With #1 we had a massive stock of stews that we ate with frozen peas, but toddler is not always so keen on those...
My go to for lazy kid meals when he won't like what we are eating are a small handful of three or four of the following:
Dried cranberries (or raisins if you don't have a dog eating all toddler droppings)
Some form of cracker - goldfish, graham, ritz, etc.
Noodles
Cheese stick
Lunch meat
Pre-made chicken nuggets from the freezer
Cut up fruit
Apple sauce cup/fruit cup
Cut up hot dogs (be sure to cut length-wise so it's not a choking hazard for the under 4yos)
A small amount of frozen peas or broccoli or other vegetables, heated to room temperature (for us this involves microwaving then putting it back in the freezer which always feels ridiculous but it's quicker than other options and can usually be done while we're actually cooking our own dinner).
Fish out some of the meat/vegetables from the stew you're having and cut up to toddler bite size
By putting three or four things out it increases the odds that he'll like
something on the plate. Our rule is that he doesn't have to eat everything on the plate and he can have an unlimited amount of the items that are on his plate, but we're not making anything else for him. I try to include some of our own dinner in some form or fashion but sometimes it's just not worth the fight. If he decides he's only going to eat noodles we usually try to prompt "Can you take two bites of fruit, and then I'll get you more noodles" and it works - other times he will eat only noodles and it's obviously going to Be A Tantrum if we keep pushing, so fine, whatever kid, live on noodles. Looking at his diet over a whole week makes me feel better and obsessing over one meal being perfectly balanced.
Most of the above should be stuff you can keep around in party or fridge and spend minimal time prepping. If you're constantly brain dead by dinner time, write out a list for easy reference and put it on your fridge.
As far as spending, we hemorrhaged money when I first came back to work after maternity leave, and this was even after I found MMM. It got better, but it feels like exhaustion just sets you up to fail on so many things. Good luck with the kid sleep.