Congrats on your efforts and thanks for sharing! I'm amazed at how much of a process this is. Just when you think you've mastered it, you'll figure out something new and cheaper! And part of it is just building habits into your routine, like the meal planning.
We do pretty well with the dinner routine/luch leftovers and a stock of yummy, easy weeknight meals with pantry and freezer staples supplemented with fresh veggies: soup night, fish night, meat night (sausages/roast/chops), pasta night, eggs, etc. But snacks are something I"m working on. Years ago, we went from packaged snacks to nuts and fruit, for health reasons. But more recently I realized how expensive nuts are! So I've been re-thinking homemade snacks. I have sneered at muffins and cookies as snacks (which are ridiculously cheap and yummy when homemade), but I'm coming around to the reason housewives used to rely on these. An egg or two, a cup of flour, negligible amounts of sugar, baking soda, and milk. Just add desired flavour: fruit going off? something in the freezer? Too much of a cheap or seasonal vegetable (zuchinni, carrots, pumpkin)? Presto--cheap and filling snacks. (And I mean presto--if you get good, these can be whipped together in minutes and then they bake for 10-40 minutes, depending on what you're making)
We've also started making our own yogurt and our own granola--awesome breakfast and also cheap snacks...
