I also avoid extra trips to the store. Having my husband waiting in the car while I “just run in real quick” is a great way to keep me on task. Then I’ll be much more apt to ONLY get the milk and bread.

Stay away from coupons for junk food- you don’t need it, and chances are, making it yourself will still be cheaper. Cookies are not that expensive to make, and you’ll get more than the small bag you get at the store.

Loads of iced tea freshly brewed is also much cheaper than bottled beverages or soda. Buy a cheap case of water (for in the car), and as the bottles empty, wash them and fill with the tea to take along. This keeps you from stopping and paying $1.50 for a soda when you’re on the run.

We are lucky to have a big coldroom/pantry, and 2 freezers, which let us stock up and store garden veg as well as great seasonal buys (just stocked up on pork, turkey, and butter, for example).
My kids drink water if they are thirsty during the day but milk goes fast here, just with meals and the occasional hot chocolate etc. Because I live 45 min. from the nearest grocery store, during the cold months I can keep an extra 6 gallons of milk in a cooler in the coldest part of the unheated section of the cellar. I could never make it two weeks between trips to the store without that extra milk, since milk at a local convenience store isn’t an option for me.

My tip has to do with avoiding impulse buys and generally keeping everyone happy while keeping to a tight budget. For our family it is crucial that we PLAN TREATS and special meal events. We try to celebrate often, not through buying something but by taking a little bit of effort to make a shared moment special. Sometimes this is as simple as making french toast in funny shapes or sharing a story over a meal about who in the family first made a recipe, or baking gingerbread cookies (our go-to inexpensive treat for winter), having a meal from another culture while we listen to music from that region or on a night while we plan to play a game that originated there, etc.

I keep an eye on sales for items that are a special treat for one or more members of the family. For example, my husband LOVES dark chocolate and certain kinds of nuts, I was able to pick up deeply discounted top quality ones yesterday (after-holiday markdown) while on my way to run an errand , I’ll keep a few in the kitchen pantry but will store most in a tin in the cold room for occasional treats all winter long.

One more tip – if you can, grow fresh herbs or edible greens in a sunny window or under lights if you live in a cold-winter region…having a little bit of green to snip and stir into a recipe makes all the difference in the world.

We grow a lot of our own veggies and then can and freeze for the rest of the year. We also have several fruit trees, two raspberry patches, and several grape vines for fruit for jams and the freezer. Next year, my sister and I have plans to grow certain vegetables together, like potatoes and squash, at the back of her large yard. I don’t have the room for these in my yard, and they don’t need much attention during the growing season.

When I plan my meals, I try to focus on the produce first. We’re working towards a more produce-dominated diet, rather than thinking about the meat. With this strategy, our family of seven has been able to stretch our meat deals for much longer than I anticipated.