It’s gone up too much and am looking for general tips to bring it down a bit.
Be careful with those budget/dollar stores though, the actual price per weight is often higher than regular grocery goods.
Around me there’s an Amish store that gets stuff that was pulled from regular groceries - damaged outer packaging, just past expiry (dry and canned goods where that doesn’t matter as much), and stuff that doesn’t sell well, that heavily discounts everything. If there’s anything like that around you, it’s a great way to save a ton.
Also, befriend gardeners if you can - they love to share!
An Amish store that gets cast offs from the regular groceries. Exactly what you described so I sort of assumed it was the same place. I think there are three of them now. I guess there is more than one place like that.