Try buying in bulk if you have the storage space in order to get more for less.
Try to focus on purchasing foods with a greater fullness factor. If the food does not fill you up, perhaps reconsider buying it and choose foods that leave you feeling satisfied for a longer period of time. The following website (http://www.whfoods.com/cookhealthy.php)
has a section that evaluates foods on their fullness factor. Eating foods that are not filling could be reduced in your diet for the time being in order to stretch every dollar. High fibre foods are very filling.
Also, you could try cooking soups more often as vegetables can be quite cheap and the bulk of it is water.
My other suggestion is eating brunch rather than 2 seperate meals, and also checking out events in the community that offer free food. As a university student I have become very aware of the many events, some weekly, on and near campus that offer free food. I don't go to too many of them, but it is nice to know they are there. I have noticed a trend in free food and volunteerism too. Seriously, volunteer activities tend to involve feeding people! That may not be the most ethical reason to volunteer somewhere, but it is a plus to consider.
Lastly, if you are able to at all, try working part-time in a restaurant, grocery store, bakery, or some other food place that allows you to bring home food at no extra cost.
Good luck!

When time came that I *had* to cut the grocery bill due to outside circs, I got a notepad and made a list of the basic items on our shopping list...you know, the staple stuff you always buy on a regular basis. Then I unashamedly made the rounds of the 3 or 4 places I could do the shopping, and wrote down prices for these items, in order to have a list to compare. I learned a few things along the way! One was that herbal teas were more expensive at the "discount" place than at the more expensive, slicker supermarket...and the supermarket teas were better quality. (I can taste bitter chamomile even if it comes mixed in a bag with the regular kind, thank you...) And that one particular chain has much better variety of seasonal fruits and veg than even the local greengrocer, at a better price. I also found out what day of the week their new shipments of veg come in. Often managers are quite willing to answer questions of that kind if you ask nicely.

I'd agree with the "only buy bulk if you're going to eat it" sentiment.  My wife and I got a deep-freezer about a year ago, and she has developed the bad habit of buying bread, eating about half the loaf before getting close to expiring, then throwing it into the freezer so it's "not wasted".  Of course what happens 90% of the time is that that frozen bread ends up being thrown away after getting freezer burn.  OTOH, frozen veggies, berries and the like can be cheap when bought on sale and last a long time.

Beans are definitely good, a can of beans is usually about a buck on sale, and they are very versatile (chickpeas are the best, I have probably 3-4 staple recipes for which chickpeas are the main ingredient).  Rice is good as well, as it's very cheap (particularly if you can buy bulk) and can sit in your cupboard forever (and again, rice can go into or be servied with just about any dish).

Pastas are cheap, but I'm not so sure how healthy they are (I usually find that when I make spaghetti I overeat, as I tend to make too much).

The comment about strong flavoured-cheeses can go both ways: yes a strong flavoured cheese is good because you don't have to use as much, BUT a strong flavoured cheese will be much more expensive per amount.

I'll disagree with the boxed vs refrigerated soy milk statement, as I have found that the refrigerated stuff is cheaper (although not by a whole lot).  One thing about the boxed stuff though is that you can wait for sales, so you don't have to pay full price (and of course because it's not refrigerated they tend to have far off expiry dates).

Comparison shopping can be crucial, especially if you do like the processed vegetarian stuff, as I find the prices between stores on semi-junky vegetarian products differ much more than semi-junky non-vegetarian products.  Although as others on here have pointed out, processed veggie stuff can be pricey irregardless, and tend to not be the healthiest choice (I can't live without them myself, as I haven't yet developed those good "prepare my meals for the week on the weekend" habit).

Speaking of which, one thing to keep in mind in regards to preparing meals in advance is storage.  My wife & I only have a small apartment sized fridge, so preparing full meals for the week for the both of us and keeping them in the fridge is just not an option.

Some other misc shopping tips: prepare a shopping list and stick to it (but allow yourself the odd treat), don't go to the supermarket when you're hungry (actually the best time is when you're in a rush as you won't wander around browsing), flyers are your friend (ie - compare prices & buy on sale), etc.

Of course saying this will probably be akin to blasphemy on this site, but one way to go cheap is to buy non-organic produce. ;)

Hi. I just wanted to clarify. When I said plan out your menu for the week, I didn't mean to cook it all in advance.  I know that other posters do, but that wasn't what I meant. I don't do that, mostly because things that would keep well or that I could make in advance aren't all that appealing to my kids. I generally make dinner fresh everynight, or sometimes the night before, but it is helpful to know in advance that Wednesday is chik patty parmagiana night.

I am also a total fan of fresh veggies, but frozen veggies can be prepared in very palatable ways. I buy them mostly for convenience and to ensure I always have veggies on hand.  Frozen broccoli, corn, string beans and peas are our favorites.  (And edamame of course.) I particularly like the little peas that come in the cooking pouch, but I always feel bad about buying them because the extra packaging seems so wasteful.  Of course, things like red peppers, celery, sprouts and avocados have to be purchased fresh. So you'll still be visiting the produce stand.

Silent Cricket, I loved your recipe! You cook the way I do! I too eat the same old stirfry about 3 times a week, but it's always different because of whatever I do or don't have on hand.

"Darn, I'm out of this.... Hmmm, this'll do!" is how the best recipes are created.  :P

You and I write recipes the way Spanish women do...the "holy trinity" of Spanish cooking is garlic, onion and tomato...sauté that, add some white wine, and go from there. And when you ask a Spanish woman how much of something to put in, they say..."oh, you know---enough...don't get too much...but you know--till it sort of looks right." ;D

Yep.  ;) Then you have to taste it, of course. If it's really good, you might have to taste it again, just to be sure.

Have any of you ever tried the Steamfresh fresh frozen vegetables from Birds Eye? They taste like freshly steamed vegetables.  :o Incredible, and delicious! http://www.birdseyefoods.com/corp/ourBrands/birdseyeSteamfresh.asp

i was so happy to find this topic because it's exactly what's been on my mind for the past year! when i am at school, i have my own apartment and do my own shopping. (mind you, i love grocery shopping, and love finding new veggie things to try.) i rarely spend more than 100 a month, but even so, that seems like a lot to me. i was glad to read another post's opinion about pre-made veggie foods; they ARE great, but definitely pricey! i try to limit my purchase of them now. anyway, here are a few things i've learned and plan to keep up this coming year. some of them are probably repeats of other posts, but that just testifies to the fact that they work!

-clif bars. these are actually dairy and egg free, have 10 g of protein, and a decent amount of calories. i used to think they were a bit of a splurge, but where i am i can get them for a dollar a piece. since i don't usually have time (or the desire) to cook in the morning, this is a great alternative to skipping breakfast. i also feel better knowing that there's lots of vitamins and minerals in there, and that the ingredients are wholesome (and that the maker is socially and environmentally responsible!)

-i cannot say enough for bulk grains and legumes. if you can get them from a co-op that actually sells them right out of the bin, you even get to save the earth from some unncessary packaging! i know it takes more time to cook, but here's a few things i learned: in the morning as soon as you wake up, put some beans in a bowl of water, and put on a pot of rice. by the time you're done getting ready for the day (i usually take 30-45 minutes cause i'm a slow poke!) the rice will be done, and you can pop it in the fridge for later use. (besides, rice and other grains tend to cook better when you're not constantly peeking at it!) if you let the beans soak all day, you can either cook them up for dinner (lentils are especially quick, and don't even need to soak that long, if at all) or cook a big batch while you're doing something else and then save them for another meal. i tend not to have a lot of spare time when i'm at school, so if you know you're going to be home for an hour or so doing something else, it's pretty easy to multitask this way since the pot does all the work anyway. :)

-i know a lot of poor college students rely on ramen, but they are just so bad for you. personally, i love the way they taste, and could probably live on them myself, but i try to limit these to maybe once or twice a month. there is just too much sodium in there. my favorite (and competitively delicious) alternative are the dried noodle soups from oriental grocies. certain kinds come with soba noodles, vegetarian seasoning, and a packet of chili oil. a-mazing. add some tofu cubes and maybe some frozen peas and you're set.

-water should be the beverage of choice. this was a hard one for me, considering i loved to guzzle soy milk. but i found a good way to help the transition was to get soy milk in those little rectangle boxes (i know there's a fancy name for that but i can't remember at the moment). they're cheaper, you can stock up on them (which saves extra trips to the store) and i always find that it makes me savor the soy milk that much more rather than if i had a huge half gallon waiting in the fridge, calling me to drink liberally.

-it's funny, bu before my vegetarian days i always thought fresh veggies were more expensive than packaged meals! so glad to have discovered that i was entirely wrong. a huge bag of kale only cost me 2 dollars the other week; i had three lunches of it over brown rice with some grated ginger and a little soy sauce, and the rest i made into a casserole to freeze, with about 8 servings. (dragonfly's cheezy kale and brown rice casserole, from vegweb.) you can also do well with a nice pound of carrots in your fridge and a bag of potatoes (or even sweet potatoes). i add carrots to almost everything, and a baked potato takes 5 minutes in the microwave.

i'm almost done with this post, i promise! ;)
four years ago i was lucky enough to go on a month-long tour with a private orchestra. 2 meals a day were taken care of, but the third we were asked to fend for ourselves, with a recommendation of 10 dollars a day. looking back, this was an exorbitant amount of money to spend on just one meal! granted we had to eat out and couldn't rely on cheap eats like bulk grains, but that whole experience has taught me to think about my meals in a different way. i also read the "hungry for a month" blog and am now curious to see how much i spend on food in a particular day.

good luck with your budget!!! :)

Bulk grains and beans--Did you know you can cook them and keep them in the freezer?  They keep beautifully and it is so great on a busy night to be able to pull a bag of fully cooked short grain brown rice out of the freezer.  Beans keep very well as well--I especially like black eyed peas--drain them before freezing.