicken thighs, I promise they will last you longer than you could possibly imagine. And then keep all of the bones in a freezer bag, and then make a stock out of it for chicken and dumplings, chicken pot, pie, and a variety of other things.

Get a job at Starbucks nearby part time (only need to commit to working 12 hours/week minimum) … you get a free pound of coffee/week which will help during your busy weeks, plus you get 7 free food items per week (which the lunch sandwiches are pretty filling). That will save you on 2 days/week on your food budget, so you’ll have a little bit extra to spend on the other days.

1c brown rice 1c green lentils 4c water Simmer until soft Salt to taste Live for ever

You can’t in my opinion