GravelMN

It doesn't say where you live, but if you are in college, look at their meal programs which sometimes offer reduced rates based on income. Food co-ops are another option for buying bulk food items in reasonable quantities. Some health food and groceries have also caught on to this trend and offer some foods like nuts, oats, dries beans/peas/lentels in bulk dispensers for less than the same quantity of pre-packaged product. Keep your eyes open for local farmers markets as well. If you are genuinely in need of help in obtaining proper nutrition, there are public assistance programs and food banks.

Peanut and real nut butters (almond, walnut, cashew, ect) are a good source of calories in the form of healthful oils, some protein and some carbs, but you should stick with real natural butters as most national, store and discount brands have had the peanut or nut oil replaced with cheaper, less healthful oils and loads of sugar. Bananas are inexpensive and carb rich and you can buy the "over ripe" ones for about half of what the green ones cost (currently 39 cents/lb at my local store). If you catch them at the right stage, they are still firm and can be peeled, cut into sections, and frozen in a ziplock bag for use in smoothies and shakes. If you don't have an allergy or intolerance, whole milk is also a calorie booster with many nutrients (and quite a bit of saturated fat).

Here is a quick, easy shake that you can make for about $1. In a blender combine 1 cup whole or 2% milk (you can substitute soy or almond milk), 4-5 approx 1" sections of frozen banana, and one heaping tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Provides about 400 kCal with a good balance of fats, protein and carbs. (If you substitute almond milk you might want to add a half scoop of whey protein which adds about 35 cents to the cost per serving).

On the subject of whey protein concentrate, when you purchase high quality, natural, organic product (I get it at Natural Grocery for about $11/lb) it can be a very economical source of high quality protein. I get 20 servings of 24g protein each for 55 cents/serving. Compare that to one pound of chicken breast at 26g protein for about $2.98 (USDA average retail estimate) or even a quarter pound of 75/25 ground beef at 22g for about $1.12 ($4.48/lb). Eggs are still one of the best values for protein at about 17g for 20 cents per egg (prices rising nationally but still a good value). Whole foods are still best, but if you are on a tight budget, adding a serving of whey protein in a shake or smoothie is an economical means of getting an extra serving.

For carbs, coarse rolled or steel cut oats (groats) in bulk are about the best deal around. When looking for fruits other than bananas, consider frozen strawberries, mango chunks, pineapple wedges and the like. Unless you live close to the source of in-season fruits, frozen fruits and vegetables are most likely your best nutrition for the buck. With mid-summer upon us, look for places where you can pick your own fruit (legally). Brown rice and dried beans/peas/lentels are also cheap ways to get nutrition with a good amount of calories. When you combine them in dishes like red beans and rice or fried rice with peas and red lentels you get a whole protein in addition to the carbs and fiber. Store brands of whole grain pasta are another source of relatively inexpensive carbs with fair nutritional value.