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almost everything that you have to "cook"...
and by cook, i don't mean add water and heat it up
ramen just isn't all that "cheap" or economical, it's just "convenient"
Ramen can be under 10 cents a package if you buy a whole case of it (24 packets)
OP, do you want a large volume of food for the least amount of money? Those 20 pound bags of Russet potatoes when they are on sale. Lots of calories for very little money. They are even fairly healthy before you drown them in butter, oil, or cheese.
Tilapia is fairly cheap for protein. Eggs are cheap for protein. Milk is a good buy considering you are getting a full week's worth of calcium and protein for about $4.
Dry beans are an excellent buy. They are both cheap and nutritious.
25 pound bags of rolled oats are cheap, although not under $4, but a 25 pound bag of oatmeal is about 300 meals that are good for reducing your cholesterol level.
Pasta can be found on sale for 50 cents to $1 a pound. Even the regular price is usually well under 2 bucks. A 1-pound bag of rice can be had for less than $2 around here, although I buy our rice in 25-pound sacks at the Asian grocery store (works out to about $1 a pound, and that's for the good jasmine rice). Other things that come to mind:
Can of tuna
Can of chicken (small can)
Bag of beans or can of refried beans
Package of tortillas
Bags of frozen vegetables
Lots more, but the key is to watch for sales. I buy not only for us, but for our local food bank (they want groceries, not money, it's church-run). I get brand-name breakfast cereal for the food bank for an average of $1.49 to $1.88 when it is on sale. I can get large cans of tuna or chicken breast for under $2/can. I even get those little canned hams (like the one by Dak) for $2.50 or less at CVS when it is on sale. Since CVS sends me coupons all the time, it is often cheaper than that when my coupon is subtracted.
Also, Asian groceries, if you have one near you, are a great place to buy produce. It's always fresh and the prices are reasonable. We have several large Asian groceries within a reasonable distance, due to living in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
As others have mentioned, lentils, dried beans, brown rice, barley, vegetables in season.
With a pantry stocked with lentils, beans, brown rice, tuna and supplemented with seasonal vegetables and a few spices, you can make many nutritious meals very cheaply...and without the chemical load in the Ramen noodles.
Looked at your profile but I can't tell where you live. If there are 99centsOnly Stores in your area, go check them out. There is a lot of real food for cheap there!
Looked at your profile but I can't tell where you live. If there are 99centsOnly Stores in your area, go check them out. There is a lot of real food for cheap there!
Was going to suggest the same thing.
Sometimes the 99 cents store and dollar stores have good deal on produce and even meat. Since you're not above putting ramen in your body, those other food should be comparable or better.
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