Thanks for the clarification. To make this work, I'd hope that I could spend more than $20 up front, relying on the money to average out over time.

For example, a local store has chicken leg quarters on sale for $0.59 a pound, as long as you buy at least 10 pounds at a time. Doing that, it makes each (pretty large) hunk of chicken about $0.75. I can do quite a few recipes with those pieces, so it probably wouldn't get boring.

Likewise they have pork loin on sale for $1.89 a pound. Each of those is a couple of pounds each, and one would work for a dinner and maybe a couple of lunches.

If you want bacon but don't want to pay the crazy prices for a pound of the packaged stuff, look for a pouch of real bacon pieces (often found near the salad dressings) or look for fresh bacon ends in the meat section. The ends are great to frizzle up and add to dishes, and if you save the melted-off fat, it can be used for other things.

To go with the meat, I'd grab a head of lettuce. Around here iceberg lettuce goes for maybe $1.50 when it's on sale (otherwise it's closer to $2.00). Chop some up and throw it on the plate next to the cooked meat, and you have a meal. If you want dressing, it's easy to find a cheap bottle of generic or store-brand dressing - be sure to check the label for ingredients and carb count - that will easily last a good week or two.

A head of cabbage is less than $1.00. Shred some up to make your own cole slaw. Or fry it up with some bacon for a special treat.

For other veggies, look at fresh broccoli or asparagus. Depending on the time of year, you can find either of those at pretty reasonable prices, and it doesn't take much to add some green flavor to a meal. And don't forget the frozen vegetable section. Sometimes there are great deals there, and if you can buy an extra bag or two, stash 'em in your freezer.

The freezer is your friend here. You can broil or fry chicken legs with some easy and inexpensive marinade, and you can also boil off a piece or two, remove the bones, and add some sauteed veggies that you pulled from your freezer stash to make a tremendous chicken soup.

Eggs are a staple for me. On sale, a dozen of medium eggs can be had for around $1.00. Large eggs at regular prices hover around $2.00 a dozen. A package of 18 or two packages of 12 will get me through a whole week pretty easily. Scramble a couple of them and throw in some of the bacon bits (mentioned earlier)...and you have quite a treat in the morning.

So basically, I would say to look for sales, and buy in bulk if it saves you money in the long run. And learn to rework your staple ingredients to keep it from getting boring.