Most cost efficient bulking food?

-Oats. They're super expensive in the store, so buy them in bulk. I get a 50 pound bag of quick cooking oats for $50 at allbullfoods.com after shipping. You can also try Honeywell which have standard $5 shipping anywhere in the continental US.

  • dry pasta $1 or less per pound

  • rice. Buy the biggest bag if you have storage space. White and brown are the cheapest. Go for white since it's less filling and goes with everything.

  • beans. Lentils are the most notorious frugal food, even becoming a satirical form of currency at /r/frugaljerk. Just play around with different beans.

  • canned tuna. Don't pay more than $1 per 5oz container. Also, don't eat more than a couple cans a week because of mercury.

  • eggs use to be reliable cheap protein sources, but with the avian flu destroying live stock in the west, the price of eggs here have more than doubled. I still eat 3 eggs a day, but my cheap breakfast isn't so cheap anymore. $3-4 per dozen. Buy in large quantities. I'll usually buy 90 eggs at a time. Costco has a good deal, but Target also sells a 30 pack for a bit cheaper than the standard dozen.

  • boneless chicken breasts. Don't waste your time with whole birds or other cuts since most of the weight will be from bone and fat. I use to get it for $1.99/lb, but now it's $2.49 lb.

  • cheap bread. White and whole wheat bread. I'll buy like 10 loafs at a time and go through it in like 2 weeks. $1- $1.40 per loaf

  • Italian sausage. $2.49-2.99 a lb. Lots of calories, protein and makes pasta dishes awesome.

  • frozen veggies, broccoli is king.

  • extra virgin olive oil. Make sure you're buying real stuff. There's some fraudulent items on the shelves claiming to be extra virgin when in reality, they're a mix with other oils. 150 calories per teaspoon. (If it's made in California, it's probably real. Italian products tend to be the real culprits)

-peanut butter. Buy generic. $4.39 for a 40 oz container. Pricy, but now is a cheaper option for protein than eggs.

Dirty bulking: don't rely on these since they're not very healthy.

  • canned chili. At nearly 600 calories, 27 g of protein and all for $1.25, it's a good buy. Mix in a mountain of rice and you got yourself a feast.

  • hot dogs. I get these generic chicken/pork franks. 32 for $4 from Stop and Shop. I call them "Cancer dogs." They taste kinda crappy, but 200 calories and 6 g of protein per frank. Easy 1 minute meal if you microwave them.

Overall, stick to basics. If you're a picky eater or have a stick up your ass about only eating the finest of foods, then you won't be able to bulk on a budget.

Condiments are cheap and your taste buds will adapt. That's coming from someone who use to eat out every meal.

I've been eating like this for well over a year. I spend about $100 a month on food, not counting the bag of oats that takes me 2-3 months to finish and a container of ON gold standard Whey I use as a post workout.

Find a balance between cheap and healthy. A multivitamin won't hurt.

/r/gainit Thread