To stretch your food dollars efficiently, don't buy in bulk unless you are 100% sure you'll use it. A 50-pack of a new item at Costco you end up hating isn't worth it. Canned and frozen goods are significantly cheaper and are often on sale in multiples. Buying seasonal produce and freezing it/preserving it is another option. Go to the store with a list and allow yourself only $10 to impulse spend - otherwise you'll end up with a house full of junk food and less of what you came for. Also, a list keeps you on track and close to your budget. Never grocery shop hungry, drunk, or high - that's the best way to overspend.

If you are the adventurous type, use this to your advantage. Many world cultures have novel ingredients that make boring American dishes taste amazing. Different kinds of produce are a good place to start too. Try something new and give yourself permission to hate it - or love it! Condiments are a good starting point - miso, shawarma marinade, jerk seasoning, and chipotle paste are some of my favorites.

You don't have to be food brave if you don't want to be, but you never know - you may discover something amazing on accident.

Diets are built on rules someone else made. I've found food rules don't work because of restriction - we want more of what we tell ourselves we cannot have. Make your own rules - example, I don't eat after 9pm because I don't want to, or I eat a banana every morning when I get up. If you don't make or follow rules that work for you, it creates stress around food and eating instead of joy. 

Mental discipline matters, especially with portion control. There are few foods I would completely warn you off of - but if you eat 10 slices of bacon or 3 doughnuts in one sitting, we may need to talk. Discipline will help you keep your weight in check without eliminating the things you love.

Have five or six standard meals you eat on a two-week rotation. This reduces the brainpower you need to come up with interesting things to eat. Also, base your meals on a modular set - meat, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and grains. Find the combinations of foods you like for meals and stick with it. Leave two days open for eating out or trying a new recipe if you want. This strategy limits grocery expenses, increases cooking efficiency, and helps you shape your meals around your lifestyle. Buy the same ingredients as the modular core of your weekly grocery list.

It's tough to eat junk food you don't buy and keep in the house. If you don't buy Cheetos and Oreos, they aren't present when you feel snack-y. We are all lazy, so life hack this with better quality snacks readily available in the refrigerator or on the countertop.

If you can deal with leftovers, freeze them so when you get home late or don't feel like cooking, you can just hit "defrost" on the microwave instead of getting drive-thru fast food.

We make bad decisions hungry, so make sure hunger + money never cross paths. Hunger + emotions count too, so don't have tough conversations or contemplate the meaning and direction of your life when hungry.

Trying anything has risk of failure built in. It is disappointing when you try a new recipe and it's bad or try a new food and its gross. Try to figure out what was good about it or what had potential and jump off from there. Be your own food critic! Rarely is something you make a complete write-off. I have notoriously bad luck with Pinterest recipes, but I've saved a few with modifications and they've turned into some standard solid meals for me. 

If you are just learning how to cook (I didn't learn until my 20s) be OK with burning things, getting/using the wrong ingredients, and under/over-seasoning food. This is part of the deal. Cooking is still waaaay cheaper and better health-wise than eating out all the time, in addition to honoring family traditions and culture. Watch some Muppets Swedish Chef if you feel bad about your cooking abilities - it helps me.