In situations like this I plan ALL meals from the loss-leader items in the grocery store flyers. Yes, I WILL go to three different stores to take advantage of their ridiculously low prices on sale items, and no, I don't see this as a waste of time or gas to do so if planned appropriately. I'm usually only cooking for myself these days, but I still buy family packs of whatever is on sale and divide and freeze. If I'm feeling especially "together," I'll spend a weekend cooking up a storm and portioning into foil packets to freeze for quick evening dinners.

So, recommendations? Buy the bulk of your meats from loss-leader items advertised. Don't forget to check the "quick sale" areas in the meat and seafood cases, where the close-to-pull-date items are...they freeze just fine for later. Also, sometimes it's cheaper to make your own hamburger from a cheap roast than to pay for pre-ground stuff (tastes better, too). And buy the majority of your produce by what is in season for better pricing.

Is it possible for you to get your own chickens? I hope things improve for you, I really do.

I eat for under $6 a day. Some of what I eat won't work for you. I eat 4 eggs a day. When I buy them 5 dozen at a time, they run about $1.66 a dozen. I also shop at a warehouse club to buy in bulk. I eat lots of 75/25 beef patties. I buy the cheapest big hunk of meat (10+ pounds) they have. This usually is between $4-$5 a pound. Then some butter and bacon (if it's cheap).

I worked it out after my last food run. Including coffee and everything I eat, it was just under $6 a day. That's not bad, considering the "Thrifty Plan" for a many my age from the USDA says it should take $43.50 a week to feed myself. I sometimes get more expensive cuts and average higher (sometimes $65 a week... but rarely higher than $50).

Cheap fatty meats and bulk buys.

Here's a good site for more ideas: http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/

Since you know it's coming, I'd say try to get a hog or part of a cow. It's pricey up front, but by far one of the cheapest ways to get meat (and you get some damn good cuts for the price of ground hamburger). For poultry, whole birds are usually cheaper than cut up ones, so go that route. That also gives you bones for stock. If you can't get the whole or part of an animal, then go for the cheaper cuts. They're usually more keto-friendly, anyway, as they're fattier cuts.

Scour farmer's markets, too. Get to know the local farmers, then explain your situation to them. They may be able to work something out with you to make things a little more affordable. Shop around, too. While a lot of places will sell for about the same price, sometimes you'll find gems that are a dollar or two a pound lower (I found this with bison in my area, most places sell for around $11-13 and sometimes upwards of $15 a pound, even ground, but I found a place that sells it for $8-$10 a pound).

Buy fresh and local when it's in season, and frozen when it's not. Place like Kroger have bags of frozen veggies for about a dollar a bag, which is something like 2-4 cups per bag.

Make your own of as much stuff as you can. Usually, the constituents are cheaper, or you can buy them in bulk, which makes them cheaper. The pickles, for example, you can make on your own and can make them in such a way that they're probiotic, which makes them better than store bought.

Find ways to save money in other areas, so you can re-route that money to food. You can make your own laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and all-purpose cleaner from Borax, washing soda, plain soap (bar for laundry detergent, liquid (ideally castile) for all purpose cleaner), and citric acid for pennies on the dollar. You can get these things in bulk from Amazon or your local store (get citric acid from Amazon, it's cheaper there; stores sell piddly little amounts for insane prices). Since you make your own tallow, you can even make your own soap for the laundry. Just get some food grade lye (sodium hydroxide), a pair of rubber gloves, and a silicon mold of some sort (if you don't already have one), and you can make it pretty easily and cheaply.

You can also save money on coconut oil by using refined (this will also allow you to use it for the rest of your family, since it doesn't have the flavor). Trader Joe's has the cheapest unrefined coconut oil I've found. It's even cheaper than buying it in bulk. So if you still want unrefined, check out Trader Joe's (they also have some pretty good prices on some things, so it's worth checking them out if you have one in your area, they're like organic Aldi's).

Your chicken parmesan sounds great: how do you get the parmesan to stick? With egg?

An egg will be enough glue to hold it and it will give you more time to let the chicken cook before the spices burn.

I am always stunned at the difference in the cost of living.

• $1.99 for a dozen eggs? Maybe in the '70's. I buy barn laid or free range and they are $5 a dozen.
• Steak from the butcher is upward of $25 kg (about $13 lb).
• Chicken breasts are about $18 kg (about $10 lb). And that's not free range. Add about 50% more for free range.
• Bacon is about $15 a kg.
• Coconut oil is around $20 kg ranging up to $40 kg if you buy from a Main St health food store in the local village.
• Avocados are $3 each at the moment.

Aussie dollars. So even more in USD.

Fortunately we can source meat in bulk straight from the farmer so that helps a lot.

Having said all that, it costs us about $1000 AUD a month in groceries for a family of 4. Kids are 11 and 13.

Fortunately, we can afford eat well. I do still carry thrifty shopping skills from when I was younger though. My Dad was a miner and I've been a starving, broke Uni student.

Talking about Parmesan Cheese. I scored 6 8 OZ containers of it for $1.00 each the last time I was at the dollar store. I will keep my eye out for them again. It was not Kraft but it is delicious.

We paid $5.00 for 4 dozen eggs, on sale, not organic. 97 cents a pound for pork roast called some thing else we dubbed Mystery Meat. Very good. I carve it off the bone and slice it for steaks then use it as I choose. Boil the bones for broth. Butter was on a great sale of $2.00 a pound. I miss my cow for the fresh butter and cream and cheese I used to make all the time. My hands are too arthritic to milk now. She had such nice creamy milk.

There is talk of some one opening a farmers market in the old closed down grocery store some day. We have a very generous person that will leave large boxes of organic produce in the post office for any one wanting it. Every one goes to the post office. There is no home postal delivery. There are perks to living in a small town.