[ilovetux]

Good quality equipment especially a good stand mixer, food processor and stainless steel everything helps a lot.

Shop at Sam's club or costco and potion large items ahead of time.

Plan menu items that can be prepared in individual servings like a restaurant so everyone can have what they want for dinner with little hassle.

The above tips let me run a family of 5 for about $300 per month food budget while serving delicious foods.

[zer00eyz]

I have to say that a decent blender is ALMOST a requirement as well.

Off the top of my head things you can do with a blender that don't go well in the other devices you listed:

Broccoli soup, vegetable stock and hollandaise have all come out of my blender recently. The blender makes all of these items rather trivial to make compared to their classical preparations.

[yen223]

If you have to choose, go for stick blenders or immersion blenders over tabletop ones. They're easier to store, easier to clean, and can work with all sorts of bowls and containers.

[ilovetux]

I agree, I missed blender because my stand mixer has a blender attachment, pasta maker and meat grinder so I tend to lump them all together, but yes a blender is absolutely essential.