Saving Money on Food

We like to eat. This is a fact!  One of the biggest areas of our budget is our groceries and we have been working steadily on reducing our dinning out expenses. I read several different site and have been absorbing any and all information  I can about reducing expenses. Some of the tips actually end up cost us more money and others just don't seem to work for us but I thought I would share a couple that seem to be working.

1. One or more meatless meals a week.  For the last several weeks we have achieved this for at least one lunch and one family dinner. Last night, I think, we discovered the most unhealthy meatless meal around. Fried squash and zucchini with creamed spinach on chips. It was awesome, especially with the fresh produce we picked up.  I usually take my lunch and most days this is a salad, Matt and the kids are eating salad at least once a week as well.
2. Grow your own veggies or join a produce co-op. This encourages us to use a variety of veggies but I admit I gave away the beets.  We also are trying to be very conscience and not let any of these go to waste. Even just growing a container garden with tomatoes and cucumbers is easy to start and make some great sandwiches.
3. Stock up on soda when they are on sale. I drink approximately a 2 litter of Diet Coke at least every 2 days. However I refuse to pay more than $1.00 a bottle. So this week, the local store has  a sale of 4 for 0.99, I purchased 12. If I see these at a lower cost then I would stock up on more. We also are keeping tea made on a regular basis and kool-aid both of which are cheaper options than soda.
4. Refill water bottles. Guest get a fresh unopened bottle but there are actually studies that show water from the fridge is purer than some of the bottle ones. I buy some for guest and pool use but at home use a cup or refill your bottle.
5. Ground beef can be added to and stretch so that 1# is all that is needed for a meal to feel all 7 of us. Examples are meatloaf, tacos, and Salisbury steak.

Do you have any good suggestions for stretching the grocery budget/