I saved $106 in 1 week by cooking all my meals instead of eating out

Here's what I bought from my local supermarket, for a grand total of $94:

• Unsalted butter: $3.99
• Instant oatmeal package: $5.79
• Bananas: $1.89
• Salmon fillet: $7.14
• Couscous mix: $2.79
• Broccoli bunch: $4.99
• Spaghetti: $2.29
• 1 lb. boneless chicken breast: $5.99
• Bread crumbs: $3.29
• Iceberg lettuce: $2.29
• Onions: $1.99
• Tomatoes: $2.49
• Minced garlic: $4.49
• Eggs: $3.59
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (2): $6.48
• Ground turkey meat: $5.99
• Coffee K-Cups: $10.99
• Taco shells: $2.39
• Diced tomatoes: $2.19
• Loaf of whole wheat bread: $3.29
• Pizza crust: $4.49
• Tomato sauce: $2.29
• Corn: $2.49

When I finished shopping, I had a much fuller shopping cart than usual. Even the grocery prices in New York City annoy me, but I had a good feeling I was about to save some money. I also had an idea I was going to have some leftover food, which excited me even more, knowing I could potentially save more and more if I make this a habit of mine.

There were times during checkout where I definitely got a bit nervous. Coffee K-Cups are not cheap, although they're clearly kinder on my wallet than a Starbucks coffee.

The final tally came to about $94 overall. I was honestly so happy that I called and bragged about how much money I saved to my best friend and fellow big food spender on the walk home.

Here's a recap of my experiment: I generally spend about $200 a week on food. But when I decided to cook all of my meals for a week, I only spent $94. That's $106 in savings. I spent half as much money than I usually do during the week I decided to make my meals.

Throughout the week, I definitely had a couple of moments where I needed to motivate myself to cook. With as much that I stress about money nowadays, however, it was a lot easier than I anticipated.

Ultimately, it came down to how much money I actually saved. Because I saved a lot, I think it was easier to motivate myself to continue cooking as the week went on. Finding some delicious new recipes also helped!

Although I expected to save some money while completing this experiment, I didn't expect to save this much. I've learned a lot about myself and my spending habits throughout this process. It's forced me to evaluate how I spend my money, especially when it comes to eating out.

Knowing now how much money I could have been saving all this time definitely hurts, but it also inspires me to actually make a change now. Ultimately this experience has been positive, and I have confidence it will help make a more permanent change in how I choose to spend my money in the future.