Financial times are tight for many families -- not just big financial institutions.

But experts say that cutting your budget doesn't have to mean cutting healthy food from your table.

"Selecting healthy food items is always important, but in an economy where money may be in short supply (and) families are under stress and people may be working longer hours or two jobs, a good diet is the basic foundation for staying healthy," said Shirley Kindrick, a registered dietician at the Ohio State University Medical Center.

Her first tip for saving is to serve smaller portions of meat.

"The recommended single portion size for most meat is a piece about the size of a deck of cards," said Kindrick in a news release. "Most people eat much bigger portions, and they really don't need it."

Also, adding tomato products to meat can bring flavor. Plus, they can be found year round, whether fresh, frozen or canned.

Kindrick suggested putting chopped vegetables such as carrots and broccoli into pasta dishes to add nutritional value and help stretch the meal into leftovers for another day.

Generic brands can also help you save without lowering taste or nutrition.

"Most of the time, the generic brands are identical to the national brands except in packaging," Kindrick said.

She noted one cost-cutting strategy to avoid: buying cheap processed foods.

"They can be faster to prepare and easy to pack for school or work lunches, but they are often very high in sodium, sugar and/or fat and they don't give you the nutrients you need for good health," she said.