I didn’t make my goal of staying under $100, but I came very close. I shaved $25 off our typical weekly grocery budget and it wasn’t too hard. Shaving another $25 would be tough, but I’m still going to continue giving it a try.

Here’s what I did right:

–I stuck to my meal plan for the week and stuck (mostly) to my list. The exception was a $4 pair of navy leggings for Katherine, which I’ve been searching for to match an outfit she already owns.

–I did not sacrifice quality for lower prices. I bought lean ground beef, even though it was $6 more than the fattier beef. I bought sugar free syrup for the girls’ french toast sticks, instead of the same-sized, sugar full Wal-Mart brand for $1.

–I bought fresh fruits,veggies and herbs, with very few pre-packaged items.

–I looked at every price and compared every item I needed to be sure I was getting the best price per diaper, per ounce, etc.

–I did not buy any magazines, books, lotion, shirts, toys, etc.

What I Did Wrong

–I think I could have gotten a better price on deli ham, but that was one item I didn’t think to really examine the price on.

–Ok, fine. The leggings weren’t on my list.

What Next?

This was a rough week to attempt an under $100 grocery trip. We had a lot of items on our list that we typically buy once a month and they all needed to be purchased this week. Diapers were a big expense (though I bought cheap ones. That may be a mistake.) Also on the list were toilet paper and new bottles of syrup, ketchup and mustard. That all adds up.

Next week, maybe the trip will be under $76 and I can still call this a victory. We’ll see!

How’d you do this week? Buy anything delicious? We’re having a few really good meals this week, all of which are light and made with fresh ingredients. I’ll take pictures and post them as the week goes on.