Author Topic: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?  (Read 7270 times)

SyZ

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So, I've gotten my debt down to all < 3%, and saving for a house or to invest in real estate or whatever happens with my life in 3-5 years. I can't get my car insurance much lower, my phone is paid off and I just pay $25 a month for service, I don't have any cable subscriptions, Netflix, anything. But I typically will go out to lunch during a work day and spend $2-$7 because I'm a lazy idiot who won't buy 50 pounds of rice for 10 bucks and cook it every night (also doesn't help in my current situation I don't have too much kitchen privilege). I never go out to a sit down restaurant and drop $20-$30, I never buy drinks, etc. - but eating out is just going up and it's just absurd. Chipotle is ~ $8 after tax. Costco slice is $1.50 but both aren't healthy. I tried something different last week and bought 1.5 pounds of ham, 5 slices of cheese, 6 rolls (1 wasted, they only sell in packs of 6 or 12), 5 apples, and ate that every dinner. Total was still pretty high, coming in at $16 which was more than $3 a meal. I'm a horribly picky eater and don't like things like mushrooms, olives, beans, and other things that are cheap and filling and everyone on this forum eats as a staple. How can I start to reduce this monthly wasting?

daverobev

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2016, 05:55:21 PM »
Well, what DO you like?

You know you can get bulk stuff delivered, right? If they do it here (Canada), I'm sure they'll do it in the US.

Get a little rice cooker, they are awesome.

Also... use the Enter key on your keyboard a bit more, makes it easier to read!

Vanguards and Lentils

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2016, 06:11:52 PM »
I have both kitchen privilege AND thin privilege (<140 lb) so it may not apply to everyone. My total food spending (eating out + groceries) has averaged about $250/mo this year and I'm still working on lowering it.

I think these have helped:
1. I stopped buying meat. Protein powder in smoothies is easier and cheaper, and when I eat out I'll have meat.
2. Lots of pasta + tomato sauce. A ton of butter (like really a lot) and parmesan/other seasonings make it really delicious.
3. Eggs - these are less than $0.10 each. I make omelettes and frittatas with 4-6 eggs, so that I can put other tasty morsels in. I've gotten quite good at cooking by practicing almost everyday, so it takes only about 10 minutes to prepare.
4. Frozen fruits and veggies. I just microwave them and eat them with some kind of sauce, or blend them into smoothies.

This reads as sort of depressing but I actually enjoy my food a lot.

forummm

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2016, 06:34:29 PM »
You should spend <$100 on food total for the month. $125 if you want to live extra fancy.

I eat some dried fruit, nuts, and my home made granola each day for lunch. It probably costs about 35 cents each day. And I cook it about once per month. And leave a big bag at work so I don't have to think about it at all. Super easy.

Vanguards and Lentils

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2016, 07:04:18 PM »
You should spend <$100 on food total for the month. $125 if you want to live extra fancy.

I eat some dried fruit, nuts, and my home made granola each day for lunch. It probably costs about 35 cents each day. And I cook it about once per month. And leave a big bag at work so I don't have to think about it at all. Super easy.

Well I'm curious and have a long way to go. Are you single or are those numbers from sharing with a family/partner? Also what do you make for dinners, and what kind of places do you eat out, if any?

forummm

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #5 on: August 06, 2016, 07:20:17 PM »
You should spend <$100 on food total for the month. $125 if you want to live extra fancy.

I eat some dried fruit, nuts, and my home made granola each day for lunch. It probably costs about 35 cents each day. And I cook it about once per month. And leave a big bag at work so I don't have to think about it at all. Super easy.

Well I'm curious and have a long way to go. Are you single or are those numbers from sharing with a family/partner? Also what do you make for dinners, and what kind of places do you eat out, if any?

The 2 of us plus the baby (who has only started eating food) average about $225 per month for groceries. DW spends about $100 on average eating out/coffee (total luxury, but we have plenty of money and she likes it so it's worth it to her). We don't really eat out (except DW's occasional lunches with work friends).

Here are some examples of how we eat:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/forummm's-journal/msg704138/#msg704138
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/forummm's-journal/msg704139/#msg704139

TomTX

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2016, 07:30:13 PM »
Well, what DO you like?

You know you can get bulk stuff delivered, right? If they do it here (Canada), I'm sure they'll do it in the US.

Get a little rice cooker, they are awesome.

Also... use the Enter key on your keyboard a bit more, makes it easier to read!

Instant pot, not a rice cooker.  It's a rice cooker, steamer, electric skillet, popcorn maker, makes awesome yoghurt, et cetera.

Cooks everything faster. Set it and walk away. All you really need is an outlet and a flat surface. Nearby water source would be nice.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2016, 07:33:47 PM by TomTX »

gggggg

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2016, 07:48:49 PM »
This is one of the areas I'm a huge clown in. I spend way too much on groceries for a single dude; I'm usually up over 300.

mm1970

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #8 on: August 06, 2016, 07:52:55 PM »
Hmmm...

So I'm going to profile some coworkers.

Coworker A lived a 4.5 hour drive away.  She Air-BNBd a room in a house during the week.  No kitchen privileges.  Our kitchen at work had "some stuff".  Full sized fridge, microwave, toaster overn, electric skillet, rice cooker, crockpot, and george foreman (the rice cooker, crock pot, and grill were in heavy rotation with the night shift before we laid everyone off).
-Breakfast: she made a big smoothie with fresh or frozen fruit and veg.
-lunch: Salad (pre-washed greens, dressing, and chicken)  or quesadillas on the electric skillet
-dinner: I have no idea I was gone by then

Coworker B eats out or brings lunch off and on.  Lunches:
- Week 1 will be sandwiches.  A loaf of bread, lunchmeat, cheese.  Keeps mustard in the fridge.  Sometimes has a tomato and some lettuce.
- Week 2 will be pasta and veggies.

Coworker C is married, but for a long time his wife lived in another town.
- white rice (you don't have to buy a 50 lb bag, you can buy a 2 lb bag), chicken strips (pre-cooked from Trader Joe's), frozen veggies, hot sauce.

Coworker D is married, wife lived somewhere else
- sandwiches or sometimes just a baked potato.  For dinner, he'd buy a Costco chicken and eat that all week.  His wife couldn't believe he could eat that for a week.

I am a fan of my new instant pot.

undercover

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2016, 08:41:33 PM »
As a single dude, you want to cook in bulk and freeze and just heat up as needed. You will just waste food if you try buying ingredients and never freeze them. The only way that will work is if you're just buying a few bananas and sandwich ingredients, or flat out junk like cookies and chips.

Honestly, my eating habits are so sporadic and irregular that I can't even tell you what I eat since none of it is on a regular basis. I still have some stand-out advice though:

1. Eat a fairly large breakfast, ideally around 10-11AM I eat 1 large egg, 2 pieces of bacon, 1 biscuit, and 2 pieces of dark chocolate usually every morning, but not always. I sometimes skip breakfast in favor of intermittent fasting.

2. You won't be craving lunch but you might get hungry around 2-3PM in which case chips with pre-made dip/salsa, nuts, or fruit will tide you over until dinner.

3. For dinner, take something that you've made in bulk like burritos, casseroles, chili, shredded chicken, etc, and pop it in the microwave.

The best advice I can give learn how to control your portion sizes. When you begin to eat out less, you'll begin to notice this. Eat slowly and know that it takes on average 20 minutes after you're full for your brain to actually realize it. You will know exactly how much you need in the future and you'll wonder how the hell you ate so much in the past. Also, get in a routine. Eat the same stuff for a while just so you get used to thinking "oh, I need to cook" when you're hungry. I eat nearly the same stuff all the time through rotation and it really never gets old.

If you're going to actually make bulk-cooking and cooking your own meals work long term, you're going to need to have some room to cheat. I buy Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken and eat that with some freshly cooked rice (or you could have the rice already cooked and frozen to heat up) to eat about once or twice a week. There are obviously other options. Most frozen stuff flat out sucks, and none of it is going to be healthy (besides pure vegetables), but it keeps you from going out and keeps your mind focused on preparing your own meals.

It doesn't have to be complicated. Most meals are comprised of a meat/protein, a grain, vegetables, a sauce, some spices, and a cheese to make it fancy. With this approach, you can literally do anything you want. After cooking some basic meals for myself, I no longer desire to eat out. I am perfectly fine making "whatever" at home. It's not always as good, but it's good enough and it fills me up. And then again, some things are better than what I could get eating out - way better.

It's definitely hard to get started but it's very much worthwhile. You'll feel better about yourself, save money, and hopefully be healthier.

As far as how much you should be spending - that's debatable. I don't recommend trying to survive on pasta, beans, and rice. Vary your diet and eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. It's not always going to be the cheapest but it's worth it in the long run for your health. I'd say eating under $7 a day is very doable for a highly varied and healthy "meal plan".

lizzzi

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #10 on: August 07, 2016, 08:00:07 AM »
I would start by asking yourself, "What do I really like?" rather than "How much should it cost?". Then build a couple of meal plan rotations from there, using the suggestions posted above to help you. I find that when cooking in bulk for one person (me), I don't make more than four servings, eat one, and freeze three. Chili is a good example, or vegetable soup. No matter what it is, I get sick of it if I've made more than that, and don't want to be eating it forever. I also find that I'm happier making an extra trip or two to the nearby grocery for really fresh fruits and vegetables, and sometimes for fresh fish to be cooked immediately. I just enjoy it more, and hey, life is too short to make cooking and eating a dreary chore. I also keep a couple of the dreaded pre-packaged frozen meals on hand ("TV dinners" as we used to call them). They aren't my fave, but come in handy sometimes just as a back-up plan when I just don't feel like doing zip, not even my really easy meal prep. I keep track of everything I spend, and when I think I'm getting too close to my $200 per month food budget (includes alcohol and sundries--hard to stay under budget), I go to some of my frugal but enjoyable stuff--from good, old Aldi--sardines on toast with a side salad, toasted cheese sandwich with can of tomato soup, can of beans mixed with rice with side of frozen-bagged vegetable like broccoli...Aldi frozen bagged fish, especially the tilapia--can bake, fry, or microwave, and serve on top of frozen bagged vegetables or mixture of vegetables and rice. Their tilapia and salmon (salmon not great, but edible) are bagged in individual fillets, so easy to take out what you need and keep the rest frozen. I suggest Aldi for your chili ingredients also, and veggie soup. Very cheap. Use Aldi for snack items and sometimes more fancy pants things like smoked salmon (got some for $3.29, but don't usually see it there), or fancier cheeses and crackers than you usually eat. Got a box of those fancy pants "water biscuits" for $2.45 at Aldi--saw them in the Giant Eagle with name brand for almost $10.00. So lots of ideas--go cheap when you can--pay more if you have to--but I think it's important you enjoy what you're preparing and eating.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2016, 08:16:01 AM by lizzzi »

Clever Name

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #11 on: August 08, 2016, 07:47:32 AM »
Honestly, I'm happy if I spend less than $400/month... Good food is one my biggest pleasures in life and I have an extremely fast metabolism so I have to eat like 3000 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight if I'm sedentary - more when I'm exercising regularly.

Lnspilot

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2016, 08:06:59 AM »
As a vegan, I shop mostly in the produce section. As many of you know, this area is not cheap.

For example, avocados are $0.99 each, organic apples are $1.99/lb, a large box of baby spinach is $5.99, a bunch of kale is $1.49. Fortunately there is a bulk section for legumes, nuts, seeds, rice, etc to save on those things.

My body feels so much better on a whole foods, plant based diet compared to what I used to eat. For me, it's worth every cent of the $375 per month I spend on groceries.

OP, it's up to you and you only. If certain food adds value to your life, then by all means budget that in. There are plenty of blogs and YouTube videos to get you started on cooking in bulk.


Rubic

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2016, 08:38:07 AM »
I spend about $100 a week for groceries.  I could easily cut that in half, but it would have little effect on my FIRE plans and good food is one of life's pleasures.  Also, since I'm low-carb (somewhere between Mediterranean and Paleo, I suppose), a lot of the cheap staples aren't in my food consumption: bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.

Tiger Stache

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #14 on: August 08, 2016, 08:43:29 AM »
When I was single, I probably spent $50-75 a week. I'd always have cereal ready to go on nights I didn't feel like cooking.

jim555

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2016, 06:13:11 AM »
I am averaging about $216 per month now.

Drifterrider

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #16 on: August 09, 2016, 07:14:03 AM »
There is no correct answer.  What satisfies you? 

lizzzi

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #17 on: August 09, 2016, 08:03:54 AM »
Was thinking about this some more overnight. It's going to depend on whether you're asking only how much to spend on food, or if you're including things like soap, paper towels,  etc.  Or if you're including alcohol.

RWD

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #18 on: August 09, 2016, 08:15:25 AM »
We (two adults) are spending around $250/month on groceries (not including alcohol or non-food stuff from the grocery store). When I was single I was spending under $100/month ($116 today, accounting for inflation).

brokemillennial

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #19 on: August 14, 2016, 11:57:00 AM »
I was averaging around $400/mo before I "converted"--a lot of impulse spending, fancy products, and overeating. If dairy-free ice cream was on sale, I'd buy a pint and eat the entire thing walking home. Or I'd buy way more food than I really needed to be eating. (I lost like 90 lbs from 2012-2013, but have gained like 20 back since then, so clearly something's up.)

Now I'm spending probably $200/month by figuring out appropriate portion sizes and focusing on what's on sale each week. I try to avoid processed foods, with some exceptions (curry paste, tofu, etc.). I typically eat oatmeal/muesli every day for breakfast with fresh fruit. Lunch is typically based on what vegetables are on sale, same thing for dinner. But I don't mind eating the same thing over again, so I typically make 6 servings of each lunch/dinner thing, and then the last day I'll have pasta or something.

One of my favorite "lazy meals" is to top a can of vegetarian refried beans with salsa and avocado/guac. If I have leftover rice, I'll use that.

Paul der Krake

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #20 on: August 14, 2016, 12:26:27 PM »
In my area, the maximum food stamps benefit amount for a household of 1 is almost $200, and I find that generous. When I lived alone I rarely ever went above $150, and I'm a 175 lbs dude who eats healthily.


acanthurus

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #21 on: August 14, 2016, 04:10:49 PM »
Single dude here. I eat a very meat and fresh vegetable rich diet and almost never eat out. I spend about $300 a month on food. This is an area, for health reasons, I have no qualms spending money on. Salmon, shrimp, beef, fresh berries all tend to be expensive. I've been increasing the lean pork and dark chicken I eat since it's cheaper. I also consume a lot of protein powder but it's honestly not much more economical than boneless skinless chicken thighs which I can buy for $2/lb.

Buying in bulk, cooking in bulk, and refrigerating/freezing the excess for quick meals later really helps. This is the one thing that really really saves me money. I'm expecting my budget to drop to about $200 pretty quickly buying and cooking chicken in bulk as opposed to eating so much salmon and beef.

clarkfan1979

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #22 on: August 17, 2016, 01:49:15 AM »
My wife and I spend about $550 on groceries a month and another $100 on alcohol/month for a total of $650. My first goal is to knock it down to $600.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #23 on: August 17, 2016, 02:21:51 AM »
We spend $250/month for two people.

Staples include

Bread ($1/loaf)
Eggs ($1/dozen, I like em hardboiled to bring to work)
Chicken ($1.99/lb)
Beans (pennies per serving)
Rice
Potatoes
Whatever fruit is in season/on sale
Frozen Steam in Bag veggies (convenient for work, $.88/bag on sale)
Turkey Meatballs ($3/6 Servings)
Ground Turkey ($2.99/lb)
Kashi Cereal ($3/box, each box is 8 servings w/10g fiber and 13g protein)
Nuts
Peanut Butter
Etc, etc

aschmidt2930

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #24 on: August 17, 2016, 02:51:21 AM »
I don't think there's one right answer here, as many factors can influence it such as physical activity levels.  I spend about $45 per week on average, I also shop at Aldi in a LCOL area. Less is certainly doable, but if I don't eat a diet consisting of a lot of produce, I feel my energy levels drop and an inability to focus. 

Tanor85

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #25 on: August 17, 2016, 07:31:01 AM »
I follow the slow carb diet and spend about $70CAD per week on groceries. I eat the same thing everyday except for one cheat day per week where I go all out on junk food.
Food prep is no longer a puzzle for me.

LuxuryIsADrug

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #26 on: August 19, 2016, 11:33:51 PM »
Physically active Canadian.

2500 - 3000 kcal a day; 165 lbs.

My range is $300 - $400 CAD per month.

RobFIRE

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #27 on: August 21, 2016, 12:24:13 PM »
When I was single and at home all week I probably spent around GBP £100 to £120 a month on groceries, that did include a few beers and basic household items. I made my own lunch to take to work. I generally was in a middle ground, bought ingredients rather than prepared meals but did use jars of sauce rather than making everything from scratch. I generally didn't make things in batch and freeze them (didn't have much freezer space in shared house), instead doing meal A / meal B / meal A / meal B sequence to get economy of scale. If I'd had more freezer space I could have reduced that spending by maybe 20%, if I'd learnt to make more things myself perhaps I could have saved a bit more but the effort/saving return would have been minor.

So anything above ~$150 a month for 1 person would sound a bit high to me. However, for me, within reason it's not the absolute cost that matters but whether you get the value/enjoyment out of the spending. If you spend an extra $100 a month versus somebody else but for that get particular items that you really enjoy, or you host friends for dinner regularly etc. then the additional cost may we well worth it and I would not say there is any need to change it / anything to "optimize".

If you're not normally making your own lunch that sounds like an area for significant savings. If you like going out for lunch you may well get the same enjoyment doing it say once a week rather than doing it daily and not appreciating each time very much, therefore save most of the cost at little loss of enjoyment.

pudding

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #28 on: August 21, 2016, 01:41:29 PM »
I spend about 650  canadian a month on food.

I cant really get it lower without it becoming a pain in the butt. I'll get home tired and start cooking and leave all the dishes in the sink, or stuff ends up getting wasted.

I work in construction and I get home late, I usually grab something to eat out at least once a day that costs around $12

It goes a bit like this for me;

Breakfast ....$1  + .75

couple snack bars 1.5

lunch... couple fancy sandwiches and salad 4

some nuts, apple, 2 oranges, hard boiled eggs 2.75

eat something on way home 12

About $22 a day x 30 days = 660 , maybe even a bit more on weekends = around $700 a month.

MoneyCat

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #29 on: August 21, 2016, 02:21:42 PM »
When I was single, I lived very comfortably on $200/mo in groceries. If I had eaten less than that, I would have probably been more comfortable posting on a pro-anorexia forum.


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Bicycle_B

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Re: How much should a single dude be spending on groceries a month?
« Reply #30 on: August 21, 2016, 02:47:43 PM »
About $200/mo.  Single guy.

Was $350-400 pre-MMM.  Then $280, due to shopping for sale items, avoiding the most expensive things. 

Now $200 feels like I'm being lazy - I'm hardly doing anything to save.  Biggest change for me was learning to like beans and cook grains (rice, millet, some quinoa because I like it...quinoa's not cheap).  The grain/beans has cut down on my cereal addiction and replaced most of the modest meat (eg, turkey, eggs) I was eating before.  Eggs can be bought cheap, I just went with beans/grain for eco reasons.  I think that eggs and grain would be about as cheap.

Nuts can be purchased at Costco for decent prices.  No Costco in your area, Walmart is cheaper than most groceries (even though I dislike them).  Nuts plus toast or grain is a good base. 

Always add some vegies for nutrients, obviously.  If you have freezer and microwave, frozen vegies help fill in so that you can buy the fresh ones in small, non-waste quantities.  Fruits and vegies from the produce section keep pretty well outside a fridge if the no-kitchen-privileges thing prevents you from freezer access. 

If you can heat water, quick cook oatmeal can add calories when needed, very cheap. 

There are a million recipes on the internet.  +1 to the poster who suggested learning to cook things you like.  Good luck.

PS.  Have you read MMM's post on this topic?  He suggests $1/meal is a doable target. 
« Last Edit: August 21, 2016, 02:51:56 PM by Bicycle_B »

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!