you learn to cook pretty quickly with whatever the heck you can get your hands on if you have a budget...
i lived on a strict budget because we put away the excess for beer

go walk around, learn the neighbourhood, learn to be streetsmart.. figure out how and where to get the best value-for-money things... for example, we go for fresh produce at the markets about 1/2 hour before closing and the stallholders will flog stuff to you at around 20% of the usual price early in the morning..
a couple of kg of mince beef goes a long way.. you can cook tacos, make beef patties, make spaghetti sauce, meatballs..
things like that, you learn because of necessity

Originally posted by viciouskitty74:
Yes soul, do what bear suggests.
But if your wallets are not as deep and you figure you might save more money cooking your own local foods. Then I guess for a hot meal a week wouldnt do you any harm.
But as poor student overseas, I guess bread, milk, cheese & eggs has to become your staple. If you are severely allergic to dairy products or lactose intolerant, I can understand your hardship.
BTW, I forgot to add. Yes Asian foodstuffs are accessible. But you need a transport. So you need to budget in for a small car or at least a motorcycle to get around anywhere.
The nearest grocer supermarket is like 1 hour walk from the house. And most upscale ones carries dried pratas, rice ro some kinda asian foods in California nowadays due to the demands. Even Target/Walmart carries electrical appliances like rice cooker nowadays.
But take note that the fire BTU here in OC is kinda weak. Angmohs here prefers cold foods, like sandwiches or salads. Heavy Asian Cooking needs high BTU cooker which arent readily available.
Plus....they like the open kitchen thing...so food smells really stay in the hosue after cooking.
The asian chinese Supermarket is usually a hours drive away. Most famous one is known as Ranch 99 Market.