I've just finished my first year of university - and I cooked most things from scratch and lost a stone
Let's see~
Meatballs are cheap and easy to make, just mix mince up with a beaten egg and some salt and pepper, then fry them before cooking them with a tin of tomatoes with mixed herbs.
You can make a wonderful caramelised onion sauce simply by frying sugar and onions together in butter - it tastes amazing on pork!
Try cooking in bulk as it works out cheaper in the long run. You can also save money by bulking up food with rice/noodles/pasta or adding vegetables instead of adding more meat.
I feel like such a culinary genius <3