I definitely save money when I buy only unprocessed fresh foods. I buy basic things like chicken breasts on the bone when on sale and I remove the bones myself. I buy bags of frozen vegetables, fruits, and veggies when on sale. I have every spice imaginable in my cupboard and some stable items like lite coconut milk, chicken broth, olive oil, coconut oil, and various chinese and asian recipe items (soy sauce, teryiaki sauce, lemongrass, asian fish sauce, etc). I'm italian so when it doubt, sautee whatever it is in olive oil and garlic and you'll have something delicious
Oh and a big money saver this year has been to change all the lightbulbs in my house to the energy saving ones that are sold at home depot.
I make all my own cleaning products from water, vinegar, baking soda, castille soap and essential oils. I do buy dishwashing detergent and laundry detergent. I do not use dryer sheets, I bought those blue dryer balls instead.
I don't do coupons but I do try to find "coupon codes" when I shop online.
Going back to basics and cutting down on processed food items in the house and cleaning products made my monthly budget go way down.