Free or Almost Free Food

• Drink water instead of commercially prepared high sugar, high HFCS, caffienated or alcoholic beverages.
• Grow as much as you can, whether you have a sunny window or a few acres. A package of seeds costs very little, and you can use everything from milk jugs to yogurt tubs as containers. Fresh herbs, lettuce, spinach and kale can all be grown successfully in a sunny window.
• Forage. There's real food growing in the wild - mushrooms, berries, fiddlehead ferns, dandelion greens, chives and other herbs. Learn what grows in your area, what is safe to eat, and where you can find it.
• Fish, crab, pick up shellfish. You'll find a lot of people at the end of piers, tossing lines or crab traps into the water and harvesting a bucket of succulent crabs. Walk along the beach after a storm and pick up mussels. Hobby fishing licenses cost very little and a day spent on the water can be a lot of fun - especially if it results in a nice trout to cook over a fire that evening.
• Hunt and trap. If you live near fields or forests, you'll never lack meat. Venison, rabbit, and squirrel put meat on the table for many families who would otherwise go without.
• Take advantage of Food Pantries and similar Charities. 
• Watch Freecycle and Craigslist for people giving away food, excess fruit and produce from their gardens, fruit trees, and vegetable plants.
• If there are farms near you contact the owner and ask permission to glean after the harvest. A lot of good produce is left behind by machines.
• Go to farmer's markets and flea markets where food is sold, about a half hour before closing. Ask if they have any excess, unsold, or damaged produce they can give you. Offer a small amount of money if you can afford it.
• Check your local Bakery shops to see if they will let you have outdated bread.
• Butcher shops that cut their own meat have a lot more bones than they can sell. They may give them away for free or for a very low cost - and you can turn those bones into nutritious broth at home.
• Use Coupons to reduce costs and get free products. "BOGO" coupons let you Buy One and Get One Free.
• Barter! Offer your labor or unused items for things that you need.
• Look around your neighborhood for fruit trees and berry bushes. If they are on private property contact the owner and offer to harvest the tree for a portion of the fruit.
• Give your children water to drink when they are small. Many children are raised on fruit juices and sweet drinks, and reject plain water later on. But a child who has learned to quench their thirst with water will continue to accept it as they grow up.
• Save the peels from fruit to make jelly. Collect peels from apples, peaches, pears and plums, and gather mint leaves, to make jelly.