Grocery Challenge: Week 4

This is the 4th and final week of the grocery challenge.  I am pleased to say that (as long as I do not make any last-minute trips this week) I have stayed within my grocery budget for the duration of the challenge.  Here is what I bought this week:

The total:  $73.64  I was able to build up our stockpile a little bit this week, so I'm excited about that.  (Note the applesauce, chicken nuggets and granola bars - good deals this week.)

I have learned several things through this challenge.  I have already shared several of those in previous posts.  Here are a few more:

1)  Just because it's a good deal does not mean it fits within our budget.
2)  There are usually things on my shopping list that we can do without until next week, in order to stay on budget for that week.
3)  Our family drinks far too much Pepsi.  Not good for our budget.
4)  Coupons really do make a difference, and there are websites that have done all the work finding good deals for you.  Use those websites as a guideline.
5)  It's okay to splurge once in awhile.  Just make sure you balance your splurge out over the rest of the week in order to stay on budget.

One note:  Approximately 1/4 of our grocery budget is spent on produce.  I'm not sure how to reduce that.  I'm not sure if I should try to reduce that!  Any thoughts?

I personally think that $75.00 a week is a bit high for our family's grocery budget.  I would like to see it somewhere around $60 - 65, and I am going to do some work on that over the next few weeks.  I plan to continue to post my findings on here, to keep myself accountable and see if it truly is doable!