The mention of "canned bread" brings me to a list of "conveniece" items I always buy.
I love cooking from scratch.  I love doing the frugal stuff and keeping just the basics on hand.  However, realistically if I JUST do that on nights I dont feel like it, or am stressed for time we end up with Taco Bell or Pizza.  I finally gave up and decided that I WILL keep certain "easy" items on hand.

• Hamburger Helper.  I only buy these on sale and try to use them sparingly because they dont quiet fill my family up anymore.  But, add a can of veggies and you have a quick "at home" meal, for a decent price, thats better than drive thru.
• Frozen chicken strips, fish sticks, chicken nuggets.  Again...sure I can make chicken strips myself from chicken breast, but if I am tired, getting in late, whatever, its much easier to plop some on a pan, make some mac and cheese or rice, add a veggie and there is quick, relatively healthy, supper and once again, avoided the drive thru.
• Rice mixes & boxed mac and cheese.  Sure I can make rice pilaf stuff from scratch, but I do like to keep the mixes on hand.  And you can usually snag them for about $1.  A great time saver and way to stretch any meal.
• Frozen veggies.  Not the plain ones in a bag, but ones like the Steamfresh kind.  There are several brands.  They aren't dirt cheap but I have found there are almost always coupons.  And they are a great way for us to grab some veggies with a meal that I might otherwise forgo the veggies on.
• Canned bread.   Another thing thats not overly "cheap" but you can always get coupons.  Makes a great way to stretch a simple meal a little bit.  Plus my family LOVES bread.  Also makes a great way to make sure we eat breakfast, I can easily cook some sausage, bake some biscuits and viola!  Otherwise we might just skip breakfast if I didnt have time to do anything. 
• Frozen pizza.  Just great for emergency nights.  And cheaper than drive thru.