Cook for yourself. Cook lower on the food chain.
Consider losing milk -- it's not needed, no matter what they say. All animals wean from their mothers after babyhood. We're the only ones who wean from Mom and then go on to some other animal for breastmilk. Weird when you really think about it. Usually after meats, the dairy is the next most expensive for what you get.
Perimeter shop the store -- ingredients are cheaper than premade.
Shop other places -- produce stand for instance.
Think about a freezer if you have the space. Then you can also shop bulk.
Consider switching cleaners to open up money for food. Green cleaning is cheap -- baking soda, bon ami for scrubbies. Citra-solve or Dr bronner's diluted in spray bottles for spray. That's all you need, really. The rest can come out of the fridge. Check out Annie Berthold Bond's Clean & Green.
http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Green-No.../dp/1886101019
Here's the USDA cost of food break outs at 4 levels.
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodCost-Home.htm
I'm not so sure about that article for $36 per day. I hunted that phrase and it appeared in several places but here is seems the most complete.
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatt...t-health-foods
And guess what? It is selling a book. "Eat this, not that" so I am skeptical about the things they pick to compare. I don't pay 4.50 for cereal!
Even so it doesn't hurt to try to save money. Just make sure it's making sense for YOUR needs. I'm not saving buying things I wouldn't even use anyway -- who cares if it is at the sale price?
A.