I am on disability and do not get out frequently (once every 3-6 weeks) so I have been experimenting with longer shelf life foods that I can buy for a reasonable price that are delivered to my home.  For years, I have been making quick microwave soups from scratch and I have found that while meats can be easily frozen, vegetables can not be bought in bulk for long term without a lot of waste.  There are all sorts of veggies available at Amazon, a bunch at this vendor, that are remarkably flavorful AND economical.  This clelery tastes to me just like fresh when used in my soups and for $2 you can't go wrong.  Barry Farm Foods also sells dried jalapenos (excellent--kept for cooking only cause I ALWAYS have 5-6 cans on hand for table use), onions, shallots, sour cream powder, cheese powder, etc. which I have all tried and endorse.  There are also dried mushrooms but I have not hit on the type that suits me as yet.  The trick to these dried vegetables is to soak them before hand in boiling water, if planning to cook the entree quickly, to ensure that they get fully rehydrated. Longer cooking times don't require soaking.  Beef stew made with dried vegetables, frozen peas, frozen strips of beef and some sour cream powder makes a wonderful dinner in less than 1/2 hour, with prep since anything dried will already have been chopped, diced, sliced or maybe smashed to ensure effective drying.