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I've done all of the things you've mentioned.
There are a number of general food "rules" I try and follow:
1) Keep a well-stocked pantry.
2) Buy food in the bulk section (rice, beans, grains, spices, etc) where feasible
3) Eat at home 75% of the time.
4) Baking from scratch is never a bad thing.
I'm more of a planner and my husband is more of a pantry cooker, so I've found by keeping a well-stocked pantry, we're both happy. If I come across a recipe I like, chances are I have 75% of the ingredients on hand already, and that well-stocked pantry means that he can look at what we have and come up with something just as delicious completely on the fly. Buying in the bulk section feeds into rule 1; it makes having that well-stocked pantry that much cheaper. Eating at home is obviously more frugal than eating out. As for the last rule, I really feel the baked goods I make myself taste better than those bought from the store or made from a mix. There are certainly some bakeries around here that make some excellent pastry, but I also figure baking my own stuff means that I'm putting effort into it that earns me a slice of cake or a muffin. And it's fun. Plus, I love shocking my husband's grandmother with my baked-from-scratch goodies; she's a fan of mixes because they're cheaper but I just can't stand the taste.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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