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I am buying all of my meat on sale. It makes grocery shopping an adventure. I start with the meat and make the grocery list on the spot. I also make sure that whatever it is will feed us more than once. I am multitasking my rotisserie chickens and now they are entree once, bbq pieces on pizza or mexican chicken on nachos and stock for chicken noodle soup. We have a meatless meal a couple of nights a week: my favorite is bean and cheese chalupas but pastas with pesto or almost any sauce are awesome. I shop at Sams and Costco and have a huge garden in the works this year. Also, I have a new Kindle 2 and have ordered the free Cook's Illustrated for it which will make grocery shopping even more interesting.

Spending less does not necessarily mean eating less—a decline in spending could mean people are buying processed food for cheap instead of meat, produce etc.

Check out the Klatch on egullet about "eating down the pantry" for good ideas for cooking with what you already have.

I've been a big Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's shopper for years. Plus we eat mostly homemade and not as much processed as some people do. So our habits haven't changed much. I too try to incorporate a few nights a week of no meat, no chicken, no fish meals. Where I am changing my habits is researching ways I can go more on my patio.

We live in a condo and do have a yard, but are not allowed to plant a garden. So I have had some herbs growing in the mulched areas for 4 years now. Last year we did containers for tomatoes and some chilis. This year I am planning more. I bake more bread now also.

For years I've made my own beer and wine., but we did recently stock up on a few whiskeys and gin as we fully expect the luxury tax to go up on those items.

@maggiej: Yes! We've been shopping in the pantry, fridge and freezer for stuff we can cook. I merely intended to use a lot of things for too long. They're getting used now. Also, we're trying not to eat out very much. We are feeling the pinch, as I'm waiting on a new contract project to start and the DH had to take a mandatory furlough this week. Zero income this week.

Do you think that this may include restaurant income? Perhaps part of the decline means people are cooking at home more...

@maggiej can you share the link for the "Eating down the pantry" info? thanks!

My parents always said to skimp on buying new clothes, skimp on buying new stuff, etc., but never skimp on groceries. They said to always buy good groceries--paired with eating out less and that will save you money.

It makes sense. If I buy good groceries that I want to cook and eat, it actually makes me WANT to eat out less. Which is also a calories savings.

We are definitely eating "out of the pantry" more than before. I never went out to lunch a LOT, but I did regularly go a couple of times a week and now I almost never do, I just bring that old can of soup that's way in the back. We're buying a lot more things in cans than fresh, it's cheaper and they're not that bad, and getting more creative about what we can make/eat with what we have on hand instead of going out or picking up takeout.

mr. rockandroller doesn't know it, but I've also been having us eat less meat; all my "suggestions" and things I prepare to take for lunches are often meatless or maybe have canned tuna. We have even used canned chicken (horror!).

I refuse to give up my cable, it's $40 a month and is our sole form of entertainment. There aren't many other places to cut; neither of us get coffee out or have clothes dry cleaned or any of those other "extra" things they're always telling you to cut out - I've never even had a pedicure and the last time I had a manicure was for my wedding 6 years ago, we almost never buy any new clothes, so this is the only place to make cuts.

We've been eating out at restaurants more the past 3 months or so.

Our grocery bill is still the same, despite eating out more. I think it's because we're spending more on ingredients. My job is to pick out dishes from recipes books or online for our meals, and my husband's job is to buy the groceries and cook. He got tired of deciding what to cook and I have no gauge what is / isn't on sale.

I only buy clothes for my husband and I when we need to - if there's a function, clothes are worn, etc. It's a pain for me since I have to go to the tailor to get all of my new clothes fitted.

I think our $$ black hole is on our dog, cat, and ferret, quite honestly, going to the vet every month, shots, litter, medication, food, toys, treats, chewed up leashes, grooming, etc. I can't imagine it being the 70 mile round trip we take every other day to Sonic for cherry limeades contributing to it or $20/week at the neighborhood cupcake shop. :P

As if Americans could afford to invest less in their food sources -_-;
Aren't we already one of developed countries that spend the least percentage of their income on food?

Food spending hasn't changed in this house, in general we've never seen our bill be so astronomical that we felt that trimming was required. We even still help ourselves to some treats from super expensive Mitsuwa now and then. We buy whole produce, meat, seafood, condiments, pantry staples at Asian markets/Chinatown where they tend to be very fresh and comparably cheap.
When we do go to the regular supermarket for quick pickups of milk, eggs (at least a dollar cheaper at the Asian market, this...), flour, sugar, coffee and the such, I can see how the bill can rack up, though.

If anything, we've cut back on clothing and other luxury expenditures. If we start cutting back on food, it means we're in REALLY dire financial straits.

I'm buying less at the grocery store and paying more. It's rather frustrating when I want to try my hand at more recipes, but what can you do?

I use the freezer more now; always shopped at costco and trader joe's and such, but also more expensive grocers. Now I try to limit the big expenditures, get some things on sale that I may not need right now, freeze and make up dinners and such as I go along. It has been quite fun and rewarding to see what I come up with. I always make soup every week and some other staple meals to take for lunch or snack on, so yes, I have changed the way I shop.

I'm eating at home more often but it wasn't purely a financial or health-related decision. I hated the kitchen in my last place and HATED using it. In the place I moved to in November, I love my kitchen (just wish it was a gas stove) and so I've started cooking again. At first my grocery bills were higher because I'd run out of so many staples but it's not too bad now. My restaurant expenditures are way down since I'm eating dinner out or getting take-out only once a week (compared to 5 or 6) and I pack leftovers for my lunch every day except for the one day when a colleague who normally works from home is in the office. I can definitely feel the money savings in eating at home which is good because I pay more in rent now than I used to and my car is on it's last legs and will need to be replaced soon.

One of my biggest savings has been not getting snacks and sodas from the vending machine or the convenience store. I stock up on big packages of pretzels and stuff from Costco and make my own snack mix to take to work. I've been drinking more water from the company water cooler and mixing in powdered drink mix when I want it sweet or buying soda by the case and bringing it from home. Every little bit helps.

We asked food bloggers how they were cutting back in the kitchen, here's what they had to say.

Absolutetly I'm cutting back on food costs, I'm trying to cut any costs I can with me being the only income for me and my kids. I buy fresh, and healthy as I can... and I shop sales and stock up when something I use goes on sale.

Cutting back is definitely helping me cut back on calories/fat too... they are going together... no money for fast food, makes it a lot easier to make a sandwich on whole wheat and bring it to work with me.

I've probably eaten out 4 times in the last 30 days. I have also lost about 4 pounds this month. Connection?

@Maureen: Good idea re: expanding your container gardens. I'm planning a raised-bed veg garden right now so we, too, can save on produce over the summer. Just bought seeds to start sowing in late March/early April for mid-May planting. This will be my first non-container garden, so wish me luck. I'm in for a battle with the varmints.

I'm actually spending more on food than I used to. Not because I'm buying more food but just because the prices on everything have gone up. Anyway, I don't think food is the place to cut corners. There are so many other things which can be cut back on.

Food prices have inflated ridiculously over the past 8 years, far beyond the price of everything else. The claims that importing from cheaper countries keeps prices low are farcical. I doubt that the decline is people cutting back on more fattening foods.

Of course there have been more affluent and middle class people (at least in the past) eating too much, but much of the causes of obesity, including that of poor children and incidences of childhood diabetes among the poor, are due to NOT being able to afford adequate amounts of produce, adequate protein and a reliance on starchy foods to provide empty bellies a feeling of fullness. Anyone who wasn't familiar with the food stamp diet experiment the MSM didn't report adequately on, from a few years back, three members of the house of representatives restricted themselves to the average amount an individual on foodstamps would be able to spend on groceries per week, $21 dollars. They proved that this substandard, unhealthy diet, left them tired, headachy, weak and always hungry, with the unexpected result of actually gaining weight.

It's been known for almost a decade, that the rates of anemia, among poor citizen women, and malnutrition among poor citizens, male, female and children are higher than they were during the great depression, and that only reflects those who were actually seen by a doctor.

While there is so much discussion about poverty in other countries, those who like to claim advocacy have ignored the poverty that exists in each of our backyards. I read a comment on a blog the other day, where a woman sneered at poor American citizens, claiming that compared with the poor in the third world, poor American citizens live like wealthy people. Her lack of thinking was insulting and ignorant, especially coming from someone who has never experienced hunger, let alone the suffering that is all around us. In the US, the poor citizen still has to pay first world prices. If they can afford an apartment, while it's no doubt better than the housing in your average third world country, that doesn't change the fact that it's frighteningly harder for that poor person to keep what is a much needed roof over their heads. They are discriminated against in their pursuit of and ability to keep employment. To adequately feed themselves, they are more likely to be denied access to even basic health care. We have tent cities springing up around the country, even in what has been a desperately cold winter.

I've turned toward cooking even more Mediterranean foods (lots of veggies with lovely herbs). And, when done right, home cooked Indian food is not only fabulous and healthy, it's WAY affordable.