Stockpiling vs. Conserving (pt. II)

So, I've had quite a bit of time to let the second part of this post stew....okay, actually I just got lazy and haven't sat down to put my thoughts into words.

The question at hand: how do I plan, shop and prepare food with food conservation in mind, while keeping our monthly food budget below $250?

I've actually stumbled upon another blog that answers this question much better than I could have. The following are the main points with a few added things that I've found work best.

1. Cook from scratch - use single ingredients.
2. Use less meat - pork is usually cheaper than chicken or beef; rice and beans are a perfect protein that is comparable to the protein in meat
3. Pack lunches
4. Eat leftovers - we eat leftovers in our packed lunches
5. Stick to a shopping schedule - To me, this is the most important one. I find one day a week that I plan the meals for the week (I actually write them on a calendar), the meals are first chosen by what I have in my kitchen and then what is on sale at the grocery store. Then, I make my list. At the store I stick to the list! (for the most part :)
6. Keep it basic and simple.