I used to also live well below the poverty line. Was making 1400 a month while my rent for a dorm like room was 1200 a month, excluding utilities. The only way I could stay in budget was to monitor and ration food, so I understand some of what you feel. There were some foods that have more bang for their buck, if you can tolerate them. For veggies, I stocked up on cabbage, onions, potatoes and carrots. They're reasonably priced and you can make a lot of different stews, soups, stirfry or baked dishes with them. Any other veggie was frozen. For grains, I had rice very frequently. For fruit, bananas are cheapest, but green apples can stay fresh for up to a month without a fridge, so I stocked both. Protein is by far the most expensive part of your diet. You can learn how to make yogurt and make a gallon of it for the price of the cheapest gallon of milk. It's a little easier on your stomach than milk is. I also bought a big tub of peanut butter from Target/Walmart. Like 64 oz for $3. Would sometimes make pbj sandwiches, but it also pairs well with green apples or carrots. The crunch from the apples/carrots and the fat from the peanut butter was kinda the closest I got to savory junk food. I couldn't afford things like chips. Beans can also be an affordable protein option but has to be cooked in a certain way to prevent upset stomach. The cheapest meat protein is chicken legs. I'd get that in bulk and make bone broth with it regardless of what I was cooking. Like I would boil that chicken to get the broth, then bake it or stir fry it. So it would get multiple uses. Get the chicken of the sea light tuna. It's half as expensive as other brands and has less mercury too. Comes out to be the second least expensive meat option. For condiments, garlic powder is infinitely less hassle than fresh garlic. Lemon juice are way more affordable and last longer than fresh lemons. Mayo can help make foods taste fresher. (Potato salad, chicken salad, tuna salad,etc). For instance, I would often make chicken salad with leftover chicken and it didn't smell as bad. I'm mostly telling you all this because food insecurity is very scary and I'm hoping it could help.

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Anon 12 hours ago

Oh and CVS has really good coupons! There were so many times I got a 3 month supply of pads for 1-2 dollars. They have decent deals on cereal too

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Anon 11 hours ago

Just wait,theyll die soon.

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anonymous 10 hours ago

Dude, i get paid 1 a month at a state job.
Learn to budget better and learn to enjoy eating fried egg over rice.
Budget and learn to get food like rice. It fills very fast.

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anonymous 10 hours ago