Shopping on a budget?

Dried beans are great once you get the hang of cooking them. Canned beans really aren't bad either - I can usually find a can of beans for about 79 cents...not a bad deal for 350 calories and 25 grams of protein! Buy what you will actually use, because the dried beans aren't going to save you any money sitting on your shelf. ETA: Lentils are another great buy, a pound of lentils usually costs around $1 and it will make a giant pot of soup. You don't need to pre-soak lentils and they cook up in about an hour. And always keep onions and garlic on hand to flavor your beans and soups!

My best advice is to plan your meals for the week, write down which ingredients you need for them, and then make your grocery list based on that. Try not to buy anything that isn't on your list unless it is something you use regularly that is on sale for a good price. Also you can plan meals that will use the same ingredients, that way you don't have to buy and cook so many different things. For example, if I'm going to make a stir-fry and brown rice, I'll make double the brown rice and then use it again later in the week. Or make rice pudding with it. Also - eat oatmeal for breakfast, not the instant kind but the flaked oats or steel cut oats. Buy it in bulk bins, it will save you a ton of money on breakfast!

Eggs are a great source of protein. I don't eat red meat anymore, and eggs are a big part of my diet. They are filling as well. I have also eliminated a lot of processed food which saves lots of $$. Shop the outer perimeter of the store---produce, seafood, meat, dairy. The stores I shop in have reduced produce daily, so I would check them for fruit and veggies at a lower price---I would use those in smoothies.

A big pot of lentil soup or nice traditional Canadian split pea soup, can be parceled out into individual servings and eaten for lunch all week. If you make it with lots of veggies and not as much meat as traditional recipes call for, it's cheap, filling, and nutritious.

My wife does most of the shopping, so I can't give details, but I can give guidelines. (She feed the two of us for about $40 US a week.)

the best guideline I can give to stay out of the middle of the store as much as possible. Here in the US all the processed foods are in the middle, while fruits and veggies and meat tend to be on the borders.

When she designs a meal she expects us to eat it for three days. So when she makes dinner we have it two more dinners. Same with lunches and breakfast. That way you cook your meals only once for every three days.

Our most common bought meat is chicken, but if you can find a hunter in your neck of the woods, you might be able to get some venison off them. (I have a friend whose dad is an avid hunter but whose wife hates venison. He's got freezers full of meat.) I got some by volunteering to be a pack mule for him. (I got exercise and free meat. If you call hauling a sixty pound pack all over the country free.)

Watch you sales. If you don't want to pay for a paper, most big chains publish theirs online, or find a neighbor who doesn't use the inserts and bum them off them. You get to make friends at the same time.

I will agree with asian markets. Though most in our area only get produce once a week. So you will have to figure that out.

Oh and a good cookbook will save you tons of money. (My wife has dozens and is always picking up another one. She reads them a lot so when something major goes on super sale she knows what to do with it.)

I find that the secrets to eating healthy on a budget are planning, prepping and eating in season.

I make weekly meal plans so that I know exactly what I need from the grocery store and can check for what is on sale.

Prepping a big batch of dry beans for the week helps and they freeze well once cooked too! Things like lentils, rice, and pasta can also be cooked in batches ahead of time and re-heated.

Fruits and vegetables in season are often cheaper than produce that is out of season.