Do you know someone (or a few someones) who would be interested in sharing the cost of bulk buys? Kind of a co-op I guess - if you can buy food in bulk and split it, the storage and cost is not such a strain.
We do this and it makes a big difference. My folks are on a tight budget, as are we, so when we can, we pool resources and bulk buy and split it. We go to the farmers market here most months and get fresh veg. Mum and dad chip in a third of the cost of everything and take a third of it. We recently had dd's godparent slaughter a cow for us to split between our freezers. Yes it was a big outlay (well, it would be if they would give us bank details to pay!! It's sitting on our savings account for now) but it's made a huge difference to not have to think of what we can afford to buy. Buying bulk (side of beef etc) works out cheaper for a lot of cuts. Do you have someone you can share a side with when you get the freezer?

We also share the expense of some meals with my folks. Mum makes an awesome chicken soup so we supply either the chicken or the veg, she supplies the rest and cooks it and then we split it. She can't make a decent fried rice or chow mein, so she chips in on the veg for those, we make them and send them home with her. Is there anyone local you can pool resources with like that? Meal swap frozen meals when you get the freezer?

Obviously this isn't something that would work for everyone but it's an idea.