I generously budget $150 for myself to use between groceries and restaurants, with some caveats...    1 - Drink only tea, coffee, and water. Any other beverage, such as alcohol, energy drinks, fancy coffee I buy from my spending money as those are novelties.    2 - Minimal snacks. I suppose anything can be a snack (ex. a slice of cheese or bowl of cereal), but everything I buy is intended to be part of a meal. It's healthier to only buy meals: no chips, candy, ice cream, crackers, etc.    3 - I don't coupon. This may not work for everyone all the time, but most of the things that have coupons are very processed or are genetically modified. On the other hand, I use the Target 5% off card which I use for groceries like paper products and cleaners.    4 - Buy in bulk, only if you know you will use it. However, always buy things in bulk if they don't have a shelf life: toilet paper, paper towels, dryer sheets, Brita filters, etc.    5 - Go shopping alone. I can only imagine that shopping with kids would be frustrating, but even shopping with my s/o I notice that I'm swayed to buy romantic meal stuff like steak, and I'm worried about annoying him so I'm less likely to explore the store to comparison shop. If I'm alone, I can price every container of [product] in the store and nobody cares.    6 - Utilize cheap, nutritious foods to supplement meals. Personally, I use sour kraut and tuna as low-cost meals, or as side dishes to more expensive ones. Frozen vegetables are also good. Pasta is also acceptable, but I pair it as a side to meat or veggies.    7 - Prepare ahead and freeze. I typically make more than I think I need and just put the rest in containers to take to work. Usually, you will use the ingredients up this way versus making on a need basis.    8 - Remember to keep portions small and don't serve buffet style.