It is possible to eat quality food at a reasonable price if you change your buying habits. I will use France as an exemple, they buy food that is in season and is locally grown. For them to eat strawberries in january is a total foreign concept. Transportation is a large chunk of food price.
I adhere to this principle as much as possible, the food is of higher quality and also encouraging the local economy. I use the service of a local farm that prepare baskets of fruits and vegetable that are in season and they deliver to a store near my home where I can pick it up once a week. 3 days prior to delivery I can review the basket and prepare my meal plan according to the content therefor not wasting produce. Whatever is left from the previous week goes into the soup pot.
We also eat lots of grain and beans instead of meat. I cook lots of middle eastern recipes, like hommos, foul, taboule, vegetable couscous, loubie, koussa a great site to find the recipes is dedemed.com.
I do not buy chicken that is cut in pieces but whole chicken, I can then make soup out of the carcass.
I do not buy cereals like raisin bran, but instead old fashion oatmeal.
Yogourt I buy it plain in large container and add different ingredients to make it sweet or savory.
Cookies, bars, etc I just do not buy, first they are expensive and way to processed to bring me anything positive. i will snack of carrot stick and make my own dip using the plain yogourt and spices it is a lot cheaper than dips.
For juices well again I dont buy, might as well take water and put a few spoons of sugar in it since it is mostly what you get. Good old free water from the tap for me.
As far as processed food.....I consumed way to much of it last year and that is the reason why I am back here with 20 more pounds to loose.