We have started baking our own bread. We bought a brick of yeast from Sam's Club for $4.50 (enough to bake hundreds of loaves), and we buy 25lb bags of flour for $8...which is enough for about 20 loaves. Now we have delicious, crusty, artisan bread for about 50 cents a loaf. We are lucky to have a KitchenAid to help with the kneading!

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I shop at a store called Bulk Barn when I can, for baking stuff and dry goods. It's also good for snacks if you're having a party (just don't eat the snacks before the party *ahem*). The farmer's market can be cheaper, especially for in season stuff and eggs. Sobeys often has bogo sales so I will only stock up if it's something I use a lot (like they had buy one get 2 free english muffins). Mostly I just shop with a list and try not to deviate from it. Avoiding the junk food and liquor store is also good for my budget.

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There is a twelve week cycle to grocery store sales. A lady named Terri has a website about the grocery game that is fabulous, and even reading the general info is helpful even if you don't want to subscribe to her info about matching coupons to the sale cycle.
I have found it very helpful in saving at the grocery store.

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I'm starting to shop more at Ethnic stores in my area. I have found that produce is less expensive and I can usually find something new to try at the same time:)

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I've been shopping the sales with matching coupons for over 25 years now and have saved thousands a year doing it. Don't stick to just one brand and if you must have a certain brand learn it's cycle and stock up enough to keep you going until the next sale. If the coupons in the Sunday paper are filled with products you use go out and buy more newspapers. Spending a $1.00 for $10.00 or more in coupons is a great deal. Many dollar stores in our area sell Sunday papers, great place to get extra papers. Most store sales for coupon products occur a week or two after the coupon is in the paper. Don't throw out coupons until they expire and don't use it until the store cylces the price to the lowest amount. Also, sometimes it makes sense to shop in more than one store. Many stores cycle their sales differently and some stores go lower on prices of certain products than others. A good enough sale is worth a side trip.
Never let yourself run out of anything you regularly use. You need to have a stockpile to avoid ever paying full price. Once you have a stockpile and a freezer loaded with meat and vegetables you got on sale, you will have most of the things you need to make any recipe you want.
I make lists and pull coupons while watching TV at night. I find I spend less time in the food stores because I have a list and only go to the aisles where I need an item. I only buy what is on the list so never impulse buy. Once you start, you get hooked fast. It really isn't very hard and worth the effort for the rewards.

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Tracy, good luck with that. The kids haven't seen tuf times. They raise fewer children and have larger incomes - two of them! It is the way the pendulum swings.

To that point, it seems companies are now reluctant to print coupons (I'm guessing too many people used them). One dollar for a Sunday paper was a good deal - not so much any more. I think what you say will be wasted on the young - everyone else knows about it or doesn't care.

Darby, be careful about analyzing costs. Raw ingredients are one thing, fixed costs like a mixer are another, but electricity for the oven, mixer, air cooling (I live in Florida), and one's own time is another. I do LOVE fresh bread, but for most purposes I go to the 'day old' bread store to find my rye bread (great toasted!).

As for pizzas the crust is the easy part: you can work yourself to death kneading one (results depend on expectations and ability); take one of the lazy recipes (my choice of the hand made); select an alternative like tortillas, pitas, etc.; or just go with frozen (the 'house' brands have improved so much I like them better than the 'chains' - sad, eh). If one has a preferred local pizzaria then all bets off, but it will cost you. Experiment.

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