Lidl do great cheap noodles 15p a packet or something like it . We have Singapore style noodles, whatever tasty noodle spices you like, a bit of red pepper etc and meats - scavenged from your other meals and chucked in with a little bit of bacon and veg etc - versatile ,nutricious, and not too boring. You can re-invent recipie combo and call it allsorts.
Asda do a couple of chickens for a fiver, my sister would section them something like this : Sunday decent cuts for roast, Mon wings and legs and inspiration, Tue boil them up refridgerate stock for soup use floating bits for noodles or rice dish, Wednesday home made soup.