Powdered milk. With four kids, the price of fresh milk was killing us. It’s not as bad as it used to be; once it’s chilled it tastes like normal skim milk, and you can get 8-13 gallons worth for $10.
Cut out red meat, use ground turkey instead.
Call your local church, homeschool group or hippie store and see who has a veggie co-op or gleaners group.
Two or three times a week, plan small dinners. Nachos, or hot dogs, anything cheap and simple. We make onigiri at least twice a week. They are small balls of calrose rice, pressed around a bit of tuna fish and wrapped with nori. My kids love them, they’re super cheap and filling.
Tortilla chips are easy to make at home, just brush a corn tortilla in oil, cut it into four pieces and bake it till it’s crispy. Cheaper and SO MUCH TASTIER than the bagged kind.
Make your own pizza crusts! I have a recipe for a no-rise, 20 minute pizza crust that is fantastic, I can post it if you’d like.
Convert your front yard into a garden. You don’t have to give up play-space in the backyard. Right now I have sugar snap peas, sunflowers, pumpkins and herbs growing.
Cheers!