One of my fellow pirates asked a good question. How do you eat well on a tight budget. I mean really tight. Have you ever faced this scenario? Sadly, I have. NUMEROUS times in my life. Usually for a few months to even a couple years, but it's ALWAYS scary. I'm in that position again now and feel much more confident this time after YEARS of practice! I think a LOT of us are in that boat so I thought I would share what I've learned in case any one tip can save someone a few dollars! With a family of five it feels like I spend a king's ransom each month and w/DH out of work since July we've had to get back to basics.

#1 I have actually changed which grocery store I use. There are some really deep discount local chain stores that ONLY carry generic and their prices are ALWAYS lower than the regular grocery and then they have SALES on top of that! I shop there first, using their sales flier to plan the week's menu. After that, I go to the close out grocery with some brand names (with labels upside down,etc.) Finally, I will go to the regular grocery for what I can't get anywhere else.

#2 I don't bother with coupons as the name brand with the coupon is often more than the generic of the same. Or you buy things you wouldn't have if you didn't HAVE the coupon! Think about it!

#3 I buy BIG quanitities of the staples (all the way on the bottom shelf) as they are cheaper in the long run and last longer (several lbs. of rice, pasta in a jumbo bag, beans by the bushel, etc.)

#4 I stopped buying chicken breasts and instead buy whole frozen chickens when they are on sale. With a little work, they make 3 meals. Out of 2 chickens (remember this is a family of 5 with 3 males) the breasts make one meal, the dark meat makes a casserole, then the carcass I use for soup! You'd be surprised how much meat there still is after 2 meals! Just be sure to get rid of ALL the skin before you even cook it!

#5 The few times I use beef, I always make meatballs or meatloaf, not burgers. I can add quite a bit of grain which adds fiber cheap and stretches the meat much further.

#6 Frozen veggies are my preference, so I always look for the sale on these and stock up. But the discount rack for veggies is a great place to find cheap fresh veggies to be used right away. You can also find slightly bruised, super ripe fruits and use them for smoothies, very filling and yummo!! Cheap too if you buy the BIG "jug o' yogurt" instead of individual cups.

#7 There is usually a discount bread section too, and thanks to the miracle of toasting, "day old" just doesn't matter!

I hope these tips help some. I have had YEARS (and multiple time periods where there wasn't another option) to learn some REALLY creative ways to save and I hope they can help you, too. I'm sure you want to know you are getting the biggest bang for your buck! It is SOOO important to get the most out of a limited grocery budget. I'll try to think what else I do too, but I kind of tried to go by food group and now I've run dry...

I would LOVE to hear what others do! Thanks for ANY contribution!