There are tons of things you can do with beans and rice! Supplement with whatever fresh veggies you can find and afford. There was a good thread here on beans & rice ideas not too long ago...

i don't know which area you live in, but there's a discount store here that carries organic veggies canned...

canned corn and creamed corn plus a corn bread mix can make a mean corn bread you can eat all week; team with black eyed peas.

potatoes and onions are always inexpensive, and compliment just about anything.

pasta with an organic marinara sauce and shredded parmesan, great meal.

burrito without rice: eithe reefer beans or black beans, a fresh salsa (or if you're really tightening the budget, a salsa in a jar), and a slice of jack cheese.

i've been a one-pan or one-pot meal eater for years, partly for convenience, partly for budget (paying off the big student loans).

meats that seem the most affordable are pork and chicken (chicken thighs, skin and bones on; you can always take the skin off before you cook it if you want, it's really easy).

my recipe for salmon corn chowder:

1 can of salmon (pick the cheapest one)
1 can organic corn
1 or 2 potatoes (1 big one, 2 teeny ones)
cooking oil of your choice (butter doesn't work well for reheating)
onion (probably 1 medium one, might not even use it all)
herbs of your choice (i like herbes de provence, you could use basil, sage, savory).

peel the potato
chop the potato/es and onion into quarters/eighths (not too teeny, not too big)
saute the potato/es and onion in the oil; when the onion is translucent, add the canned salmon, the canned corn, and the herbs, and maybe a can or 2 of water.

over low heat, simmer for about 30 minutes.

if you want bread with it, go for it...but i find this is a pretty hearty chowder.

should be really yummy...

the advantage of the canned salmon is that the bones are in it and completely edible, so it's a good calcium source.

Some suggestions :)

Shop for vegetables and fruit that are in season, they will always be priced lower than if you try to get say... strawberries in December. ;) So, some examples for Fall are ... apples, pears, persimmon, dates, squash, greens (kale, cabbage, mustard, chicory etc), broccoli, peppers, okra, fennel, califlower, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, ... These vary slightly depending on where you live.

Try shopping at smaller ethnic oriented grocers. Often certain items will be far less expensive. I was at a major chain once where limes were 3 for a dollar or some such nonsense. Went to the Latino market near a friends house instead and they were like 10 cents a piece. Big difference. As another example, dried beans are much cheaper at my local Indian markets (spices, too). Bigger variety as well. If it doesn't cost you extra to go there (in time, gas, etc) then it might be worth looking. :)

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Avoid packaged foods. Processing adds cost and takes away nutrition.

Eggs are a cheap source of protien and extremely versatile. On their own, in frittatas, omelettes, as a binding for vegetable pancakes, baked goods or other items...

Then, if you have time to devote to cooking there are other options. Dried beans are far less expensive than canned but require more prep time, for example. So there's your trade off, but the possibilities of use are endless depending on what you add to the dish. Rice is cheap and the addition of it here forms a complete protien.

If you're not vegetarian, look for cheaper cuts of meat. These are usually tougher and therefore require longer cooking times/less convenience.. which requires a bit more effort from you but keeps the price down. If you have the time to do this you can make stews, soups and roasts that you can stretch over a few meals and then freeze for another time, or use in leftovers to create a new dish and stretch your dollar. It's not always healthy to eat a ton of stuff like this but moderation.. moderation moderation.

And of course, the obvious... shop the sales. :)

Hope that helps!

Farmer's markets and stir frys over rice!

i think if you have to prepare and shop for "bargains", it's easy. anything with legumes in it is inexpensive - you might want to find a cheap pressure cooker which cuts down on boiling time for beans. from beans, you can make soup or throw into a burrito with some (leftover) rice, veggies, anything else you have leftover, or throw everything into an omelette. bean salad with vinegar/olive oil/basil/finely chopped garlic and onion + some sweet fruit like papaya, mango. definitely any ethnic shops where i think the spices are the least expensive.

if you have anywhere to grow a plant, you can also try zucchini or yellow crookneck squash during the summer - one plant produces more than you probably ever want to see in one season. grow basil, rosemary plants. rosemary cuttings take root pretty well, so maybe you can ask someone for one.

buy sale items and work with whatever is available.

brown rice, beans, lentils, organic veggies and fruits. Try a farmers market

I know you've heard this, but the ethnic grocery store thing is really good advice. At your average grocery store tofu can cost 2 to 3 dollars a package, but in a chinese grocery store it's only a dollar. It can be worth the effort to do trips to smaller stores rather than one big supermarket.

Umm..let's see I'm pretty broke myself and here is my little cheap list:

Can of 100% all natural pumpkin
Eggs
Raw Almonds
Banana's
Rice Cakes
Soup
Veggies
Fruit
Cheap oatmeal (store brand)
Peanut butter
Brown Rice