I need a budget meal plan

You can cook things (yes you can cook, don't be afraid, check out some cooking websites like chow.com where they even have videos to teach you.) Once you get some basics you'll learn to create things. Cooking is a lot of fun and not as hard as you think. If you get yourself a crockpot, you can make a lot of things that you can divide into portions and freeze then just grab them and microwave them when you're ready to eat them. Other than that, except for the sodium, Lean Cuisine frozen things are great. fast, easy, and convenient. Get yourself some plastic containers to carry home made lunches such as salads, veggies, fruit, etc. and carry some good nuts like walnuts, pistachios, and almonds for snacks. Hope this helps a little.

Try SOScuisine.com

How often do you shop?What type of things do you like to eat? Prep will be your key. You have to spend a bit of time planning out your meals for the week/biweekly/monthly, whatever works for you. It may take some time to set up, but once you have a system in place, weekly prep should take no more than an hour on Sunday's and you should be able to pack your food for the day or dinner at night in no more than 15 mins.

I prep on Sunday's I boiled a half a dozen eggs. Eggs can be carried as breakfast on the go or added into a salad. My local produce market sells eggs this week 3 dozen for $3.75. I sold 1 doz to my sis for a $1 and kept 2 doz for me.

I also have the the crock pot going. I am making lentils this week. I am vegetarian so I make a pot of some form of beans weekly. beans can be a side dish, added to a salad, or combined into another main meal. I buy beans either in bulk from Whole Foods or at the produce market where they are $1 for a bag of 16oz. I purchased my crockpot from Walgreens for $10 I can usually get 3 -4 servings out of the bags from the produce market. meaning I have enough beans to eat for a week at about $.30 cents a week once I include onions and any spices I use to season. That's cheaper than any canned beans and without the added sodium they use to make them shelf stable. Not a bean eater? Crock pots are good for cooking as well. You can set tomorrows dinner up to cook all night and just heat it up when you get home.

Buy tuna packed in water. I don;t eat tunafish due to a seafood allergy, but discount stores like Aldi & Sav-a-Lot often have them on sale.

I buy almonds and walnuts in bulk. I sort the almonds in snack size ziplocs. 10-20 is a good serving sizes. I keep some at home and some in my glove compartment. I also occasionally add dried cranberries to the mix. This keeps me from hitting a drive through if I'm out and get the munchies or if I want something to snack on at night. I know folks who also sort granola this way. I buy the no name ziplocs from the dollar store.

Get yourself a few refillable water bottles. At least 2 or 3. Splurge and get the ones with the filters if you like. This is cheaper than buying bottled water You can also fill up at water fountains at school or work and it means you always have your water with you drink.

Buy fresh fruit and veg when you can. Fresh is always my first preference. I will even buy quick sale items at the supermarket, blanch or roast them and freeze them into serving size portion. You can also buy bags of onions or pepper, cut them up in the different ways you and freeze. have a bag of onion slices, a bag of diced, etc...If you are into buying and freezing, buy frozen. Buy plain, no name veg with no sauce on them. Sauce is nothing but hidden fat and sodium, the things you want to avoid.

Buy meat either in family packs or from the butcher. Cook it up and separate into serving sizes.

Once a week make a pot of whatever grain/pasta you like. I eat a lot of brown rice and quinoa. I can make a pot and use it in stir fries, or as a side dish. Again making it at the beginning of the week means I am only warming it for my meals. If you make too much, freeze half.

if you are on the go make sure you have a carrier whether it's a lunch bag or mini cooler that is easy for you to pack and carry around. I have a lot of bento sets from when I was working and going to grad school part time, but get whatever is most comfortable for your life style.

Check out my sig and see how much food 2 guys bought with $20. You would be surprised how far a dollar can be stretched.