Back in college when I lived off campus I was pretty much on my own when it came to paying for food.  I worked some so I had a little money and my diet showed that.  One of my main stays was mac n cheese.  I could get 3 boxes for $1 and then I would make three meals from one box, so $1 would provide me with 9 meals.  No wonder I was so skinny.  I had a roommate whose parents sent him money every month for food, which he choose to drink instead of eat.  Once he helped himself to my mac n cheese and ate 3 meals at once, after I was done yelling at him, he never did that again.  If I had half the monthly budget he had for food, I could have eaten like a king.