In my experience, the most expensive thing is lean protein. Tuna can be relatively cheap in bulk, but they say you shouldn’t eat to much because of the mercury. Places like Costco sell frozen boneless, skinless turkey breasts in bulk at a pretty good price.
the cheap tuna in oil actually has less mercury than the solid white albacore
can’t comment at today’s prices and buying patterns, they did not have Sam’s yet when my kids were still at home but we did have Bi-Lo and other discount groceries comparable to Aldi’s (bring your own bag stores). Cleveland then and I think still is was very competetive so double couponing was common and a great way to save, now I think many stores have those plastic credit or key cards that give you coupon savings at the register, and many stores still honor other store’s coupons to get your business.
If your store gives free or discount gas for grocery purchases that is certainly a factor.
You have to look at everything not just the price of a few major items like milk and bread, but the cost of an average grocery basket store to store.
I usually spent 1/3 to 1/2 of what my neighbors did because we never bought pop, chips, cookies and snacks, mainly for health concerns but also for price reasons.
We had 3 kids, unless we also had a foster child, so it really did not always make sense to buy in bulk. DD does that and it seems they just use up what they buy faster so she is re-thinking the whole Sam’s thing. She used to get Schwann’s too, loading up her freezer once a month, but they just seemed to eat it up faster, esp. ice cream.
It only makes sense to buy in bulk when it is something you use all the time, and it is on sale, if you also have a coupon, so much the better. PB is one thing like that, we used to buy it in what looked like gallon buckets, a generic brand.
Our kids drank water for meals, juice only for breakfast, 4 oz, and milk for cereal, after school and evening snacks. So they got 2-3 glasses a day, plus 1 cheese or other dairy a day in their school lunch or as a snack. If they don’t drink it with meals they are hungrier for their food and don’t waste.
I think Waste is the biggest reason food budgets get out of hand.
for a long time I thought if I cooked enough for leftovers, that would save, but half the time that food did not get eaten, so I got in the habit of just cooking enough for one sitting.
an exception would be cooking a large cut or amount of meat bought at lower price per pound, cooking the whole thing, and freezing in meal-size portions. Turkey, obviously, which can be very cheap on the off season. Large packs of ground beef on sale are another–make and freeze patties, meatballs, meal loaves, cook some as crumbles, etc. and freeze. Saves time if you work, also.
Or a large chuck roast, in the oven or crock pot. you can separate the meat in chunks slices or shreds once it is cooked and freeze to make other meals later.
know what the average prices are on what you buy most, so you know when an ad is a real sale, and when it is a come=on. if they put it at the end of the aisle they want you to think it is on sale, but not always the case.
My kids and DH were not very enthusiastic about generic, but toiletries is one area where you can save this way (except TP better get what they like)
Paper products are also getting hideiously expensive. We always had a basket of cheap washcloths, and another of cheap towels on the counter to use in place of paper towels and napkins, they go in the wash with other stuff so do not really cost more.
Portion control is another huge way to save. Kids need only an ounce or 2 of meat or protein per meal until they hit their pre-teen growth spurt, and teenage boys, well have the truck roll right up and load food daily. Adults only need 3-4 oz, men maybe up to 6 oz, and the pasta or rice serving size is only 1/2 cup. Frozen veggies in the big bag don’t have salt or added expensive fatty sauces, and are just as nutritious as fresh.
What is expensive is organic but you can get many of the advantages by buying local at farm markets and co-ops
So what does your family do for healthy eating on a budget? 
). I think we pay $4 for 2 gallons of milk at Costco.
