ILuvChubbyChix:
What kind of budget are we talking about?
Without knowing more, it's safe to say certain stuff on fantasy dreams won't be an option, at least not every day. But I can probably offer some general advice to get you started.
Daily (or even twice/thrice daily) visits to fast food restaurants are out, since that would get expensive very fast.
Boost VHC won't do either; it may be 530 calories per 8 fl. oz. but it's also over $2 / cup. even in 27 packs.
If you aren't already paying attention, pay very close attention to per-unit volume pricing, especially for stuff that doesn't go bad quickly or really at all. This is the case whether it's candy, soda, milk, heavy cream, half & half, bread, frozen chicken nuggets, etc. You will soon forget what it's like to drink soda from a can, because the 2 liter bottles are so much cheaper. The largest package size is usually the best deal, but not always. Do the math. Pretty much any mobile phone has a calculator built-in, there's no excuse not to.
Get ready to spend a lot more time in the kitchen. Even simple recipes are so much cheaper.
Wal-Mart will be your friend, as would Meijer. You would eventually want to learn what kinds of deals other supermarkets in your area have. No one store has the cheapest prices on everything they sell. This may take time if you haven't been keeping track or noticed this earlier. If you already do this, great. If not, it may take 1-2 months before you notice patterns. What do I mean by a pattern? For example, for about 1 week out of a month, Kroger here seems to sell Haagen-Daaz ice cream for $2.50/container, while another week out of the month it'll be $3/container. Rest of the time, it might be $3.50 or it might even be $5/container. So start paying attention. At least nowadays, grocery store chains let you view the weekly ads online on their web site, so if you already threw out the junk mail, don't worry.
You probably will cave in and get fast food sometimes. That's okay. Some chains offer deals, sometimes all the time. Take advantage. For example, Pizza Hut often offers lower pricing if you order online. As a bonus, it'll probably be ready or almost ready by the time you drive there to pick it up. If you order a combo, get the biggest thing possible. Usually it's a good bit more food for only a little more.
If you cave in to restaurants, always decline ice in soda if you don't do so already. Ice dilutes the soda and makes it taste bad. Ice also takes up space in the cup that could be used to hold more soda.
At least in my area, Wal-Mart by far offers the cheapest prices on soda, assuming the name brand stuff. Unless you actually prefer store brand soda, just don't do it. It always tastes bad.
Heavy cream and butter seem to be very calorie dense for the cost, but you have to be careful until you learn your limits on dairy fat, and it might have an especially negative effect on appetite at least at first (you might end up snacking less for example). Until you experiment and learn more, I'd likely recommend having anything with large amounts of heavy cream right before going to sleep, a time when you don't want to be hungry. It also helps that when you sleep, your metabolism drops.
On that note, you should always try to be stuffed and go to sleep on a full stomach. It feels very nice. Some also report that having a lot of heavy cream at once might make them sleepy. If it affects you in this way, then the perfect time is right before sleeping.
Carbs are definitely going to be your friend. Bread is pretty low cost. Except it's bland without toppings. Butter can work for that, or cheese. Mayo is also quite calorie dense.
At least at Wal-Mart here, I can get a 4.4 lb bag of frozen chicken nuggets for around $8.60. Even if you eat 20 at a time, that one bag will last awhile. Obviously, pair with whatever condiment you like the best.
I could probably say more but this is already getting a little long.
That's a good start. Very useful advice 👍🏻. Especially, regarding the heavy cream.
If you eat it constantly every night you will gain weight in no time. Also, Increasing the food intake will help you too.
