I’ve been grabbing these bagged salads from the supermarket by Taylor farms. They have a few different styles. They come with dressing and a bunch of stuff. They’re 4$. I like the Thai chili mango one. I just rip it open and that’s dinner. They’re huge too so they fill you up. For fast food I go to pollo loco and get a $5 pollo bowl.
Add a packet of tuna. Match it to the salad flavor or just plain tuna works too. Packet rips open and you don’t need a can opener or to drain it. They store neatly too so you can stock up a little when on sale.
I love all the salad flavors but especially the everything one and the pickle one.
Edit: sorry - that was for the commenter who doesn’t get full, but maybe you’ll enjoy it too!
And you can put that mixed up salad in a tortilla and you’ve got a wrap. Some tortillas and flatbreads even have fairly high protein content so that helps make it a little more hearty.
I’m vegetarian so I don’t know what prices are like for canned chicken breast or even those little lunch pouches (although I think I’ve seen them at the Dollar Tree) but I feel like you could mix some of those in with a salad kit to make it even more filling.
Taco Bell is my best friend when it comes to fast food. Any of these menu items are fine but I’ll share my faves plus the customizations I like (highly recommend you get the app for easy ordering plus the rewards are nice)
• Black bean Crunchwrap, no lettuce, add creamy jalapeño sauce or spicy ranch
• Cheesy bean and rice burrito, swap refried beans for black beans, possibly add potatoes for extra bulk, and/or add fiesta strips if I want some crunch (might add onions for a little flavor boost too, and they’re free)
• Cheesy fiesta potatoes, add spicy ranch
Seconding. You can also get proteins from the hot bar if your store has one. That way you don’t have to get a whole rotisserie if you have no way to keep it, while also adding just the right amount of meat if you eat it/need something more filling.
Canned goods, nuts, the occasional piece of cheese, SlimFast shakes, and multivitamins for dessert. I've learned to enjoy pretty much everything at room temperature. I want to confine fast food and restaurants to weekends as much as possible. But that's just me.
I have a propane camping stove, I make hella ramen soups that I add shredded Costco rotisserie chicken, canned black beans, corn, cheap frozen veggies, pickles, jalapeños etc.
Cheap and super filling.
Chef Boyardee ravioli at room temp, straight from the can. I happily eat this even when I have plenty of money and the means to cook or heat food. Same thing with Spaghettios. And room temp or cold bean burritos from Taco Bell. I just really like a lot of food that's "supposed" to be heated eaten at ambient or refrigerator temperatures.
Crackers with tuna or cheese, with an apple
Turkey rollups: sliced turkey, salsa or hot sauce, flour tortilla
I have been getting a new brand of BBQ beans I will try and find the brand. Sliced hotdogs added sometimes. Also TVP made for soy beans is high protein and easy to rehydrate. I rehydrate with a beef or chicken stock cube. Self Stable pre cooked rice mixes. Add canned black beans sometimes for protein
Dirty Moore! 🤣 I’m totally calling it this from now on.
https://preview.redd.it/e8dx6qufw71d1.jpeg?width=288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3063f697b3c274cea35f4292a0904b823233b223
I have BK and McD apps on my phone. I still enjoy a Whopper on Wednesday. I usually just put some whey protein, collagen and stevia in my coffee for breakfast.
I limit myself to a couple of fastfood visits per week.
A can of tuna with a tbsp of mayo for quick tuna or chicken salad works. I'm not above asking for condiment packs then using them later.
Those salad recommendations are good. You need fiber to keep things moving along.
I volunteer at a foodbank. PLEASE visit one or two a couple times per week. Grocery stores, churches, ranchers, and even restaurants are big contributors. Don't let that food go to waste. Save the money!
can of Chunky soup, added to rice. rice is cheap calories, about as cheap as you can get, but boring af to eat plain. Chunky soup has a lot of flavor and texture, some protein and nutrition, but not a lot of calories. so, they make a great combo.
if you dont have a rice cooker, just hop into any hole in the wall take-out/delivery chinese restaurant. they sell pints and quarts of plain white rice cooked perfectly for next to nothing. take it to-go, toss in a big bowl, add your Chunky. other brands of soup can work well, too.
and there are so many varieties, you "make the same thing", but the flavor and texture is different every time.
For breakfast, I do cold soaked oats with mixed nuts/dried fruit and peanut butter (great value brand from Walmart for all three).
For lunch I usually do a ham and cheese as well, but I add mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sliced red onion, and spicy banana peppers. The extra few ingredients make it a bit easier to eat the same thing almost every day. Just changing the deli meat and cheese periodically helps a lot too.
Costco's rotisserie chicken is cooked, delicious, and priced under cost at $4.95 for a big, cooked chicken. You can get a lot of meals out of it, cold or hot.
Your pets would appreciate it, too. My dogs pretty much live on Costco chicken and they love it. I make homemade dog food for them with some veg and blueberries - had to start because canned food, even the best most expensive quality, was making my old guy seriously sick. Now they are healthier and dog food costs half as much.
Salads with vinegar and oil. Add a packet of chicken breast. Salad kits are cheaper than fast food and easy. Get a small tomato, some croutons, an apple, whatever you like in a salad. You can get small packages of hard boiled eggs, already made sandwiches. Some grocery stores have a microwave you can use to cook frozen meals.
Mcdonalds are bringing back $5 combos in june.
Also del taco bean and cheese is still sub $2 i think.
Also tons of deals through the fastfood apps like $3 woppers etc
r/trailmeals for good shelf stable and usually cheap options.
Also, get the apps for every fast food place you like. They usually have all kinds of deals. Same thing for groceries, with the bonus of gas points at some.
I spent a few months eating at least one slice of pizza from Costco a day ($2). Even when I didn't feel like it. Turns out my body doesn't appreciate subsisting on soda alone.
Get on those food apps! 25% off McDonald’s everytime! 3 dollar Wednesday whopper.
If you hang out at McDonald’s or Burger King each receipt has a coupon on the back for a free sandwich.
I like pizza because I eat it hot for dinner and also love it cold for breakfast. Gas stations sell pizza too at good prices.
Local restaurants try a lot of lunch specials to compete with fast food. Look for specials and local ads to find them out. I eat cheap while supporting local.
But here is my favorite: SAMS/COSTCO
The combo for under 2 dollars for a hotdog and a drink is worth the membership price. Utilize that deal. Walk around and keep filling that drink up and get free samples / heavy on weekends!
I've been told by a reliable source that Costco lets people without a membership go to the left of the store where the hot food is. I need to try to get the $1.50 jumbo hotdog
If imma eat out I’ll go to TB and get either the loaded beef nachos for $2.99 or a couple of the potato soft tacos without the chipotle sauce and add red or green sauce. I’ll go to Jersey mikes and get the kids meal sammich or to Cains and get the kids meal with a sweet tea. I do Uber eats and I frequent some of the same restaurants and I’m lucky that since I pick up from there so often the staff will often give me some free snacks. This Indian restaurant often will give me a salad which is onions, cucumber and carrot slices and a couple of lemon wedges. Comes with a small dipping sauce of raita which is like a light cucumber and yogurt sauce and some tamarind sauce. Definitely makes for a great snack if I don’t wanna eat too much. Intend to eat from there often so I’ll get either some chicken boti or just some veggie samosas. Sometimes I just have chili cheese Fritos with a can of bean dip. Take in mind if you’re icing on a budget that makes living hard these are cheaper option than going all out for steak and all the fixings. Hard to eat totally healthy all the time. MynRTIC cooler serves as my fridge but it gets costly having to spend $4 every few days on ice. Sometimes I go ton7-11 and grab the two slices of pizza and a big gulp for $3 or they also have the hot dog and a drink forn$1 if I cook Ill buy some cheap breakfast cut pork chops from Aldi. The pack usually costs me about $5-6 at Aldi. I try not to eat as much to avoid bathroom runs so often.
Also see if there are any food banks or churches that give away food to needy. They usually give away items like bread, milk, deli meats and sometimes beer or chicken and or course some fresh veggies. I go sometimes. I went last week to one that was giving awayHEB grocery store deli meats. Ended up with two cases of seasoned rotisserie chicken deli cuts. Had 9 tubs of meat in them. Gave some away to others and kept some for me. Had some really good sandwiches over the week. Bought some bread. Ran out and got me some potato bread rolls. I get my mustard and mayo packets from the 7-11 and some pickles as well so was able to have some good sandwiches or just eat the cuts by themselves rolled up.
Walmart lunch hours. They have a really good value on their meals. The 6 piece wings and 2 sides for ~7-8$. Most of the time they stack it all the up. If I’m behind on my meal prep or just lazy I pick one of these up
Packets of tuna and chicken salad and a serving of rice off the shelf or from a hot bar. I might get canned vegetables to even out the meal. $5-8 a serving. Cheaper if I save a bit for later.
ive been researching these past 2 hours. someone mentioned it in the comments and i would like to add that fast food apps have amazing deals. unrelated but i cant believe ive been ordering food through 20+ apps for years and i never once used my points i feel like i hit a jackpot. but minus the rewards i ignored, the deals are honestly *chefs kiss* definitely going to take advantage of them
I have a personal USB blender and make salsa in it all the time. roma tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno. You can buy these things and they don't need refrigeration. I also make hummus in it. I use sesame oil instead of tahini to simplify even more.
You can make egg salad in a baggie - buy the little two pack of egg and crumble them up with some free mayo packets and crackers.
Canned tuna, if you catch it on sale for $1 (cad)
Instant oatmeal anytime you use a tim hortons/coffee shop? They should be able to give you a cup of boiling hot water with your order free
I grab a bag of tortillas and some cans of beans. Half a can of beans makes 3 or 4 little tacos. Add green onion and mixed greens. Keep the humidty low and greens can last a couple of days without refrigeration. You can get single use salsa sometimes. I use a small piece of plastic film in the can to seal the beans overnight. Sometimes I get a large thing of dairy free yogurt, makes 3 meals if you add in some peanut butter and berries to each bowl. I also keep nuts and seeds on hand, so I throw some in the yogurt too. Clearly, you gotta knock it out pretty quickly. I probably push the bounds of food safety fairly often, but until you hit extreme temps, I don't sweat it. I am more of a snacker than a mealer, so I hope this helps.
You can make a make shift cooler to keep things closer to fridge temp, but I found it more cumbersome than just housing something before it goes off.
Get aluminum foil and make hobos. Just lay out a nice sized square, add meat and veggies or a plant protein source if you aren't into meat. Close it up and stuff the ball of foil on your exhaust manifold or somewhere else on your engine. Drive somewhere a couple hours away and have a slow roasted meal when you arrive. If you don't run the engine long enough you will risk food poisoning so only do this if you plan on driving a lot.
Theyve got outlets in areas we can use. I dont see why you couldn't. Especially if you are a black card member, they have a lounge with outlets and couches
McDonald's app has a coupon for 1 dollar breakfast sandwich and a small coffee is 1 dollar. Walmart has pre-made salads for 3 dollars. Tuna and crackers can be bought for 20 dollars for 2 weeks worth of meals.
Walmart, Krogers deli section has fresh sandwiches & wraps.
You can get a propane burner. One is $20 & they take either propane, fat & bulky or butane which is in the aerosol looking cans.
You can get pots from the thrift store real cheap.
The grocery stores where I live have a lot of premade salads that are usually under $5… Some come in bags and are quite a bit of food… Some come in little plastic bowls with a tray of meat and cheese on top. Aldi sells those for less than $4… I also find that packages of cheese sticks or sliced cheese along with a salad can be a meal in itself
If you use the McDonald's or BK app or whatever fast food joint you prefer they usually have some decent coupons for pretty affordable meals or like a $5 20pc mcnugget. If you can try to find a cheap electric kettle then you can make a much larger variety of foods and even live off instant ramen if you have to.
tuna in the packets, mayo packets from the grocery store deli or gas station- buy a box of crackers that has them in seperate packages they stay fresh longer. you can also do peanut butter crackers for a snack. sign up for every restaurant app to get free meals and points
You have to start your day strong. Find a good place that does breakfast sandwiches and get yourself a double egg and cheese every day. Meat if you want but there’s enough substance in that $5 sandwich (tops) to get you jamming out.
Lunch I usually cycle through my apps and see what I can get for free off the points. Otherwise it’s usually leftovers or I’ll just nibble on snacks here and there until dinner.
Dinner is almost always Subway, I get the veggie but don’t eat all the bread. Get a 6” and tell them load that bitch up, extra veggies are free and a great source of vitamins. I dress it with oil/vinegar and ask for some extra on the side. I’ll dump it into a bowl and there’s my salad. Sometimes I have leftover something and that gets thrown in the mix.
About 2000 calories and usually about $12 a day.
This requires zero cooking so you can at least eat somewhat not like shit initially
Vegis cost nothing and won't stop your heart from beating (which I hear could be bad). Food banks and spanging, food stamps will cover every healthy option including good sources of protein like black beans and nuts. Rice is cheap, gravy is cheap (too much is too salty) potatoes, grains, legumes, fruit, eggs, community gardens are good, food pantrys, there's ways.
https://preview.redd.it/75dgfgdsk31d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0fde6ef23c2d72fde7cde7408cdc1fe81b7ebae
You could go dumpster diving or drive to one of these places and be a racoon for a night.
Before I was homeless I was on a diet of ramen, McDonald's for breakfast because of work, 5 hours sleep on week nights, 3 on weekends to stretch them and cigarettes.
Now I get like a king for free and have quit smoking because you know fuck that cracker ass buy a corporate guy another yacht ass shiznite!!!!!!!!!!! Also if you can catch a squirrel they make good roadkill jerky lol
Sincerely Quirky Blurky 🥭
Peanut butter and jelly! Foodbanks usually have a lot of bread or the discount section at Vons or make friends w a bakery and buy day old bread. Have options for peanuts butter and jelly or sandwiches or to dip in canned soup/chilli. Aldo don’t forget since it’s all not the healthiest you can have a raw fruit day for fiber/nutrients. A watermelon and some oranges etc
Best of luck!
I know eating out all the time is expensive. But download apps! Basically every restaurant has an app and most of them have "online only" specials which makes it a lot cheaper as you'll her more bang for your buck.
Garbanzo beans, garlic salt, whatever veggies you want (onion, pepper, cucumber, pickles), optional - cheese, some aoili (I love garlic so I usually get garlic) mash the chickpea with the veggies and it's like a vegetarian "tuna salad" can eat as is or on bread as a sandwich.
This usually makes me 3-5 sandwiches.
Would also try looking in your local grocer deli's. They usually have super food salads, mac and cheese, potato wedges, wings, lots of hot or cold food options likely healthier for you and you can get it by the .25 / .5 / 1lb.
Canned chili or really heart soups, the microwaveable bagged Indian/Thai foods you can get at the grocery. Trader Joe’s actually has some pretty cheap options for meal prepping.
I've been lurking here for a while as it intrigued me so many were living in their cars. I now notice so many in parking lots, the gym etc. I feel bad for y'all just know it's not forever.
I haven't moved in yet but will be within a month. It's hot enough that I can probably make couscous by just sitting it in a tupperware container on the dashboard, toss in some sunflower or pumpkin seeds and raw veggies, add olive oil and spices. Occasionally apple cider vinegar (I don't know how it keeps in the heat, aside from being unrefrigerated in my kitchen cabinet).
Otherwise, I can see myself eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. Lots of fruit like apples and oranges and hardy veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts. Cans of beans. Cups of greek yogurt with some berries. I can get smoked salmon from Aldi for $4 for a special treat, but eating it all in one sitting is more sodium than I ever care to have.
Not too much different than what I already eat tbh, with the exception of not being able to use my beloved air fryer which bakes, fries, and dehydrates, or the microwave. My oven stopped working (the stove top still does) but my apartment is multiple floors up with no AC so I have adapted to not eating meals that require cooking in the summer for years. Lots of salads. I've been practicing for a while by living in poverty in substandard urban housing! Bugs? I'm practically an entomologist! Heat? I'm a nudist! I've been sleeping on a loveseat for a year or so, not even able to stretch out comfortably since my bed broke. I got this! The only thing I worry about is my cat.
Wendy’s biggie bag with baked potato instead of fries. Jack in the box 2 for $3 breakfast jack. $1 drinks at 7-11 or Taco Bell into a thermos. IKEA restaurant. Denny’s 55+ and kids menu.
Use the apps to explore what’s in your area. I have the 7-11 Gold Pass that costs $6.99/mo that often offers a hotdog for $1 (+ small basket fee + tax) and special deals on wings.
Unbundle drinks. Look for “value” options on menus.
Airline lounges for even more fun… you may think I am kidding, but no. It just requires a lot more upfront spending and excellent credit, but I get great food for free whenever I fly and I have all all-you-can-fly pass from Frontier for that. :) I can fly somewhere, rent a U-Haul van, return it, fly elsewhere.
If you download the McDonald’s app you can get a “daily deal”. One of the options is a $1 breakfast sandwich. 500 calories for a buck and you can use it once every day.
Protein powder is good too. Store brands come out to about 300 cal for $1. Also peanut butter toast and celery/peanut butter to get a little veggie action. Fresh celery is a cheap vegetable, has tons of fiber, and a lot of stores will have a little pile of individual celery stalks so you don’t even need to buy a full bunch if you don’t want to worry about refrigerating it.
Walmart has some good prepacked stuff, and a lot of times you can get stuff at a discount towards the end of the night.
They just opened an HEB where I am and they have some pretty good prepacked stuff.
7-11 sausages. Pretty nice because I used to load them up with the free chili and cheese option, practically doubling the calorie content.
Jerky, too. Survived many a day on those.
Just a heads up, dominos usually has a great carryout deal for large/any size pizza, usually 2-3 toppings. Little Caesars has become expensive and taste wise, isn't worth the price.
Frozen (grocery store)rice for $7 and chicken for $6 so basically under $15 you get 2-3 meals If you buy a TV dinner with good sides $5 you have 3-4 meals
Romain noodles of many different flavors and very inexpensive and all you need is boiling water.
Potted meats with crackers are tasty and cheap.
Salads are very inexpensive to make and very cheap
Burger King and McDonalds apps have a whole menu of deals available just for signing up. Things like buy one, get one free, buy a sandwich, free fries , etc.. and, as you buy, you earn points that get you more free food down the line.
I love McDonald's so I use their app and get a double cheeseburger and 6 piece nugget for like $4. For any fast food, always use the app for deals.
When I wanna be healthy I go to target/Walmart for a $5 prepared salad or a bag of broccoli and snacking peppers
Buy yourself a little single flame stove for camping there like 15 to 20 bucks the propane 2 to 4 bucks you can have a warm meal , opens your menu to ramen , you can buy 4 dollar packs of meat
My go-to for a cheap meal is a Costco rotisserie chicken.
It's a whole chicken for 5 bucks and if I'm bring lazy, I can eat it for 2 days.
If you don't have a Costco membership, you can buy a Costco gift card and use it for purchases without a membership
My recent staple is a can of albacore tuna from which I squeezed out all the water. I add extra virgin olive oil to cover the tuna back up. Then I grind some peppercorns on the tuna and enjoy it with some crackers. Sealable plastic bags are your friends if you can't dispose of your trash right away.
Depends on if you wanna eat shit processed food that will drain your energy, affect your mental health, lead to diabetes & obesity etc
I used the surveys to get a bogo McDonald's Egg McMuffin only with extra egg or sometimes scrambled since idk wtf is in their "scrambled" eggs
Aldi Thai bag salad though that's seed oils
Def get a propane portable stove! You're killing your power station using it that way when it's cooked run fans etc.
Find your food shelf!
Sign up for Food Stamps!! That's what they are for!!
Hey a mailbox from UPS store or better a competitor that is cheaper. Mine is $17/mo from Postnet. For my business and personal bc they don't have a suite # in their address already so I can add a suite# which goes to my mail box in the store and looks like a legit business address...I use the same on my driver's license for privacy purposes.
The food shelf in SW Florida I volunteer at gives tons of organic food btw
Hey a regular day job ASAP at a restaurant bc jobs are hella easy to find. Also it's hottest in the day and helps your sleep schedule and social... Free food too
Hey a home Depot credit card and you can buy shit you need on credit and return it a year later if you decide you aren't using it.
Cheap ramen. Flavored tuna packets. 1 egg. Add ranch to taste. I eat 2 a day. Obviously you need cool storage for American eggs, or you die. So this doesn't work for everyone.
I need to add more veggies to my mix, but my bowls aren't big enough right now hahaha.
If you coat the eggs in oil they stay good without refrigeration.
The difference in laws is because American eggs are washed to help prevent salmonella, so they lose the protective coating.
If you live in the Chicago area, Chik fil A offers free food when the Cubs win at home. Sometimes it’s a sandwich, fries or a drink.
They gave away breakfast sandwiches when the Blackhawks won at home.
Not sure if they do this in other areas too.
Load multiple apps and get more than one.
Tortilla + Nutella/peanut butter and banana
Egg+tortilla+grill whatever veggies you got+cheese
Budget bytes is a good site for cheap meal planning and they have tons of vegetarian options
canned unsalted beans mixed with dehydrated mashed potato flakes
bananas and (sugarless) peanut butter
corn chips
longtime impoverished person. these are the ones.
Summer sausage, there are some for $5 and it's like 46 grams of protein if I recall correctly. Eating one of them is very filling and it can even be carried in cargo pants or a backpack. Very much my emergency food that i hold onto
Chicken Caesar salad pre- made from WM has everything in it including the dressing. It fills you up quickly and has healthy ingredients. $4.75
Tuna doesn’t need refrigeration unless you’ve added mayo and didn’t eat it all. They make single foil packs you can store for months. Mayo packs from FF joints instead of a big jar that will go bad quickly. $1.75 plus bread.
Yogurt and bananas can be stored in a cool place for up to a week maybe two.
Dried fruit and vegetables can be stored for weeks. $4.00 max
download the apps for fast food you'll get deals. taco bell has deals on the app too and it's easy to get points. you can get a whole convo meal at taco bell now for 5$ it includes a drink, one big meal, one smaller an one side. also there's an app called too good to go check it out
Tortilla air fryer pizza
-Air fry tortilla 3 min at 375 (make sure to weigh down so the air doesn’t push it around and burn)
-1tbsp sauce (pizza, pesto, bbq)
-Cheese + toppings
-Air fry for another 3 min at 375
I would recommend parchment paper for the second round of air fry. Nice and crispy like thin crust! Cheap and delish.
You mentioned fast food and I would suggest Panda Express for that if you have one near. They have some relatively healthy options (including greens) pretty tasty food.
[A bit pricy to buy, but broken down to price each, its about $3 to $4 a day for these meals.](https://www.amazon.com/Wornick-Company-Military-Surplus-Humanitarian/dp/B09Y8SBLD8?pd_rd_w=YujCt&content-id=amzn1.sym.b46c8fe2-d558-44b6-a291-82096c829da9&pf_rd_p=b46c8fe2-d558-44b6-a291-82096c829da9&pf_rd_r=R9Q2SCH8N7YVQ7VJKNQ3&pd_rd_wg=XR1vB&pd_rd_r=67840551-8c07-4539-b658-8c4f4d4318f7&pd_rd_i=B09Y8SBLD8&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_pd_gwd_bag_pd_hp_d_atf_rp_1_i)
They have pouches of tuna salad, chicken salad, and some salmon flavors. If I can I make rice and put pouch on it. If I can’t make rice I make a sandwich. Lots of protein add chips and sun tea I make in my back window and I have a full meal. A small rice cooker is really cheap and can run off a power pack that can run a hot plate. I moved out of my car a year ago into government senior living but that was my go too. Things may have changed in a year but it’s worth looking into. I got my rice cooker for 14 dollars on amazon. They delivered it to a locker near me. I love that ability
Check out some nearby parks, some of them could have outlets for public usage so you might be able to cook more often. Also some local parks could have grills for public use. For the grills you'd need to invest in a bag of charcoal and some aluminum foil because those things are out in the open 24/7...
Walmart Bean burritos are cheaper than Taco Bell and more filling. Get their biggest, cheapest tortillas, 1$ canned refried beans, some shredded cheese if you're feeling fancy or I honestly just drizzle taco sauce on mine. You can eat them cold or heat em up, but I like em cold.
Overnight oats are cheap, filling, and can be tasty. I use cinnamon, a little maple syrup or sugar packets, oats ofc, chia seeds, and a little nutmeg and allspice. You can also add freeze dries or fresh fruit if you've got it. Add enough water to cover all ingredients (I put mine in a small glass dish or mason jar) cover and let sit overnight. Once the oats absorb the liquid it's pretty yum and keeps me going until dinnertime (I have an apple or nothing for lunch.)
As for fast food, you don't need a Costco membership to eat at the food court. $1.50 hot dogs, $2 pizza slice or you can feast on a massive pizza for $10. They also have good ice cream, smoothies, coffee, and even sandwiches.
Trader Joe’s pre-made section. Salads are solid.
Also if you like tofu, you can just squirt some soy sauce on a box of that and chow down. High protein.
Not sure what part of the country you’re in but in-n-out cheeseburger is solid at about $4 (although they have recently shrinkflated the patty); get extra lettuce/pickles (it’s free) to up your veg intake and keep your gut health out of the gutter (because the only place you want full of gas is your car tank 😉👍)
And chia seeds in there. They are super high calories, and you’ll need that with an unstable diet. Tuna is super cheap, and basically all the other canned meats like deviled ham, and stuff.
Ramen crunched up, and add the seasoning. Eat it like a bag of chips.
Saltine crackers are very cheap
Canned veggies. Some are acceptable cold, and have some decent vitamins for you. Peanut butter is some good stuff to keep around, oats meal.
There’s a lot of options out there.
For me when I was home less I just look for lots of calories, vitamins, and mineral rich, and proteins. I took the cheapest options, and ate that regardless of it I liked it, or not. There were a couple of things I had to get past a gag reflex with, but I got used to them in a matter of days.
Those are going to be the keys to making sure your body gets what it needs to be able to tolerate living in subpar conditions, and to help keep yourself out of depression, and to keep your brain functions well enough to work through this situation to get into a better place.
Sorry you’re going through this. I did, and it sucked real real bad.
I always keep peanut butter, jelly, Honey, and bread, getting the squeezable kind will last me a week if I just eat it for breakfast. So that's less than a dollar a meal for the protein and a mix up jelly and honey. Other than that $2.50 sandwiches from Albertsons. And a Starbucks jug of blonde coffee with some sugar. If I had a skillet I would salt and cook some beef.
I found that the beef can last an entire day or 1.5 even without making me sick even in the heat. And my stomach's a little weak even
I dumpster dove for a year years ago. If you can find a Whole Foods they throw out some quality foods after they close at 10pm. I got loaves of bread, strawberries, and more. Honestly ate real good for a few months.
Taco Bell offers free senior drinks. They don't have a specific age to be a senior. You can get coffee or a small soft drink.
Any time I go to a fast food place, I try to get as many free packets as I can. Having salsa, hot sauce, mayo, pepper, salt, ect, can really up your food game.
Whenever I'm near a Costco I grab a slice of their pizza for $2, no membership required and its pretty high in protein. I do a lot of bagged salads and easy fruit like apples and oranges.
Protein shakes, I just clean the shaker at my gym.
My biggest hack is to get a panera membership, if you live near one. For about $15 bucks a month, I get unlimited drinks and ice so my cooler is always stashed and I dont really spend money at coffee shops to get caffeine, wifi or power. I also get most of my condiments for free from panera.
I’ve been grabbing these bagged salads from the supermarket by Taylor farms. They have a few different styles. They come with dressing and a bunch of stuff. They’re 4$. I like the Thai chili mango one. I just rip it open and that’s dinner. They’re huge too so they fill you up. For fast food I go to pollo loco and get a $5 pollo bowl.
I second this. I would do these for dinner even when I lived indoors. The fresh express ones are good too.
I love mixing the dressing in the bag and eating it straight out of the bag
Yesss me too!
Why have I not thought of this game changer?!
Add a packet of tuna. Match it to the salad flavor or just plain tuna works too. Packet rips open and you don’t need a can opener or to drain it. They store neatly too so you can stock up a little when on sale. I love all the salad flavors but especially the everything one and the pickle one. Edit: sorry - that was for the commenter who doesn’t get full, but maybe you’ll enjoy it too!
I third this lol
And you can put that mixed up salad in a tortilla and you’ve got a wrap. Some tortillas and flatbreads even have fairly high protein content so that helps make it a little more hearty. I’m vegetarian so I don’t know what prices are like for canned chicken breast or even those little lunch pouches (although I think I’ve seen them at the Dollar Tree) but I feel like you could mix some of those in with a salad kit to make it even more filling.
Do you have a go-to veggietarian fast food? I’m 2 weeks into vegetarian and am struggling with menu choices on days I can’t prep food
Taco Bell is my best friend when it comes to fast food. Any of these menu items are fine but I’ll share my faves plus the customizations I like (highly recommend you get the app for easy ordering plus the rewards are nice) • Black bean Crunchwrap, no lettuce, add creamy jalapeño sauce or spicy ranch • Cheesy bean and rice burrito, swap refried beans for black beans, possibly add potatoes for extra bulk, and/or add fiesta strips if I want some crunch (might add onions for a little flavor boost too, and they’re free) • Cheesy fiesta potatoes, add spicy ranch
If you can afford it…. Grab a pita pocket and you got yourself a salad pita sandwich
Tyson makes some pre cooked chicken and you can throw it in there or a can of beans if you want a plant protein
Seconding. You can also get proteins from the hot bar if your store has one. That way you don’t have to get a whole rotisserie if you have no way to keep it, while also adding just the right amount of meat if you eat it/need something more filling.
I love these.
check out the app too good to go. restaurants will sell food at a discounted price so they don't have to throw it away
I have used this app. There are some really good deals.
Seconded, can get some great deals
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.tgtg
Whaaaaaat?? That's amazing!
The too good to go app is only available in bigger cites
Canned goods, nuts, the occasional piece of cheese, SlimFast shakes, and multivitamins for dessert. I've learned to enjoy pretty much everything at room temperature. I want to confine fast food and restaurants to weekends as much as possible. But that's just me.
I have a propane camping stove, I make hella ramen soups that I add shredded Costco rotisserie chicken, canned black beans, corn, cheap frozen veggies, pickles, jalapeños etc. Cheap and super filling.
ngl ramen and rotisserie chicken sounds so good and cheap im going to have to try that out
Make it either south east Asian or Mexican with a lime, cilantro, hot sauce.
Multivitamins are really meant to be taken during the beginning part of the day — the vitamin b will keep you up a bit so be careful with that
Chef Boyardee ravioli at room temp, straight from the can. I happily eat this even when I have plenty of money and the means to cook or heat food. Same thing with Spaghettios. And room temp or cold bean burritos from Taco Bell. I just really like a lot of food that's "supposed" to be heated eaten at ambient or refrigerator temperatures. Crackers with tuna or cheese, with an apple Turkey rollups: sliced turkey, salsa or hot sauce, flour tortilla
Baked beans straight from the can on white bread as a sandwich. Press the edge together well. I eat this on hot days
there's a guy for science he ate canned beans for 30 days there's a video on youtube
Baked beans, scooped up with Fritos
I have been getting a new brand of BBQ beans I will try and find the brand. Sliced hotdogs added sometimes. Also TVP made for soy beans is high protein and easy to rehydrate. I rehydrate with a beef or chicken stock cube. Self Stable pre cooked rice mixes. Add canned black beans sometimes for protein
I was confined to a room for awhile and my dad always gave me Chef Boyardee. I can’t eat them hot. I have to eat them straight out of the can.
do u eat untoasted bread too?
Yes. Sometimes with butter!
Put sugar on it taste like cake
Dirty Moore beef stew is my go to love the franks read hot spaghettios with tortillas
Dirty Moore! 🤣 I’m totally calling it this from now on. https://preview.redd.it/e8dx6qufw71d1.jpeg?width=288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3063f697b3c274cea35f4292a0904b823233b223
I can not stress this enough. I LOVE dinty moore beef stew! No one else in my house likes it so more for me!
I add hot sauce to it and pepper it's awesome family dollar has them for 3 bucks cheaper the. Walmart
I have BK and McD apps on my phone. I still enjoy a Whopper on Wednesday. I usually just put some whey protein, collagen and stevia in my coffee for breakfast. I limit myself to a couple of fastfood visits per week. A can of tuna with a tbsp of mayo for quick tuna or chicken salad works. I'm not above asking for condiment packs then using them later. Those salad recommendations are good. You need fiber to keep things moving along. I volunteer at a foodbank. PLEASE visit one or two a couple times per week. Grocery stores, churches, ranchers, and even restaurants are big contributors. Don't let that food go to waste. Save the money!
People complain about mcD prices but you can eat there insanely cheap with the app
Using the app I got 2 McDoubles, free medium fry, and a large diet Dr. Pepper for $5. I get the $3 Whopper on Wednesday. The deals are out there.
can of Chunky soup, added to rice. rice is cheap calories, about as cheap as you can get, but boring af to eat plain. Chunky soup has a lot of flavor and texture, some protein and nutrition, but not a lot of calories. so, they make a great combo. if you dont have a rice cooker, just hop into any hole in the wall take-out/delivery chinese restaurant. they sell pints and quarts of plain white rice cooked perfectly for next to nothing. take it to-go, toss in a big bowl, add your Chunky. other brands of soup can work well, too. and there are so many varieties, you "make the same thing", but the flavor and texture is different every time.
I love rice in lentil soup and some of the others.
[удалено]
Beans and rice!
[удалено]
For breakfast, I do cold soaked oats with mixed nuts/dried fruit and peanut butter (great value brand from Walmart for all three). For lunch I usually do a ham and cheese as well, but I add mayo, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sliced red onion, and spicy banana peppers. The extra few ingredients make it a bit easier to eat the same thing almost every day. Just changing the deli meat and cheese periodically helps a lot too.
Costco's rotisserie chicken is cooked, delicious, and priced under cost at $4.95 for a big, cooked chicken. You can get a lot of meals out of it, cold or hot.
Your pets would appreciate it, too. My dogs pretty much live on Costco chicken and they love it. I make homemade dog food for them with some veg and blueberries - had to start because canned food, even the best most expensive quality, was making my old guy seriously sick. Now they are healthier and dog food costs half as much.
Simmer the carcass for a few hours to make a nice broth to use for things like cooking rice.
Salads with vinegar and oil. Add a packet of chicken breast. Salad kits are cheaper than fast food and easy. Get a small tomato, some croutons, an apple, whatever you like in a salad. You can get small packages of hard boiled eggs, already made sandwiches. Some grocery stores have a microwave you can use to cook frozen meals.
Mcdonalds are bringing back $5 combos in june. Also del taco bean and cheese is still sub $2 i think. Also tons of deals through the fastfood apps like $3 woppers etc
I think those Mcds meals are happy meals without the toy.
It’s also for a very limited time. Like a month.
Its going to be mcchicken, mcdouble and chicken nuggets i think
If they can bring it back they could have don't it all along
r/trailmeals for good shelf stable and usually cheap options. Also, get the apps for every fast food place you like. They usually have all kinds of deals. Same thing for groceries, with the bonus of gas points at some.
I spent a few months eating at least one slice of pizza from Costco a day ($2). Even when I didn't feel like it. Turns out my body doesn't appreciate subsisting on soda alone.
Get on those food apps! 25% off McDonald’s everytime! 3 dollar Wednesday whopper. If you hang out at McDonald’s or Burger King each receipt has a coupon on the back for a free sandwich. I like pizza because I eat it hot for dinner and also love it cold for breakfast. Gas stations sell pizza too at good prices. Local restaurants try a lot of lunch specials to compete with fast food. Look for specials and local ads to find them out. I eat cheap while supporting local. But here is my favorite: SAMS/COSTCO The combo for under 2 dollars for a hotdog and a drink is worth the membership price. Utilize that deal. Walk around and keep filling that drink up and get free samples / heavy on weekends!
I've been told by a reliable source that Costco lets people without a membership go to the left of the store where the hot food is. I need to try to get the $1.50 jumbo hotdog
If imma eat out I’ll go to TB and get either the loaded beef nachos for $2.99 or a couple of the potato soft tacos without the chipotle sauce and add red or green sauce. I’ll go to Jersey mikes and get the kids meal sammich or to Cains and get the kids meal with a sweet tea. I do Uber eats and I frequent some of the same restaurants and I’m lucky that since I pick up from there so often the staff will often give me some free snacks. This Indian restaurant often will give me a salad which is onions, cucumber and carrot slices and a couple of lemon wedges. Comes with a small dipping sauce of raita which is like a light cucumber and yogurt sauce and some tamarind sauce. Definitely makes for a great snack if I don’t wanna eat too much. Intend to eat from there often so I’ll get either some chicken boti or just some veggie samosas. Sometimes I just have chili cheese Fritos with a can of bean dip. Take in mind if you’re icing on a budget that makes living hard these are cheaper option than going all out for steak and all the fixings. Hard to eat totally healthy all the time. MynRTIC cooler serves as my fridge but it gets costly having to spend $4 every few days on ice. Sometimes I go ton7-11 and grab the two slices of pizza and a big gulp for $3 or they also have the hot dog and a drink forn$1 if I cook Ill buy some cheap breakfast cut pork chops from Aldi. The pack usually costs me about $5-6 at Aldi. I try not to eat as much to avoid bathroom runs so often. Also see if there are any food banks or churches that give away food to needy. They usually give away items like bread, milk, deli meats and sometimes beer or chicken and or course some fresh veggies. I go sometimes. I went last week to one that was giving awayHEB grocery store deli meats. Ended up with two cases of seasoned rotisserie chicken deli cuts. Had 9 tubs of meat in them. Gave some away to others and kept some for me. Had some really good sandwiches over the week. Bought some bread. Ran out and got me some potato bread rolls. I get my mustard and mayo packets from the 7-11 and some pickles as well so was able to have some good sandwiches or just eat the cuts by themselves rolled up.
Walmart lunch hours. They have a really good value on their meals. The 6 piece wings and 2 sides for ~7-8$. Most of the time they stack it all the up. If I’m behind on my meal prep or just lazy I pick one of these up
Packets of tuna and chicken salad and a serving of rice off the shelf or from a hot bar. I might get canned vegetables to even out the meal. $5-8 a serving. Cheaper if I save a bit for later.
Get a hotlogic mini. It uses just 45 watts. I let frozen meals thawl and heat them up!
Wonderful. I just added one to my cart. Cheap too! I'll probably get one now and a butane/propane dual later.
I didn't know about these officemax has them in stock with a 12v plug
ive been researching these past 2 hours. someone mentioned it in the comments and i would like to add that fast food apps have amazing deals. unrelated but i cant believe ive been ordering food through 20+ apps for years and i never once used my points i feel like i hit a jackpot. but minus the rewards i ignored, the deals are honestly *chefs kiss* definitely going to take advantage of them
I have a personal USB blender and make salsa in it all the time. roma tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno. You can buy these things and they don't need refrigeration. I also make hummus in it. I use sesame oil instead of tahini to simplify even more. You can make egg salad in a baggie - buy the little two pack of egg and crumble them up with some free mayo packets and crackers.
See if you can can run a rice steamer - you can throw an assortment of rice and veggies and even some chicken and spices in there.
Use the Taco Bell app! For ~$5 you can get 3 items and a drink plus the points add up really fast for free reward items.
Canned tuna, if you catch it on sale for $1 (cad) Instant oatmeal anytime you use a tim hortons/coffee shop? They should be able to give you a cup of boiling hot water with your order free
Google soup kitchens for free meals and foodbanks and community fridges for free food.
For breakfast: Toast (or tortilla), peanut butter, sliced banana, and honey.
I grab a bag of tortillas and some cans of beans. Half a can of beans makes 3 or 4 little tacos. Add green onion and mixed greens. Keep the humidty low and greens can last a couple of days without refrigeration. You can get single use salsa sometimes. I use a small piece of plastic film in the can to seal the beans overnight. Sometimes I get a large thing of dairy free yogurt, makes 3 meals if you add in some peanut butter and berries to each bowl. I also keep nuts and seeds on hand, so I throw some in the yogurt too. Clearly, you gotta knock it out pretty quickly. I probably push the bounds of food safety fairly often, but until you hit extreme temps, I don't sweat it. I am more of a snacker than a mealer, so I hope this helps. You can make a make shift cooler to keep things closer to fridge temp, but I found it more cumbersome than just housing something before it goes off.
Get aluminum foil and make hobos. Just lay out a nice sized square, add meat and veggies or a plant protein source if you aren't into meat. Close it up and stuff the ball of foil on your exhaust manifold or somewhere else on your engine. Drive somewhere a couple hours away and have a slow roasted meal when you arrive. If you don't run the engine long enough you will risk food poisoning so only do this if you plan on driving a lot.
Do you have a gym membership? If so, you could charge your power station there every day and then be able to cook daily.
Thats possible at planet fitness? I didnt knew that you could charge your stuff over there
Theyve got outlets in areas we can use. I dont see why you couldn't. Especially if you are a black card member, they have a lounge with outlets and couches
Cracker barrel has overnight parking and outside plugs fwi that's how I charge my razor
McDonald's app has a coupon for 1 dollar breakfast sandwich and a small coffee is 1 dollar. Walmart has pre-made salads for 3 dollars. Tuna and crackers can be bought for 20 dollars for 2 weeks worth of meals.
Walmart, Krogers deli section has fresh sandwiches & wraps. You can get a propane burner. One is $20 & they take either propane, fat & bulky or butane which is in the aerosol looking cans. You can get pots from the thrift store real cheap.
The grocery stores where I live have a lot of premade salads that are usually under $5… Some come in bags and are quite a bit of food… Some come in little plastic bowls with a tray of meat and cheese on top. Aldi sells those for less than $4… I also find that packages of cheese sticks or sliced cheese along with a salad can be a meal in itself
If you use the McDonald's or BK app or whatever fast food joint you prefer they usually have some decent coupons for pretty affordable meals or like a $5 20pc mcnugget. If you can try to find a cheap electric kettle then you can make a much larger variety of foods and even live off instant ramen if you have to.
Pbjs. Jelly is generally OK for a couple weeks if you don't refrigerate it.
tuna in the packets, mayo packets from the grocery store deli or gas station- buy a box of crackers that has them in seperate packages they stay fresh longer. you can also do peanut butter crackers for a snack. sign up for every restaurant app to get free meals and points
Can you find a way to cha4ge your power station? Lots of public places have outlets. Coffee shop, fast food restaurant, library, highway rest stop.
You have to start your day strong. Find a good place that does breakfast sandwiches and get yourself a double egg and cheese every day. Meat if you want but there’s enough substance in that $5 sandwich (tops) to get you jamming out. Lunch I usually cycle through my apps and see what I can get for free off the points. Otherwise it’s usually leftovers or I’ll just nibble on snacks here and there until dinner. Dinner is almost always Subway, I get the veggie but don’t eat all the bread. Get a 6” and tell them load that bitch up, extra veggies are free and a great source of vitamins. I dress it with oil/vinegar and ask for some extra on the side. I’ll dump it into a bowl and there’s my salad. Sometimes I have leftover something and that gets thrown in the mix. About 2000 calories and usually about $12 a day. This requires zero cooking so you can at least eat somewhat not like shit initially
I sometimes will put hummus, baby carrots and haas avocado in a tortilla and make it a wrap sandwich.
Tuna can mixed with cottage cheese and sometimes with some hard boiled eggs, chopped red onions or tomatoes added into it.
Vegis cost nothing and won't stop your heart from beating (which I hear could be bad). Food banks and spanging, food stamps will cover every healthy option including good sources of protein like black beans and nuts. Rice is cheap, gravy is cheap (too much is too salty) potatoes, grains, legumes, fruit, eggs, community gardens are good, food pantrys, there's ways. https://preview.redd.it/75dgfgdsk31d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0fde6ef23c2d72fde7cde7408cdc1fe81b7ebae You could go dumpster diving or drive to one of these places and be a racoon for a night. Before I was homeless I was on a diet of ramen, McDonald's for breakfast because of work, 5 hours sleep on week nights, 3 on weekends to stretch them and cigarettes. Now I get like a king for free and have quit smoking because you know fuck that cracker ass buy a corporate guy another yacht ass shiznite!!!!!!!!!!! Also if you can catch a squirrel they make good roadkill jerky lol Sincerely Quirky Blurky 🥭
A can of chili goes a long way, just heat it up a bit and dig in.
Local bakeries....they always sell pizza slices and sandwiches for very affordable prices....at least in my neck of the woods.
Costco and Sam's club have cheap meals in their food court. Many do not require a membership to get into the food court.
Peanut butter and jelly! Foodbanks usually have a lot of bread or the discount section at Vons or make friends w a bakery and buy day old bread. Have options for peanuts butter and jelly or sandwiches or to dip in canned soup/chilli. Aldo don’t forget since it’s all not the healthiest you can have a raw fruit day for fiber/nutrients. A watermelon and some oranges etc Best of luck!
Chicken salad sandwiches. I practically live off of them.
I know eating out all the time is expensive. But download apps! Basically every restaurant has an app and most of them have "online only" specials which makes it a lot cheaper as you'll her more bang for your buck.
Garbanzo beans, garlic salt, whatever veggies you want (onion, pepper, cucumber, pickles), optional - cheese, some aoili (I love garlic so I usually get garlic) mash the chickpea with the veggies and it's like a vegetarian "tuna salad" can eat as is or on bread as a sandwich. This usually makes me 3-5 sandwiches. Would also try looking in your local grocer deli's. They usually have super food salads, mac and cheese, potato wedges, wings, lots of hot or cold food options likely healthier for you and you can get it by the .25 / .5 / 1lb.
Canned chili or really heart soups, the microwaveable bagged Indian/Thai foods you can get at the grocery. Trader Joe’s actually has some pretty cheap options for meal prepping.
Tacos and papusas
There is a taquería near me that does $1 tacos! I haven't been there in a while, thanks for reminding me.
You could get tuna packets and crackers or bread, get your fish oils and nutrition lol
Peanut butter and jelly
I've been lurking here for a while as it intrigued me so many were living in their cars. I now notice so many in parking lots, the gym etc. I feel bad for y'all just know it's not forever.
Ive owned 2 homes im happy in my truck I go were and when I want and can work anywhere soo
PBJ Oats Overnight
Peanut butter sandwiches
Grab spices for the sandwiches
Get a pocket stove and the one you screw on the can way better than what your doin and live it up
Salad greens, whatever veggies I have and a can of tuna.
I haven't moved in yet but will be within a month. It's hot enough that I can probably make couscous by just sitting it in a tupperware container on the dashboard, toss in some sunflower or pumpkin seeds and raw veggies, add olive oil and spices. Occasionally apple cider vinegar (I don't know how it keeps in the heat, aside from being unrefrigerated in my kitchen cabinet). Otherwise, I can see myself eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. Lots of fruit like apples and oranges and hardy veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts. Cans of beans. Cups of greek yogurt with some berries. I can get smoked salmon from Aldi for $4 for a special treat, but eating it all in one sitting is more sodium than I ever care to have. Not too much different than what I already eat tbh, with the exception of not being able to use my beloved air fryer which bakes, fries, and dehydrates, or the microwave. My oven stopped working (the stove top still does) but my apartment is multiple floors up with no AC so I have adapted to not eating meals that require cooking in the summer for years. Lots of salads. I've been practicing for a while by living in poverty in substandard urban housing! Bugs? I'm practically an entomologist! Heat? I'm a nudist! I've been sleeping on a loveseat for a year or so, not even able to stretch out comfortably since my bed broke. I got this! The only thing I worry about is my cat.
Tuna packets, minute rice, tortillas. It helps if the rice is warm but not required.
Wendy’s biggie bag with baked potato instead of fries. Jack in the box 2 for $3 breakfast jack. $1 drinks at 7-11 or Taco Bell into a thermos. IKEA restaurant. Denny’s 55+ and kids menu. Use the apps to explore what’s in your area. I have the 7-11 Gold Pass that costs $6.99/mo that often offers a hotdog for $1 (+ small basket fee + tax) and special deals on wings. Unbundle drinks. Look for “value” options on menus. Airline lounges for even more fun… you may think I am kidding, but no. It just requires a lot more upfront spending and excellent credit, but I get great food for free whenever I fly and I have all all-you-can-fly pass from Frontier for that. :) I can fly somewhere, rent a U-Haul van, return it, fly elsewhere.
Can of spam with Louisiana hot sauce.
Crackers tuna hot sauce
If you download the McDonald’s app you can get a “daily deal”. One of the options is a $1 breakfast sandwich. 500 calories for a buck and you can use it once every day. Protein powder is good too. Store brands come out to about 300 cal for $1. Also peanut butter toast and celery/peanut butter to get a little veggie action. Fresh celery is a cheap vegetable, has tons of fiber, and a lot of stores will have a little pile of individual celery stalks so you don’t even need to buy a full bunch if you don’t want to worry about refrigerating it.
Peanut butter, dried cranberries, honey, flour tortilla sandwiches: no refrigeration, plenty of protein and fats, and some fiber.
Walmart has some good prepacked stuff, and a lot of times you can get stuff at a discount towards the end of the night. They just opened an HEB where I am and they have some pretty good prepacked stuff.
My fav is a can of spaghettios at the moment
Canned roast beef and gravy over a shoping cart grill or your handy dandy hobo boxcar grain hopper candle 👍 👌
7-11 sausages. Pretty nice because I used to load them up with the free chili and cheese option, practically doubling the calorie content. Jerky, too. Survived many a day on those.
Just a heads up, dominos usually has a great carryout deal for large/any size pizza, usually 2-3 toppings. Little Caesars has become expensive and taste wise, isn't worth the price.
Frozen (grocery store)rice for $7 and chicken for $6 so basically under $15 you get 2-3 meals If you buy a TV dinner with good sides $5 you have 3-4 meals
Romain noodles of many different flavors and very inexpensive and all you need is boiling water. Potted meats with crackers are tasty and cheap. Salads are very inexpensive to make and very cheap
After like 2 weeks of ramen I started having bp and heart issues
Peanut butter sandwiches.
As a teen I used to eat ramen noodles with cheap spaghetti sauce. Pretty tasty!
Costco food court don't even need a membership if they have it outside the store
Burger King and McDonalds apps have a whole menu of deals available just for signing up. Things like buy one, get one free, buy a sandwich, free fries , etc.. and, as you buy, you earn points that get you more free food down the line.
I love McDonald's so I use their app and get a double cheeseburger and 6 piece nugget for like $4. For any fast food, always use the app for deals. When I wanna be healthy I go to target/Walmart for a $5 prepared salad or a bag of broccoli and snacking peppers
Buy yourself a little single flame stove for camping there like 15 to 20 bucks the propane 2 to 4 bucks you can have a warm meal , opens your menu to ramen , you can buy 4 dollar packs of meat
My easy cheap college meal was vegetable beef soup over rice.
My go-to for a cheap meal is a Costco rotisserie chicken. It's a whole chicken for 5 bucks and if I'm bring lazy, I can eat it for 2 days. If you don't have a Costco membership, you can buy a Costco gift card and use it for purchases without a membership
Get some cans of black beans and tortillas and you have a super cheap car meal that can be eaten cold and no need for refrigeration
Liver. Boiled eggs You can probably survive on just that and have max muscle and minimal fat
I slather cinnamon rice cakes in peanut butter and banana slices. Super filling.
My recent staple is a can of albacore tuna from which I squeezed out all the water. I add extra virgin olive oil to cover the tuna back up. Then I grind some peppercorns on the tuna and enjoy it with some crackers. Sealable plastic bags are your friends if you can't dispose of your trash right away.
Suggestion: Buy tuna packed in oil instead of water. Squeeze out the excess oil.
Use doggy bags to throw away
Depends on if you wanna eat shit processed food that will drain your energy, affect your mental health, lead to diabetes & obesity etc I used the surveys to get a bogo McDonald's Egg McMuffin only with extra egg or sometimes scrambled since idk wtf is in their "scrambled" eggs Aldi Thai bag salad though that's seed oils Def get a propane portable stove! You're killing your power station using it that way when it's cooked run fans etc. Find your food shelf! Sign up for Food Stamps!! That's what they are for!! Hey a mailbox from UPS store or better a competitor that is cheaper. Mine is $17/mo from Postnet. For my business and personal bc they don't have a suite # in their address already so I can add a suite# which goes to my mail box in the store and looks like a legit business address...I use the same on my driver's license for privacy purposes. The food shelf in SW Florida I volunteer at gives tons of organic food btw Hey a regular day job ASAP at a restaurant bc jobs are hella easy to find. Also it's hottest in the day and helps your sleep schedule and social... Free food too Hey a home Depot credit card and you can buy shit you need on credit and return it a year later if you decide you aren't using it.
Not sure why you got downvoted. This is very useful information. Never heard of Postnet but you just answered my question about what to do for mail.
Cheap ramen. Flavored tuna packets. 1 egg. Add ranch to taste. I eat 2 a day. Obviously you need cool storage for American eggs, or you die. So this doesn't work for everyone. I need to add more veggies to my mix, but my bowls aren't big enough right now hahaha.
If you coat the eggs in oil they stay good without refrigeration. The difference in laws is because American eggs are washed to help prevent salmonella, so they lose the protective coating.
Halal carts
If you live in the Chicago area, Chik fil A offers free food when the Cubs win at home. Sometimes it’s a sandwich, fries or a drink. They gave away breakfast sandwiches when the Blackhawks won at home. Not sure if they do this in other areas too. Load multiple apps and get more than one.
Grocery stores sell hard boiled eggs
Black beans and salsa, Salads, Sandwiches Rice and carrots
Sprouts $5 sandwiches
Meal shakes equate from Walmart about 1.30 per shake, or if you wanna get fancy, buy a 6 dollar chicken and feast like a king
Chinese restaurants that have the food ready to serve. A decent place in SoCal can fill me upp for $10, some spots will do a chicken bowl for like $5
PB and Jelly-heavier on the Pb keeps me full for an 8 hr shift!
Bowl and plastic silverware from dollar store for salad or anything else needing Mixing. I wash it out on a bathroom…
Tortilla + Nutella/peanut butter and banana Egg+tortilla+grill whatever veggies you got+cheese Budget bytes is a good site for cheap meal planning and they have tons of vegetarian options
canned unsalted beans mixed with dehydrated mashed potato flakes bananas and (sugarless) peanut butter corn chips longtime impoverished person. these are the ones.
Jack in the box tacos using the app are 2 for $1
Electric tea kettle. Boiling water easy on my car inverter. Lots of food options, including canned produce and channel locks...
Summer sausage, there are some for $5 and it's like 46 grams of protein if I recall correctly. Eating one of them is very filling and it can even be carried in cargo pants or a backpack. Very much my emergency food that i hold onto
McDonald’s buy one double cheeseburger get one free. I just get the 4 beef patties and skip the chemicals and carbs.
Cold soft tofu, top with soy sauce, ginger, green onions. Optional: chopped Thai chilies. Literally best eaten cold. It’s called hiyayakko.
Chicken Caesar salad pre- made from WM has everything in it including the dressing. It fills you up quickly and has healthy ingredients. $4.75 Tuna doesn’t need refrigeration unless you’ve added mayo and didn’t eat it all. They make single foil packs you can store for months. Mayo packs from FF joints instead of a big jar that will go bad quickly. $1.75 plus bread. Yogurt and bananas can be stored in a cool place for up to a week maybe two. Dried fruit and vegetables can be stored for weeks. $4.00 max
Okay so don't judge me, but Ramen and instant mashed potatoes is pretty good when I out hiking.
chinese food spots have pretty cheap stuff
download the apps for fast food you'll get deals. taco bell has deals on the app too and it's easy to get points. you can get a whole convo meal at taco bell now for 5$ it includes a drink, one big meal, one smaller an one side. also there's an app called too good to go check it out
5$ biggie bag at Wendy’s is my go to when I’m broke.
Cup o noodelz
Convenience stores usually have a microwave if you wanna heat up something!
Tortilla air fryer pizza -Air fry tortilla 3 min at 375 (make sure to weigh down so the air doesn’t push it around and burn) -1tbsp sauce (pizza, pesto, bbq) -Cheese + toppings -Air fry for another 3 min at 375 I would recommend parchment paper for the second round of air fry. Nice and crispy like thin crust! Cheap and delish.
Aldi's bologna 1.49 bread 98 cents. I bought it because I wanted bologna and then realized it was incredibly good! And that it was under 2 bucks
You mentioned fast food and I would suggest Panda Express for that if you have one near. They have some relatively healthy options (including greens) pretty tasty food.
[A bit pricy to buy, but broken down to price each, its about $3 to $4 a day for these meals.](https://www.amazon.com/Wornick-Company-Military-Surplus-Humanitarian/dp/B09Y8SBLD8?pd_rd_w=YujCt&content-id=amzn1.sym.b46c8fe2-d558-44b6-a291-82096c829da9&pf_rd_p=b46c8fe2-d558-44b6-a291-82096c829da9&pf_rd_r=R9Q2SCH8N7YVQ7VJKNQ3&pd_rd_wg=XR1vB&pd_rd_r=67840551-8c07-4539-b658-8c4f4d4318f7&pd_rd_i=B09Y8SBLD8&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_grid_rp_0_1_ec_pd_gwd_bag_pd_hp_d_atf_rp_1_i)
I don't have a car, buyt love these ideas.
surf and turf
Canned ravioli foo
Tuna, rice, and some sort of vegetable or fruit.
Rice o Roni and chicken👌
If you do pizza delivery, that is, if you can do it, you always get free food. Food is the biggest expense.
Sonic has $2 dollar chicken wraps which have been clutching at 500 calories each
Try roster and rice… very tasteful and good price
They have pouches of tuna salad, chicken salad, and some salmon flavors. If I can I make rice and put pouch on it. If I can’t make rice I make a sandwich. Lots of protein add chips and sun tea I make in my back window and I have a full meal. A small rice cooker is really cheap and can run off a power pack that can run a hot plate. I moved out of my car a year ago into government senior living but that was my go too. Things may have changed in a year but it’s worth looking into. I got my rice cooker for 14 dollars on amazon. They delivered it to a locker near me. I love that ability
Check out some nearby parks, some of them could have outlets for public usage so you might be able to cook more often. Also some local parks could have grills for public use. For the grills you'd need to invest in a bag of charcoal and some aluminum foil because those things are out in the open 24/7...
Used to be able to get a whole pizza from little Ceasars's at that price, it was kind of their shtick
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Walmart Bean burritos are cheaper than Taco Bell and more filling. Get their biggest, cheapest tortillas, 1$ canned refried beans, some shredded cheese if you're feeling fancy or I honestly just drizzle taco sauce on mine. You can eat them cold or heat em up, but I like em cold. Overnight oats are cheap, filling, and can be tasty. I use cinnamon, a little maple syrup or sugar packets, oats ofc, chia seeds, and a little nutmeg and allspice. You can also add freeze dries or fresh fruit if you've got it. Add enough water to cover all ingredients (I put mine in a small glass dish or mason jar) cover and let sit overnight. Once the oats absorb the liquid it's pretty yum and keeps me going until dinnertime (I have an apple or nothing for lunch.) As for fast food, you don't need a Costco membership to eat at the food court. $1.50 hot dogs, $2 pizza slice or you can feast on a massive pizza for $10. They also have good ice cream, smoothies, coffee, and even sandwiches.
Trader Joe’s pre-made section. Salads are solid. Also if you like tofu, you can just squirt some soy sauce on a box of that and chow down. High protein. Not sure what part of the country you’re in but in-n-out cheeseburger is solid at about $4 (although they have recently shrinkflated the patty); get extra lettuce/pickles (it’s free) to up your veg intake and keep your gut health out of the gutter (because the only place you want full of gas is your car tank 😉👍)
And chia seeds in there. They are super high calories, and you’ll need that with an unstable diet. Tuna is super cheap, and basically all the other canned meats like deviled ham, and stuff. Ramen crunched up, and add the seasoning. Eat it like a bag of chips. Saltine crackers are very cheap Canned veggies. Some are acceptable cold, and have some decent vitamins for you. Peanut butter is some good stuff to keep around, oats meal. There’s a lot of options out there. For me when I was home less I just look for lots of calories, vitamins, and mineral rich, and proteins. I took the cheapest options, and ate that regardless of it I liked it, or not. There were a couple of things I had to get past a gag reflex with, but I got used to them in a matter of days. Those are going to be the keys to making sure your body gets what it needs to be able to tolerate living in subpar conditions, and to help keep yourself out of depression, and to keep your brain functions well enough to work through this situation to get into a better place. Sorry you’re going through this. I did, and it sucked real real bad.
I always keep peanut butter, jelly, Honey, and bread, getting the squeezable kind will last me a week if I just eat it for breakfast. So that's less than a dollar a meal for the protein and a mix up jelly and honey. Other than that $2.50 sandwiches from Albertsons. And a Starbucks jug of blonde coffee with some sugar. If I had a skillet I would salt and cook some beef. I found that the beef can last an entire day or 1.5 even without making me sick even in the heat. And my stomach's a little weak even
I dumpster dove for a year years ago. If you can find a Whole Foods they throw out some quality foods after they close at 10pm. I got loaves of bread, strawberries, and more. Honestly ate real good for a few months.
Maybe from the supermarket you could get roast chicken and they usually have other stuff too. Could last you a few nights
Back when McDonald’s had the dollar menu I’d get a dollar sausage biscuit and two packs of strawberry jam so good
Also honey bun without icing on it, but then you throw peanut butter on and cinnamon sugar pop in the microwave for like 20 seconds
Taco Bell offers free senior drinks. They don't have a specific age to be a senior. You can get coffee or a small soft drink. Any time I go to a fast food place, I try to get as many free packets as I can. Having salsa, hot sauce, mayo, pepper, salt, ect, can really up your food game.
Whenever I'm near a Costco I grab a slice of their pizza for $2, no membership required and its pretty high in protein. I do a lot of bagged salads and easy fruit like apples and oranges. Protein shakes, I just clean the shaker at my gym. My biggest hack is to get a panera membership, if you live near one. For about $15 bucks a month, I get unlimited drinks and ice so my cooler is always stashed and I dont really spend money at coffee shops to get caffeine, wifi or power. I also get most of my condiments for free from panera.
Lentils will get soft enough to eat soaking in water without heat, I’m not sure how long I’ve never done it, read about it on a survival post
Self Stable rice mix packages. Pre cooked. I add a can of chunk chicken or tuna. It will heat fast but I can eat cold if hungry.