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• First off, look at your meat choices.  Obviously chicken andsome cuts of beef are going to be cheaper than, say, shrimp andswordfish.  If you can, cook with cheaper cuts of meat.
• Utilize your local farmer's market for fresh produce. Buying directly from the growers will save you money versus buying itfrom your grocer.
• Ethnic grocery stores usually have lower priced produce and goodsthan their American counterparts.  Shop these little markets,getting to know their goods, and you'll save when you need ethnicspecific items.  Also, if you're lucky enough to live nearan Aldi or Trader Joe's market, check them out.  Youcan't get much cheaper than those two!
• Know where to splurge and where you can scrape by with a knockoff brand.  This will take some research, depending on whichrecipe you're using.  A good example is olive oil.  Inmany chef's opinions, it's worth it to spend extra here andgo cheaper on, say, the rice.  Especially in recipes where theolive oil will be prominent, you'll really taste the differencein quality.
• Also, think about what "gourmet" means to you. If it means buying the very finest ingredients (organic hens,extra-extra virgin olive oil, ect.) then you're probably going tohave to pay extra for them.  If, however, gourmet means trying anew, exotic Indian dish, then head over to the local Indian market andpick up the ingredients.