I often hear in my journeys around forums and the gym, "How can you guys afford to eat the way you do?" Well, this got me thinking. So, i figured it was time to break out the calculator and get to work. I hate the thought of someone not making gains in the gym because they believe it costs to much money for them to get the nutrients they need to put on size. I am here to say, you can "Bulk on a Budget" and it not drain your checkbook dry.

I will be writing this up as a weeks worth of food. I will only be including food in this portion of the article, as i will hit on the supplements later on.

So, without further delay, lets take a look at our shopping list....

1- 2lb container of Quick Oats = $1.62
This has 31, 1/2 cup servings. 1 servings has a nutritonal value of 140 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 26 carbs, 5grams of protein.
If you consume 2 servings of oats per day, that equals 15 days worth of servings. Which is well over a weeks worth for around $0.81/week.

7 Dozen Eggs = $4.83 ($0.69/dozen)
During a bulk, i try to consume a dozen large eggs daily. I usually break it down into 8 Whites & 4 with yolks.
The nutritinal value of one large egg is 77 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 carb, 6 grams protein. So, if eaten as suggested above you can consume 484 calories, 56 grams protein, 20 grams fat, 10 carbs.

1- bag of Chicken Breast = $8.99
It is hard to find a better source of lean meat than chicken. Most generally you will get anywhere from 7-10 chicken breasts in a bag. So, one bag should get you through the week. A single 8oz serving will provide you with around 220 calories, 46 grams protein, 1 gram fat.

7- cans of Tuna = $4.13($0.59/can)
Yep, we have all had our fill of tuna but honestly, how can you beat it. You get 150 calories, 32 grams protein, 1 gram fat

4 - Brown Rice = $4.20($1.05/box)
This is an excellent source for your carbs. Hard to beat brown rice to get those calories and carbs in. 1 box should be enough for 2 meals. So 4 boxes will last you all week. 1 cup of brown rice has a nutritional value of 240 calories, 45 carbs, 5 grams protein, 2 grams fat.

1- 10lb bag of Potatoes = $3.50
i personally, wouldn't go through a bulk without potatoes somewhere in my diet. I make potatoes a staple while bulking. The amount of carbs you get from a single potatoe is almost unbeatable. I eat mine raw, bulk most people prefer to bake them. A potatoe is very low in sodium and saturated fat as well. It is also a good source of fiber. 1 large potatoe will provide you with around 280 calories, 64 carbs, 7 grams protein. Sweet Potatoes are also good if you wish to substitute.

2 - Loafs Weat Bead = $2.60($1.30/loaf)
Wheat Bread is yet another good source of fiber. I usually eat 4 slices per day. The value of one slice is 70 calories, 1 gram fat, 13 carbs, 3 grams protein

1 - Jar Peanut Butter = $1.20
Peanut Butter is a good source of calories. I would watch eating too much though, as it is also high in fat. 2tbsp of peanut butter has a value of 190 calories, 16 grams fat, 6 carbs, 8 grams protein.

4 - boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese = $2.40
What bulk would be complete without Mac & Cheese. This will provide you with a nice amount of calories along with many needed carbs during your bulk. 1 cup of mac & cheese will get you around 260 calories, 50 carbs, 3 grams fat, 11 grams protein.

4 - cans Spinach = $2.80($0.70/can)
I know, i know many of you probably have your noses turned up about right now. But, the reason i throw spinach in the mix is because of it's incredible source of fiber and phosphorus. If you can, i would highly recommend adding this green into your diet. 1 cup of spinach has 50 calories, 1 gram fat, 7 carbs, 6 grams protein. If you just can't stomach the Spinach any other source of veggies is good. I will sometimes substitute it out with Southern Ranch Style Beans for a nice change.

1 - package of Lean Hamburger = $8.00
Another great source of protein. I would recommend at least 95% lean to cut down on some unwanted fats. You can prepare this numerous amounts of ways. You could probably eat a different meal everday preparing this in various fashions. 1 3oz patty is loaded with 151 calories, 22 grams protein, 6 grams fat.

2 - gallons of milk = $7.00(3.49/gallon)
During a bulk i like to mix my protein with milk. With 8 ounces of milk, you get 10 more grams of protein and about 80 more calories in your shake.

Well, that just about sums it up. I would throw some fruit in their. I left it open as most fruits are generally all good. I personally choose banannas for the potassium benefits.

Now that we have a genral idea of the foods we will most likely include into our bulk, lets look and see how much we will be set back weekly. It appears our grand total for a weeks worth of food will be right around $47.00. Not to bad if you ask me. Not when you consider that a few of those will last you a little longer than a single week and the breakdown of nutritional values daily.
Everything i listed equates daily to somewhere approximately around:

2665 Calories
220 grams Protein
261 Carbs
59 grams Fat

I believe this to be a good start and basis for a bulking cycle. Once you throw in a couple of protein shakes and a couple tbsp's of Flax Oil and/or Fish Oil you will be above the 3000 calorie mark and above 300 grams protein.

So, in conclusion i believe we can all go through a bulking cycle without it breaking the bank.

Great post J1.

awsome post j i hope they can pin this

BUMP

For fellow college kids.....

This means alot to us!!!!!!!

Thanks J1Q!

Lets stick it up there for a while

great post. I been meaning to ask for a while now. Why is brown rice prefered over white rice?

Also what is the drawback of not getting enough carbs in your diet? I'm trying to lean up a bit so I been cutting a little bit on carbs to keep my calories down. Not severely low but probably like around 200 g. My protein intake is over 200 a day and I weight 175.

Just moved into my new house and starting school on tuesday...this is a great post, i'll be showing it to a few ppl. Anyway thanx.

Evans

Another very cheap food i forgot to mention is Yogurt I always eat a container of yogurt before i go to bed with a Tablespoon of Flax Oil. Yogurt is another good source for calories & carbs. A container of Hiland Yogurt has 220 calories and 41 carbs in it. I just bought some yesterday and they were 2 for $1. So for $0.50/day you get another 220 calories/41 carbs/11 grams of protein.

good post mang

I don't see how this post is anything worth pinning. It is very deficient and there are a few flaws (assuming that fat gain is not one of your goals and you want to bulk as cleanly as possible). Quick oats are too processed, which gives them a higher GI rating than you want. If you cant do Steel cut oats, or Irish oats, then at least go with old fashioned. Canned products should usually be avoided due to added sodium and preservatives and other junk, especially if its a food that should be fresh, like spinach.
What bulk would be complete without Mac & Cheese? A lean and clean one. Avoid Rice a Roni, too. Regular brown rice is much better. Also, you want to get used to natural peanut butter, not jiffy. And scratch the white potatoes for some sweet potatoes. I would advise against eating a dozen eggs daily, when bulking you dont need to seperate them either. Two to four whole eggs should be fine. Dont worry about the fat and cholesterol in them if need more to meet your protein quota, this will only help promote anabolism.
As for yogurt, you only want to eat it plain and buy it in a large container. The regular kind in little cups is filled with processed sugars, aspartame, etc.

I cant think of any reason why you wouldnt opt for the old fashioned oats over the quick oats, they only take three minutes to cook. Basically, for the purposes of building and preserving muscle, you want to eat as many nutrient dense foods as you can. Things like quick oats and white rice are more processed than brown rice and old fashioned oats which means that they are deprived of a significant amount of nutrients. 4 whole eggs and 8 whites is not bad, but i wouldnt make a habit of eating a dozen every single day. Nothing on your list is really bad, enough to make or break you, but I am just more anal about eating clean. The thing that is wrong with white potatoes is that they cause a giant spike in insulin levels, which is what you do not want if you are trying to avoid excessive fat gain. And the same goes for white rice.

I have a container of Quaker Quick oats and Quaker Old fashioned oats. The nutritional facts are exactly the same except the quick oats are cut up more. If you were to put your old fashioned oats in a blender for a couple seconds then you have quick oats, no big deal. I think you were thinking of the little packets with flavorings.

Quaker quick oats are steamed, rolled and cut up. Old fashioned oats are just steamed and rolled. They are essentially the same thing. However, if I were to sit down and have a bowl of oats then I would be doing so because I want a good amount of slow burning carbs. If I had a bowl of quicks oats, though, they would not be very slow burning because cutting them up into smaller pieces causes them to digest faster and raises their GI level.

I don't recommen the tuna simply because each can has a very high mercury content. If you read the lit, you'll find many stories about this. The worst I read was this pregant woman read that high protein during pregnacy is good for the baby, so she ate 2-3 cans of tuna a day. Her baby ended up being mentally retarded. And you know what? In response to this, the tuna companies released a statement saying "they don't expect people to eat more than 1 can a week."

Parse that statement. Why in the world would a company who profits off of selling as many cans as possible, say that you should only eat 1 a week? *cough*mercurycontent*cough*

great post, i will buy the things you said but its hard for me to eat very often because iam in school and i dont htink its a good idea to eat potatoes in class

What brand of canned tuna are you referencing above? I have found the packages of tuna that have that much protein, but for the most part the canned only has about 13g. Thanks.

Standard can of tuna has 130grams dry weight @ 23 grams per 100g = 30/32 grams per can or 15 grams per serving.