This is a great thread, I'm getting so much out of everyone's posts. I too have had to economize, but I also don't want the children to feel any sense of "lack." That is the challenge for me.
I've always cooked from scratch (even though, by the end, my xAH took no pleasure in food--so sad!). My new fave thing is cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot. Chop up an onion, place it on the bottom of the crock pot. Wedge the rinsed chicken in on top of that. You can season the skin with a rub, but I don't because I use the leftovers for stock. Cram the lid on and cook on high for 4-5 hours. The chicken is then moist and falling off the bone--so quick & easy and doesn't heat up the house in the summer. After letting it cool, I remove the meat and put the carcass and some parsley, carrots, celery, bay leaf back in the crock pot, top off with water, and cook on low overnight. That makes a great stock that I use in many meals throughout the week. My kids love chicken soup with rice or noodles. I even send that in for school lunch in a thermos.