I was thinking about starting something similar myself recently, but along more general lines, like how to eat healthily without it costing the earth!
I suppose my main tip is common-sense really. I do most of my food shopping at the local co-op, as I don't drive and don't buy a huge amount of food at a time. The Co-op are always having a range of stuff on offer, so I always take advantage of them when they are something I eat and that has a bit of a shelf life. So:
Teabags are often 50% extra free, or BOGOF etc. and they last for ages. Don't think I've spent the full price on them for years. Brands on offer change, but they're all pretty much the same unless you're looking for high quality which I'm not.
Stuff like breakfast cereal are usually on offer. Again, different sorts, but you need a bit of variety anyway and they normally have a fairly long shelf life. I just bought some Oatso Simple porridge BOGOF - works out at 10p per breakfast. I bought some Branflakes the other week for ?1 and some Weetabix 50% extra free, so have plenty in there at a fraction of the normal price!
Jelly babies, as has been mentioned, are often half price, and it's a good idea to stock up when they are! Plus, I bought two large packets of digestives for ?1 recently - they'll last me a while, at least until the next offer!
I look out for stuff like meat that is on it's sell by date and therefore reduced - just take it home and stick it in the freezer until needed - bread can also go in the freezer if not consumed on the day.
I make a lot of meals like chilli, curry, sausage casserole, sweet and sour, spag bol etc. and freeze in portions so I have a variety of home-made 'ready' meals to choose from, but only the effort of cooking once in a blue moon!
I tend to buy tinned fruit most of the time, except bananas, as fresh fruit tends to come in large quantities which get thrown away in large quantities when they rapidly go off. Nutritionally, there's not much difference as long as the tinned stuff isn't in syrup!
For my oily fish fix, I have sardines on toast - very cheap!
At a rough estimate I'd say the vast majority of my meals caost under ?1, and a lot of them work out at less that 50p. In some ways it's easier because I only have to please myself, but in other ways a lot of food is sold and marketed for families and the quantites are too great for me to bother with.
I guess I 'eat to live' not 'live to eat'!
