@LeashedDoggie I would stay away from any business ownership investment that isn't a publicly traded company (i.e. a stock on the NYSE). When I invest, I look for a few things - a track record of consistent revenue and profit, adequate cash flow, low or no debt load (that's more of a personal preference but the rule of thumb is debt repayment should be less than 1/3 of profit), good ratings on their bonds, adequate liquidity and a balance sheet history that matches the reported earnings. I also look at the competitive landscape and if they have any factors that serve to protect their business from competition. I check the history through 2008/2009 and see how the business fares during a recession. From there I work from the earnings per share to a price I'd be willing to pay and compare to the market price.

If you don't have the skills to do the above, not to worry. Investing is like a class where the professor offers you a deal - pick this option, get a B, don't come back. That option is buy and hold an index fund - you'll always get market performance which beats about 80% of investors. An example would be VTSAX, but there are other index funds that work just as well. Be sure to look at the expense ratio, it should be under 0.1% More than that and you are getting overcharged.

@J4

Keep track of what good prices are for you commonly bought items. If you walk in the store and see sweet otatoes for $1 per lb you should know if that's a good price or not. The price tag on the item usually has a cost per ounce on it to help you compare items. When the price is good on a commonly used ingredient, stock up as much as you can reasonably store and use before it goes bad.

Stop eating meat so much. A lot of people seem to have an idea that it's not a meal unless it includes meat, but one of the best ways to reduce your grocery bill and improve your health is to reduce the amount of meat bought. A slice or two of bacon adds a lot of flavor.

The side corollary is that you'll want to still get enough protein, especially if you are lifting weights. Try to pick non-meat items that at least have some protein - lentils, milk, beans, nuts, peanut butter, broccoli, sweet potatoes, etc. Eating foods that aren't scoring a zero for protein really helps you increase your protein baseline. If you are trying to get up to 100g+ of protein a day, then you are going to need to add some cheap protein. The cheapest I found was chicken thighs/leg quarters. Eggs and whey protein aren't as cheap but whey protein is real convenient for adding some protein. Fish should be eaten some for health, but be careful eating fish more than 3 times a week. If you are eating a lot of fish, then start paying attention to which species have a lot of mercury. Speaking of which - if you enjoy fishing as a hobby, have you considered fishing for something you can eat?

Look at the cost per calorie and the cost per gram of protein. Olive oil looks really expensive in the store, but on a per calorie basis it's probably cheaper than rice. That's a healthy way to add some calories. If you are broke and trying not to starve, canola oil is even cheaper.

When you first start, you are likely to sit down with the weekly ad and then plan some meals, then stick to the list. As you get better, you'll know what ingredients you usually use and when it's a good price and you can start taking advantage of opportunities. Eventually, you'll show up to the store with an idea of what you are going to buy, but then change the plan if you find a really good deal.

Keep track of the recipes you like and try to repeat them. If you are eating the same dish once every 2 weeks then you won't need so many rare ingredients, you can improve the recipe and your ability to cook it and it will take you less time. At some point you'll find yourself churning out an amazing dish for cheap in 10 minutes of work, but until then you are going to need to try things on for size. Make sure you like the ingredient list, the prep time, the cost and the taste. If the ingredient list is too exotic, making it more than once fixes that. If the cost is too high, you can wait for it to go on sale or make it rarely. If the prep is too high, sometimes you can prepare parts of the recipe ahead of time in bulk and freeze it until the next time you use it. Eventually you should have 15-30 favorite meals and that will drastically reduce the amount of ingredients you need to have on hand. You can rotate recipes in or out if you get tired of them, but 15 different meals means you won't eat it again for a month if you are cooking double.

Make each recipe in an amount that's exactly twice what you need for a meal. Stick the leftovers in the fridge and eat it 2 days later. If you can, you can freeze another portion or two. Some recipes lend themselves to being freezer meals - you prep the ingredients or the dish, freeze it and then either thaw and bake or drop it into the slow cooker frozen at a later date. Always, always have a quick and easy emergency meal prepared in your freezer. When something comes up, you'll use that instead of ordering food.

Some resources to help you: earlyretirementextreme.com/day-3-grocery-shopping.html

www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/29/killing-your-1000-grocery-bill/

I've also heard good things about ship provisioning books, they tend to have a lot of info and what can be stored for how long.