I was listening to another local media outlet yesterday discussing McDonald's recent release of 2008 earnings at an 80 percent increase and how this enables many Americans to make themselves become both poorer and fatter.

The dramatic increase in earnings is attributed to McDonald's "cost-focused" menu during the current economic challenges. Great. So as we're cutting back, we're also increasing the amount of food we consume that has very little redeeming nutritional value. If you'd like to read more about the McDonald's earnings, click here for the AFP article on Google News.

Admittedly, we're cutting back on the groceries in our house as well these days, but not in a misguided, insane effort to throw ourselves head-long into unhealthy eating and obesity. Besides, I'd rather eat a dirty, wet sweatsock than a McDonald's cheeseburger that is mostly filler anyway.

We just are buying fewer high quality steaks and things like veal, lamb and duck, and we're sticking to basic beef, chicken and pork for the most part. It's not a dramatic difference, but keeps an extra $10-$20 a grocery stop in our wallets each time.

If you're struggling with this as well, I do have a few tips, and I'm sure the readers can share some too, but please make health your first priority for you and your kids during these times, and shave dollars off your dining in ways that won't force you to loosen your belt.

Don't buy pre-prepared foods.
I've talked about this before, but you'd be surprised how much things like frozen pizzas, precut salads and lean cuisines add up. You can usually buy the ingredients for these dinners for a fraction of the price per serving, and since you've stopped going to the movies on Saturdays to save cash, making homemade pizzas is a great family activity.

If you must buy them, buy in bulk at a Sam's Club or a Costco (where, depending on your health insurance, you may also save on prescriptions), or watch for 10 for $10 deals at your local grocery. Price-shop and clip coupons. For the occasional can of Chef Boyardee pasta that we buy as a treat, we found a 46-cent per can difference among two popular grocery stores and one place we never would've thought -- you can buy your Chef Boyardee products for less than a buck each (regular price) at Menards.

Single or with family, invest in the Basic Betty Crocker Cookbook.
Betty was a pretty face for sure when she first appeared in the mid-1920s, but she certainly wasn't rich, and her recipes carried many through the Great Depression.

Don't get me wrong, I am an epicurious.com addict, but Betty will rarely if ever have a recipe that calls for a whole vanilla bean ($16 for two), or a pinch of saffron (about $15 an ounce), and a lot of the recipes are what we grew up with -- tuna casserole, pot roast, three bean salad. Best of all, Betty has a litany of salads and soups. Make a pot of soup on Sundays and a couple salads with veggies you pre-cut on the weekends, and voila, you have lunch for the work week. (If you spend $5 a day on lunch at work, this could save you over $1,000 a year.)

Got a family? Get a freezer.
We just took the leap on this one and went same day to get the Costco membership. Our first month into it, we've saved over $200 on groceries and we're frequenting our locally owned grocery for the fresh veggies and bakery and the occasional high-end meat item-all the things they are really good at.

Plus, if you're really into this, you can fill your new freezer with a half cow or half pig from a local farmer and you'll be set for a year. Appliance companies are running just silly sales right now, but again, shop around. We bought our Frigidaire for $150 less on sale at Menards than we found it at two other big name appliance stores on the near south side, and received an in-store credit for our delivery charge.

Other miscellaneous things to consider:

1. Don't be afraid of Aldi or the dollar store. I have three different upper-middle-class friends who swear by Aldi; one loves their carrots, another their guacamole and a third swears by their packages of frozen tilapia.

In May 2008, The New York Times Henry Alford made a gourmet meal with items he bought at the dollar store, and there is a cookbook out by Christiane Jory called "The 99¢ Only Stores Cookbook." I haven't tried this one myself yet, but I think it sounds pretty darn interesting.

2. Shop your locally owned grocer or spice shop and make it worth every penny. You need to keep these places in business, so find the things you really love here and make them at least a twice a month treat. Also use them for herbs, fresh produce and some of your dairy -- and of course the occasional frothy beverage or spirit.

3. Pull mama's recipes out of the arsenal. Our parents had to make things stretch and did so by adding breadcrumbs to ground beef and making meals out of things like buttered noodles with parmesan cheese and creamed chipped beef on toast. These last two items, with the addition of a homemade salad or steamed vegetables provide a well-balanced, quick meal for a family of four for about a $1 a serving.

4. Basic spaghetti is always yummy, and a large can of Hunt's or Del Monte pasta sauce on sale usually runs about $1.10. You can dice this up with the addition of some fresh onion, garlic and herbs for a basic, but good meal with a side salad.

5. Buy the combined herbs instead of individual herbs. You can get soup or poultry packages that include combinations of thyme, marjoram, rosemary and sage, or other three or four herb combinations. These will carry you through several meal preparations, and let's face it, everything tastes better with fresh herbs.