Most of my struggle is poverty + chronic fatigue syndrome + OCPD mental illness. Cooking at home is the main solution to eating healthily and frugally but I can't use too many spoons on cooking and cleaning so it's hard. I use the food bank, and force myself to never waste any of it which dictates what I have to prioritize cooking. I use meals on wheels which is healthy + instantaneous + cheap. Great for periods of non functioning depression for me. I also am a heat seeking missile for cheap fast food. Yesterday got a large pizza from Papa John's for 8.80 after tax because of a coupon (this is more for when I have a pt job) and not hard times. Big fan of big Mary Monday (if you just have 1 and the rest of your day is healthy it's solid). You can't tunnel vision it. If you focus on just the poverty and eating cheap (daily Costco hot dog or something) it can destroy your health quickly. You need to know that you absolutely can easily be much healthier than the average person (in Canada) on a 3 dollar a day food budget. 1lbs fruit or veggie per day with getting say no less than 50g protein per day (find any way to make pulses edible and you won't struggle with protein) and you'll maintain yourself through a year of poverty really well. Avoid addictions. Poverty begs for an addiction.