General

Mm, mm, mm. Tell me you didn't grow up poor without telling me you didn't grow up poor.

Don't do this. It's a waste of time and money. Plus, you'll end up spending more money on doctor and dentist bills because you were living off of junk food.

What you need to do is stock up on bulk staples. Rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, etc. These are cheap foods you can stock up on. Not only will you spend less money in the long run than you would with junk food, but you have more food diversity and can eat more calories (and nutriton) over all.

Cook at home whenever possible. Look up recipies made for large families because those tend to be made with simplicity and a low budget in mind. Meal prep so all you have to do is warm up the food when you want to eat it.

Stock up on cheese and your low-sodium/salt-free nuts of choice for easy calories. Put condiments on everything.

You can have the junk food, but use it to supplement your gains. Do not let them be the main focus.

Considering the sheer number of times I have met people who explicitly only eat junk food to gain weight (it happens so so much) I will let Makemebigandbeautiful clarify that.

If you live in the suburbs, learn permaculture and plant stuff that you can eat!

This might be American specific, but if you live in an HOA, check the bylaws first, and get it in writing. I have seen cases where someone decides to plant a garden only for the HOA to pelt them with daily fines until the garden is gone.

Aaah! The wonderful american freedom!

I work.
I save 25% , pay rent and bills, the rest goes to my belly, it helps being a single guy in my 30s lol

Personally I think working in the hospitality industry has helped my figure. Working there helps as you can spend less by having food from work (depending on the jo also membership cards like Costco and Sam’s club can help out too. Cheaper Gas, $8 16 inch pizza and better value in bulk.

I'm not currently gaining, but I'm a virtual coupon clipper. One of our major local grocery store chains runs 2 for 1 deals every week. I would watch for those religiously and always take advantage of them. Additionally, my fiance and I budgeted for it. We both have pretty comfortable incomes, and he is pretty good at financial planning. At the height of my gain, the food budget was 1/3 of our monthly expenses. We moved other things around accordingly. I will say, now that I'm not gaining, we're spending about a fourth of what we once did on groceries and eating out.