hit an asian market or shop. i buy dried pulses and spices there in bulk - cheaper.
i am very fond of the cheap veggie curry.
buy a jar of patak's. fry the onion with some frozen mixed veg from a bag. procede as directed and chuck in a tin of chickpeas with the tomatoes.
cheap and cheerful and very nourishing.
we bake EVERYTHING at home - DH does the bread (we have a machine) and i do everything else.
do you have a slowcooker? it's a cheap cook's best friend because you can buy cheaper cuts of meat and marinate the hell out of them.
we manage to eat pretty well, all 4 of us, for about £130/month.
FORGET takeaways, restaurant or ready meals for now, until things pick up.
also, if you drink alcohol, now's a good time to explore the teetotal life.
other areas to cut back include: drink boxes in your kids' lunches. get them a metal drink bottle and fill it with fruit juice diluted with water instead, pack a picnic lunch if you are going out, butchers and fish mongers often sell eggs and butter for far cheaper than supermarkets, and bulking out what meat you eat with beans (kidney beans and beef, for example) or handfuls of red lentils.
soups are another great way to use up leftovers and bulk prepare cheap lunches and use cheap veg like potato, carrots, onions and other root veg, as well as cheap dried broth mixes.
do you have a garden? it's not too late to start sowing food crops, you can even ask for cuttings and the like on Freecycle.