A bag of potatoes can make some very filling meals.
Back when I was in college I was married and my wife was still Active Duty and stationed 180 miles from where I lived. I also had a job or two.
She would drive down on Fridays and bring groceries from the Commissary and there would be 10lbs boxes of spaghetti noodles and 5lbs boxes of egg noddles; all unbranded with the military ordering numbers. I also lived on Mac & Cheese at six boxes for a dollar, and a good portion of my meat was venison, rabbit, and game birds I hunted and froze.
We did have a bit of money and would go out once in awhile but we decided to try to put a few bucks in savings and a small investment for retirement.
Potatoes around here are a little over .70 cents for a 10-lb bag. They just don’t know how to shop and have other priorities.