meal planning

with a family this size our grocery bill is definately our second largest bill....right after our mortgage. im sure there are ways to cut back even more in this area and i would love any tips people have.
some of the things we have done is buying in bulk. we buy things like rice and beans in big 15 pound bags. this can last us for 6 months and easily be added to any meal. the beans i cook in a big crockpot and freeze. i can use them for many meals like, nachos, burritos, and chili dogs.
we also buy alot of bread and freeze it. bread is very versatile too. we can make lunchmeat sandwhiches, pb and j, french toast, grilled cheese, toast, and even personal pizzas.
tortillas are another staple in our house. they can be bought in large quantities and frozen too. we use them for quesadillas, burritos, tacos, and breakfast burritos. and they can be a quick snack . the kids love to grab one and eat and hubby loves to spread peanut butter on one and eat it.
i also love to have a big box of bisquick in the house. i can really get creative with it. we make pancakes, many different flavored muffins, and dinner buscuits.
my daughter is great at whipping up many different kinds of cookies and desserts with minimal baking items. i will post some of those recipes another time.
the rotisserie chickens are great for many things! they are very cheap at costco. and when we tear them up and add them to a recipe they are good for one dinner. when we break it down its much cheaper than buying the frozen chicken breasts. and so much more convenient. we buy 3 or 4 at a time and freeze them.
i have learned by buying versatile foods i can really stretch our food and make it last longer. my husband likes to say that when we have no food in the house i can always whip something up. i like to compare it to the account of the loaves and fishes. and i have seen God do this in our house many times!!! i hope i am passing this "gift" on to my girls. i would like to post in more detail some of the recipes that really work for our family on a budget later!!!
i think we have cut our grocery bill in half by following these simple steps. i would absolutely love to be able to cut it back even more! i am always tweaking things and trying new things out to see if i can save a buck here or there :)