Cooking/eating/grocery shopping efficiently?

[shadowscape]

I stopped eating at restaurants and even cut fast food to a minimum. I've tried my hand at cooking for a while and I learned a lot through trial and error. If anyone else has advice, please share.

Shopping

I live near a pricier supermarket. Walmart is further out, so I go there every 2 months to buy in bulk (flour, sugar, yeast, eggs, rice, beans, etc.) And then I buy perishable and mostly what's on sale at my local store.

I try to buy every item store-brand. Usually, it's just as good. I typically avoid meat because it's a relatively expensive way to get protein (unless youre a bodybuilder buying lean chicken en masse).

Mini Appliances

Most were junk. Juicer got barely any use. Food sealer was pointless. Most specific-food items are novelties, unless you already eat that food several times a week.

Some make life easy and cheaper. Coffee maker is excellent. Mini oven can cut energy/AC costs. Foreman Grill is holding up well. Slow Cooker can be good for flavor, but buy quality. I'm mulling a soda machine with how much soda I drink.

What to Make

Making bread yourself costs about the same, and there's a steep learning curve, but the quality is wayyy better than wonderbread and such. A standing mixer is pricy, so I just use a bread machine (also my hands) to knead the dough (and I bake in the oven - not the machine). As a corrollary, pizza is 1/3 the price.

What not to Make

Marinara Sauce costs $1-1.50 in the jar. Making it with San Marzano's, garlic, spices, etc. costs double. No real savings.

Rice pudding tastes better home made but it's 10x easier to just buy it pre-made.

[Smurfette]

Good tips--thanks for sharing these.

Food is the weakest part of my budget. I am spending wayy too much eating lunch out. The slow cooker is a great solution--especially in the winter with a plethora of soups and stews.