$40.00 a month (im serious)

Cereals / Breads / rice
-- For lunch sandwiches: you can usually get a reasonable 20oz loaf for under $1.50 (should last a week of sandwiches)
- Breakfast cereals: usually bulk / no-brand is not too expensive



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You can also find recipies to bake your own bread and make your own muesli. If you can buy the ingredients in bulk it may turn out cheaper per serve. The catch is you have to have teh cash up fromnt to buy in bulk. You could team up with some friends and buy in bulk together - a 10 kilo bag of rice can be divided inot 2 x 5 kg for example.

Learn to preserve produce when its in season - make your own tomato sauce, blanche and freeze veggies like carrot, brocoli, beans, cook and freeze meals.

As a student I tried to get invited to dinner with a relative or family friend at least once a week. One family in particular I would babysit and get paid with a meal. Can you trade any skills or labour for meals? Washing cars, mowing lawns, walking dogs?

Do you have any garden space? If so, look into growing your own veggies. We've grown tomatos and lettuce as well as basil and parlsey on our 2nd floor balcony in pots.

Good luck.

Have you considered becoming a freegan? (Its a serious suggestion).

If your in canada go to sobeys on dollar days!!!
Shop when there is sales and use coupons on top!!
If worse comes to worse and you are having troubles with money
Go to the local food bank they will make you a hamper

these things are pretty cheap.
Lentils
brown rice
eggs
theres like bags of frozen veggies for like 1.00 each

Make from scratch: oatmeal, cornmeal, rice, veg soup with peas and beans and chicken or beef broth. Canned tuna and salmon extended with onion and almonds, or salsa with salmon.. Shop bakery discount like pepperidge farm to buy and freeze whole grain bread. Frozen veg. Peanut butter. Eggs. Saltine crackers.

Sample day: oatmeal with apple and walnuts, veg soup with crackers, egg salad on wheat with zucchini
Sample day: peanut butter on whole wheat with orange, salmon and salsa on crackers with pear, veg soup with pasta and cheese

I don't think you can do this with any prepared foods (like chips or frozen diiners) at all.

HI, I have been very successful with choosing a variety of vegetables and fruits.
Lean meats and fish, Baked, Broiled, or grilled.
Whole wheat pasta. Pesto. Sun dried tomatoes.
Quaker Oats old fashion. style. for cereal or breads.
Whole wheat breads.
If you prepare your meals with more veggies, beans, and lean meats. Your grocery bill should average around
40$.
Coupons are helpful
Maybe grow a vegetable garden.
Sometimes its the way we prepare the meals which can make a difference in the cost.
I hope this was helpful.
Good luck.

Also, check out gaballi.com a faith-based, nondenominational food program that replaced the now defunct Angel Ministies program.

rice, beans, canned meat (turkey/tuna/chicken), tomato sauce, noodles, canned veggies.

make a crap-ton of soup/noodle dishes, divide into tubberware/baggies, freeze = cheap, easy meals to reheat.

also, ramen. ramen gets such a bad name.. just ditch the seasoning packets for spices/condiments with less sodium and add some veggies/meat.
or make ramen omelets - ramen noodles + eggs + seasonings = super quick and filling meal

+1 for budgetbytes!

Also, be very careful not to throw away any food. You can always use left overs, even the smallest portions (let's say you're left with like 2 tbsp of a veggie stir fry, not enough for a meal, but add it to a scrambled egg for breakfast the next day), freeze anything that might go back, and make it a habit to use what's in your freezer/pantry.
This is assuming you cook, which is usually way cheaper anyway.