Walk into just about any grocery store and you can get the big four: Rolled oats, Chinese noodles, rice, and peanut butter.

A standard cardboard cylinder of rolled oats has thirty half-cup servings. Get the 'Old Fashion' style instead of the 'Quick'. They are larger and have more oat flavor and don't dissolve like the quick style into goo. Actual cooking time is roughly the same. Served alone, as abase or added to soups or sauces adds bulk, fiber and nutrition to the diet at minimal cost.

Chinese, Ramen, noodles go for about a quarter a pop when you buy then six at a time. Ask the store manager for a better price on a case. Eat them alone or slice and dice whatever you have into them.

A twenty-five pound sack of brown rice will keep you going for a long time. Good nutrition and versatile. Cooked rice can be refried or added to other dishes.

Peanut butter is a bargain. Find the #10 cans at bulk prices and it is really cheap per serving.

Any or all of these can be bases to which you add other ingredients. Wild onions, dandelion, mushrooms, etcetera can be added to make a meal. Fish and small game, or seasonal vegetables and fruits grown in your area, available on sale or at farmer's markets are bargains.

Canned salmon, tuna and sardines are quite cheap for protein. Most canned meats don't have actual expiration dates. They loose some flavor over time but unless the can is damaged or bulging it good. Seeing as that they can be stored for a long time without refrigeration when you see canned meat on sale stock up. Six and ten packs of salmon or tuna often go on sale for low prices.

Look up restaurant supply houses and bulk suppliers. Be polite and explain what is going on. I have found I can get very attractive deals on stuff not usually sold retail just by being nice. If they sell something you want only in huge quantities try to get people together to go in on a large purchases. Shortening was sold in fifty pound buckets. Dividing it five ways we all got a good supply at about half the retail price.

Get your spices at the restaurant supply house. Spices make wild game and canned food that has lost flavor more palatable and generally perks up meals. Buy the large containers and save. It helps to have smaller containers you can fill so you keep the balance vacuum sealed so it stays fresh longer.