How can I budget my groceries?

I have been on a limited budget for years. We do manage to eat healthy meals, that taste great. This is what we do: Make a menu plan. This does not have to be hard. Start with 1 week. Write down meals you KNOW you can cook and you know everyone likes. If you are looking for recipes the internet is filled with them. Google "30 minute healthy meals" or some such combination. ALWAYS make a shopping list. Check your cupboards first. Are there ingredients there? Could you use anything you have for a substitute? (Like pinto beans for kidney beans, cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken) Check the grocery store flyers Compare it to your premade shopping list. Is there anything on your list for sale? Is there anything you can substitute? (like cod for haddock) Buy as much unprocessed food as possible I know canned beans are easier and faster, but they are way more expensive. You can get a 1lb bag of beans for less than the price of 1 can. Instead of precooking your beans, try presoaking them overnight, or, if beans are tomorrow's meal then while you prepare dinner tonight precook the beans for tomorrow. Also, you can freeze most cooked beans. So, when you get some free time, cook your beans, then freeze them in small packages for meals. Canned foods are so full of salt and chemicals, and overpriced. Buy frozen food over canned food when possible, if you have the freezer space. We use this rule: fresh (unprocessed) food first, then frozen if we can't get fresh, canned is a last resort. Check the flyers for deals you can't pass up while we generally ONLY buy what is on our shopping list for the week, there are occasionally sales you can't pass up. Like chicken half price or kitchen staples like flour are on sale. Buy extra when you can if you have the cupboard or freezer space. Don't go crazy. Don't buy $50 of chickpeas because of a sale, but buy more than you would. STICK TO YOUR LIST. No point in making a list if you are grabbing stuff that is on sale that is not on your list. If you need it, get it, but stick to your budgeted list as closely as possible. Get your kids involved! Ask them for meal suggestions, get them to go through the flyers with or for you, get them to help prepare dinner. Even young children can make meal preparation quicker if you get them to wash the veggies. Older kids can chop veggies and stir pots, just ALWAYS supervise them, NEVER leave them unattended! Kids also usually eat food they help cook. If you need help with planning menus,SavingDinner.com has a lot of different recipes and menu plans. They do cost $, but they are prepared by a licensed dietician. I enjoy them, but I will admit there are a few I would never make. Most are fast. You can pick and choose your types of recipes. Hope this helps!

I have the same problem. I'm a full time working mother of 2 small boys. My husband and I just began the Dave Ramsey way of life which basically calls for beans and lentils in our diets. I think it is almost impossible to eat healthy on our strict budget. I always try to eat fresh fruits and veggies and eat plenty of protein but I just can't seem to stretch the dollar to make FAST meals. Ideas? I want a quick, simple, meal plan on a budget that will help me lose weight and keep the kids happy.