^ Another good way to get rid of on-the-cusp-of-expiring veggies is stir fry.

Make a large frittata for breakfast at the beginning of the week. Add soon to expire veggies. Cut into servings and you can eat for 4-5 days without a problem as your breakfast. (I usually add onions, mushrooms and spinach)

I wonder if you could drop the deli meat. $7 is a big chunk of your budget. PBJ would be cheaper, or even tuna. Even if you ate PBJ half the time, it would save you a couple of dollars. Then you might be able to pick up another fresh veggie to use sometime during the week, or a big tub of plain yogurt, or a box of raisins, or a big bag of pretzels to snack on.

I'm on a perpetual budget (SAHM) and you've gotten some great hints.

I'll add that you should figure out where in your grocery store the deeply-discounted items are shelved. Not the bargain aisle, but the place in the store where the damaged and super clearance items go. Look carefully and often and you will find some amazing deals. I've very picky and so I do not buy dented cans, but a box of Ziplocks with some damage to the box? Sure!

I've had such great luck with this section that I've stocked up on toothbrushes, multivitamins, cereals, granola bars, pads, you name it.

Also, dollar stores are great for buying name brand (not made in China) cleaning supplies, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.

We currently do $450 a month for a family of four, almost exclusively at Costco. At least $125 of that is diapers, formula and "kids meal" stuff, so its totally doable.

Sample Costco shopping list (Make Freezer Space!)
Organic Milk (3-pk): $11
36 eggs: $3.79
6 four-packs of boneless chicken breasts: $20
(Farmed) salmon, makes 6 fillets: $11
4 pack 1.5 packets of ground turkey: $13
24 pack of deli thin breads: $5.99
Huge container of organic spinach: $4.29
8 bananas $1.79
Blueberries: $6.99
Bag of onions: $2.99
Cherry tomatoes: $3.79
8 pack of corn: $3.99
6 bell peppers: $4.99
3 cantaloupes: $3.99
96 breakfast turkey sausages: $6.99
12 packs of TP and PT ONLY when there's a coupon: $15.00

etc etc etc.

You can do it!

You can make your own laundry detergent. I've done that for years and it's ridiculously cheap. You can also make your own dishwasher detergent -- I have been meaning to try that but haven't yet.

I suggest you start reading some of the mommy blogs out there that focus on living frugally. Some of them have great ideas.

You could buy the basics like bread and cereal at Costo and get produce somewhere like the Supermarcado (sp?) Latin grocery store on Graham Rd in Falls Church. We are always amazed how inexpensive their produce is. Other international groceries may be the same. Also you aren't tempted to grab other things because most other products are flavors and brands you don't know.

Try to buy produce that does not go bad quickly - like carrots and apples. Other than that let the seasonal sales dictate what you eat for fruits and veggies.

Also - we eat a lot of barley (cook like brown rice), dried beans and lentils instead of canned. You can make beans and lentils on the weekend or in a crock pot. Then you can eat less meat - DH and I split a chicken breast for example. Don't eat pasta sauce, just toss pasta with a can of chopped tomatoes and a little olive oil. Corn tortillas are also cheap for a huge stack - we love "tacos" with leftovers.

Plan your meals a week at a time and cook similar ingredients that week so you don't have waste. We have theme weeks - Mexican, Mediterranean, etc.

Also from the library - get the book "make the bread, but the butter" to learn what is cheaper to make and what is cheaper to buy.

Good luck!

I have been a starving student and I am also a foodie, so eating well is Important to me and I have experience in stretching my dollars. first, good health should be a priority and it starts with good nutrition. look at your entire budget, for me, getting good tasting and nutritious food is a priority, so I put more $ from my budget towards food and less to maybe new clothes or a new car or gas (walk, metro, etc), I check things out of the library like movies and books, I belong to a neighborhood listserv where I buy tons of things used or get them for free, etc. consider where all your money is going, perhaps there is a money Pitt in your budget but you don't know it.

For me, food needs to be good for me and taste good too. While I would love to shop at whole foods and farmers market for everything, it is just not realistic. knowing the prices of things you buy regularly (like for me, eggs, milk, fresh OJ, fresh veggies, fruit and seafood, for you it seems to be things like almond milk) so you can get a sense of which store has the best prices. surprisingly WF has the best prices on eggs, milk and yogurt for my area. They also have the best produce, I hate buying apples or tomatoes and the next day they are all rotten. What difference does it make if I saved $1 on a bag of apples to have them be all grainy or mushy in a day?! So compare all teh stores in your area so you can decide if you see a good deal and know if it really is.

Aldi and Asian grocery stors like HMart usually have very good produce for good price. check to see if there are any near you.

I second going with the steel cut oats or the old fashion rolled oats in lieu of boxe cereal. Much better for you, MUCH! And you can change the flavor yourself, brown sugar, maple syrup, strawberries, chocolate chips and nuts, peaches and cream, etc. Very economical.

get rid of that boxed pasta, it is no good for you. If you like pasta consider trying a spaghetti squash or zucchini strings. A box of Barilla is doing nothing for your health, nothing. Same goes for those canned condensed soups, most of which are loaded with sodium and sugar. Make your own soups, freeze the leftovers for a later date.

many stores put soon to expire meat on sale, stock up and freeze it as soon as you get home, then dethaw as needed. Same for seafood. Also there are cheaper cuts of meat, such as chicken thighs, that are great for recipes such as crock pots and braising. And find some good meatless meal recipes, like quiche.

Do you have room to start your own backyard garden?

don't overlook coupons! I think it is very difficult to find coupons for healthy and fresh food, and your time is valuable so you don't want to waste hours just to save $10. But I do often find coupons I can use for health, beauty and household needs (like cleaning supplies, toilet paper, detergent, etc). Here is where I actually like CVS. There is a CVS very close to my house so It is easy for me to go. I often find deals, for instance like toothpaste, where I can stack a manufacturers coupon, with a store sale and/or extra buck reward, sometimes making it free. target has their own store coupons you can stack with manufacturers cohpons. Then you can allocate the money saved on these items to your food budget. I am a real nerd, I keep my coupons organized in a binder in my car. I only use them for CVS and Target.

Also, sounds like you need to really commit to shopping as you admitted you overspend and impulse buy. Maybe meal planning cold help you. I don't do that, but many do and have luck with it. There are even some websites that peruse the weekly sales and give you meal suggestions.

as for Peapod, I recently was using them due to being unable to drive and I agree their prices are more expensive, their quality of produce is terrible and often you don't get what you requested because the warehouse was out.

This may seem overwhelming, but after a few weeks you get the hang of it. There are a ton of websites and blogs that discuss coupons, and store sales and shopping strategies, google for some that include your local stores. I am no extreme coupon lady, but I do truly believe it is worth the effort to eat healthy, good tasting food. Please consider your health!!!!