Scarlet,
yes it is the same with me. I do most of my grocery shopping at Super Walmart becoz the bulk prices are better. But I have to get produce somewhere else. One thing our Walmart has here that is one of my best kept secrets is ground turkey and ground turkey sausage for 77 cents a pound! It is Wampler brand, and it is not where you expect it to be---it is in one of the freezer cases on the floor with the other 'specialty' birds like cornish hens and turkey legs. I don't use ground beef hardly ever now since I found the turkey and it is indistinguishable in tomato sauces and 'hamburger helper' type meals. I love the sausage flavor in Jambalaya(Zatarains brand is the BEST!) I buy the quick frozen bags of chicken, so I can take out one piece ata time if I need to and I can get the thighs for less than $4 for 5#s. I use Walmarts own brand of ground chuck if I need it for patties for a bar b q. I use most of Walmarts own brand and I have never had a problem with any of it.
I don't know how else I can cut costs. Maybe it is just the difference in food costs in one place or another? I don't have the means to can or freeze like I used to. Most of what I do buy is frozen however. Rather than buying the regular frozen dinners for quickies, I get Lean Cuisines and serve them with a salad in a bag or a canned soup. I try to be health conscious. But portion size is a real issue in my house---my husband is a BIG man and he is very active, (he used to play semi-pro football) and he does marital arts and weight training. So I can't give him the portions that I eat or he would starve!
Ravyn