I am interested in what you do to say as much money as you can at the store. For me, my monthly bill is about $250. (give or take from season to season.) Now, I don't eat meat so that alone cuts a huge portion of the bill (Not to mention it is insanely unhealthy. Especially beef and pork). For max saving and health, I grow my own garden! I (try to) grow bell peppers, different onions, potatoes, peas, carrots, and whatever floats my boat. I also grow my own herbs and seasonings. When I cannot keep it in my fridge, it goes in a freezer or in a can. Now for the shopping end. I do what I can to only buy ingredients and not final products. With milk and vinegar you can make cheese, with yeast and flour you can make bread. A typical list includes rice, whole wheat flour, milk, eggs, peanuts (for peanut butter! yum) various fruits, and for now, butter. (Thought I will be investing in a churning machine of some wort soon). I find that I can make most of the stuff I see in the freezer section. I can make pizza from scratch and sugar free deserts too! All of which are far superior in quality (both taste and health), and far less expensive, than the pre-made bakery items that are loaded with fat, sugar, and whatever preservatives the FDA decided to allow people to use. I suppose I was just in my kitchen one day and decided, 'I ought to use this stuff.' Since then I have become more flexible, I have 50x the energy (that could be the coffee though) I lost nearly all the weight I gained when I started my freshman year of college, and my wallet is bursting with money. (Well, if I converted my $1's to $5's it would shrink dramatically. I do have to buy books and tuition after all. But you get the idea.) So that's me. I want to know about your tactics and strategies that save you the biggest in the store, and provide the healthiest bang for the buck.
I have been doing a lot more baking and cooking from scratch. Initially it was just a way to save money but I do think that it is also a much healthier way to eat. It has been fun to make some of the recipes that my grandmother used to make. It is also a good feeling to walk past all the prepackaged items in the grocery store. I really don't miss having them like I thought I would. I have not tried making my own cheese or butter yet but it sounds like a good challenge for me to try.
We find that we save more by making most things from scratch really, similar to you, only we do not make our own cheese. Making your own butter by putting cream in a blender is pretty cool. Also, making your own yoghurt is quite a money saver.
