If I want to stick to my food budget, I have to plan and shop very carefully. Having grown up with a mother who herself grew up very poor, I learned to be frugal as a child. I used to refer to myself as cheap in my early twenties, because the last time I can remember I bought ANYTHING for full price was when I was in High School and I bought an Irish sweater for the equivalent of around $60. I regretted that purchase for years to come. So, I guess I am still cheap when it comes to paying full price for extra clothing or other non-essential material things. However, I am frugal when it comes to food. I choose high-quality food to feed my family, but I make sure I plan our meals around what’s on sale that week. This page is a how-to on planning tasty meals, grocery shopping, cooking with ingredients already on-hand, and eating well. Bon appétit!