I was digging the list until you get to #9 and #10.

$5.00 for a pound of Cheese
$3.48 for a pound of Flank Steak

They must be shopping at Whole Foods (paycheck)

Here's the weekly advert from my local grocery in Lansing, Michigan.

http://westlundsapplemarket.com/ad/jan09/WestlundsO090118.pdf

They're a spartan store with an in-house meat dept.

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Besides which, since when is cheese or $7/lb steak "money-saving"? How about some real budget-foods and what to do with them (turkey legs, pork shoulders etc.)???

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Times like these are when I appreciate and use my collection of 1920-1950 cookbooks. I find many uses of more economical cuts of meat. If you don't have any cookbooks of this era, you can acquire some for very few dollars on eBay. Happy Cooking.

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Now, now, at least they are trying. Usually the recipes include 'gourmet' salt, exotic vegetables, pricey cuts of meat, or some combination of those.

I applaud this overdue attention to being thrifty. Sadly it takes the external force of economics instead of the internal force of reason. It seems some marketing type was able to equate thrifty with cheap, and cheap with inexpensive. No one asked about flavor.

You will know times are hard when coupon clubs come back into style :) Taking the time to learn which stores have the best deal on which products (by reading the ads) and combining coupons with those sales can lower costs by 30% or more. Being cost conscious is not the same thing as being miserly.

Still, I have to play:
1-5 Are standard fare for the cost conscious.

6 Is seasonal and shouldn't be included.

7 Used to be a good deal but the price went up and the weight went down. What was once a 6.5 oz. can is now 5 oz. It has also gotten more difficult to find tuna packed in oil, water really dilutes the flavor. Determine the price per pound (if the cans get to 4 oz. it will be really easy :) then compare that to competing fish sources.

8 Eggs and cheap bread will keep you alive for a long time. Oh, yeah, and they make a variety of dishes.

9, 10 Are poor examples of a decent idea. Cheese can really enhance the flavor of a dish - but it may be the most expensive ingredient. Meat needs to be purchased on sale and frozen. Properly packaged it can keep for months. Meat is seasonal as well - the fall tends to be the time for slaughter.

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I was surprised cabbage wasn't on there. It's ridiculously inexpensive and a pretty good filler to many dishes.

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Patrick nailed that one. Cabbage stands alone as a side veggie (saute it with bacon, onion, butter, salt, and pepper), an ingredient (like soup, stew, etc.), and a vehicle (the legendary 'cabbage roll', freeze the leaves to wilt them - when they thaw out they are perfect for making the rolls before baking). It really is cheap for all the dishes that can be made from one head.

This may be cheating but buying bulk popcorn is a killer bargain. Tons of servings from one pound. If you had a heavy lunch and want a lite dinner (or vise versa) popcorn will do the trick. It isn't very versatile however :)

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