I'm the kind of person that finds it difficult being in a crowd, and meeting people. When I'm with friends, I find myself to be bolder.
But I've recently moved, and I only actually have one friend so far and I've been here for almost a year. It's not even the kind of friendship you could say will last. I just feel so pent up without anyone to joke around with.
I'm not sure how to go about meeting people that would be considered valuable friends. I'm not a loud person, nor am I even interesting when I'm by myself.

You can make friends at your school or workplace, maybe.

Volunteering is a great way to make friends.

Find a group who shares common interests (anime, manga etc) and talk to them about it. Common interests are a good way to break the ice for both you and the other party.

Like Hiroki said, you can make friends at school or work. Talk to them about recent assignemnts, ask for help and when they help you, offer to take them out to lunch as a show of gratitude. That doesn't mean that you pay for your friends, just use the time together as a stepping stone to get to know each other. If someone tries to tkae advantage of your goodwill, they are not worth your time.

Being interesting isn't the main point. The point is to be yourself.

I am just like you, OP. All I have to say is be yourself and don't try to push yourself so hard in making friends. It is not worthy for you if you make so many friends but none of them are meaningful to you. Start by having a few first. Find someone that shares the same interest as you like : music,tv shows,books, etc.

After you succeeded, cherish them and show them how genuinely happy you are to have them.

I hope this helps a bit. ^^