Tuesday: September Grocery Shopping and a Pudding

Today, I went grocery shopping in the afternoon.  This was only the second time I did a big grocery shopping trip for this month, because in week 2, I only picked up some milk (9/11) and bread (9/14).

9/18 Groceries

Today, I went to a Kroger-affiliated store and bought:
1 doz. large eggs = $1.49
1/2 gal. regular milk = $1.99
2 cans condensed milk @ $1.59 = $3.18
Red grapes @ $.88/lb = $1.36
Baby bananas @ $1.49/lb = $2.03 (more expensive per lb. than regular bananas, so, a bit of a splurge, but much tastier than regular bananas)
Green beans @ $.99/lb = $.56
Total = $10.61

In addition to my groceries, I also stocked up on cat food!  Two 13 lb. bags at $8.99 each and one bag which was torn, which was discounted to $4.49 (I weighed it when I came home and it still weighed the same!)  The cat food came to $24.60 with tax.  I now have enough cat food to last for several weeks, but I like to stock up when I can, because then, I don't have to remember to buy a bag every week.

9/18 Receipt

My grocery budget (for my food, only; does not include pet food, household/toiletry items) had been $75 per month through June.  In July, because my daughter was coming down for almost 2 weeks in total (5 days at the beginning of the month and 9 days towards the end), I increased it to $100.  I am not quite sure why I kept it at $100 in August!  Maybe because my daughter was coming down for another week, towards the end of the month?  Or, perhaps, because I got used to having a $100 grocery budget?  I noticed that, at the end of my August Week 4 grocery post, I had said I will start September with a $100 grocery budget!  NO!  I will go back to my $75 grocery budget in September!  I know I had been going over budget, rather regularly, for several months and had been considering increasing the budget, but I would like to keep the grocery budget at $75, if possible.

September grocery budget = $75
Spent to date:
8/29 = $3.20 (came from September grocery budget)
9/5 = $12.11 (September grocery shopping week 1)
9/11 = $1.99 (for milk)
9/14 = $3.00 (for bread)
9/18 = $10.61
Total spent to date = $30.91
Balance remaining = $75 - $30.91 = $44.09

I might still do another grocery shopping trip later this week - the Armenian store is having broccoli on sale for $.49/lb., pears for $.49/lb., and iceberg lettuce for $.34 (3 for $1; Thursday special).  Notice that I have not mentioned the digestive biscuits on sale for $.99 (14.1 oz. package) or Nutella for $2.99 (13 oz. jar)!  LOL!

I put out a piece of beef steak I had in the freezer to thaw to cook for dinner, but it hadn't thawed enough to cook, so I had a frozen tamale, instead.  Brunch had been a slice of pizza and I snacked on one of the baby bananas and some grapes in the afternoon and had another baby banana, after dinner.  But I still wanted something more, after dinner, so, I decided to use the wattalappan pudding mix I had bought, last year, in July, at the Sri Lankan store, especially since it was nearing its date of expiration:

Pudding Mix

Wattalappan (also spelled as vatalappan and vatalappam) is a pudding made with coconut milk, eggs, jaggery (palm sugar), spices such as nutmeg and cardamom, and cashews, traditionally steamed, although sometimes baked in a water bath or, increasingly, made in the microwave.  I usually make it from scratch, using a recipe that calls for 10 eggs!  It is a very rich pudding and made for special occasions.

Today, I followed the directions on the box: I added the contents of the package to a 450 ml. can of coconut milk (I used a 400 ml can of coconut cream and added 50 ml of water) and brought it to a boil, while stirring it all the time.  Once it came to a boil, I turned off the heat and then, added the package of treacle that came with the pudding mix and I added a few pieces of cashews to it.  The pudding thickened and set as it cooled

Wattalappan Pudding from a Boxed Mix

 (The picture was taken after I had already tried some of the still-warm pudding before it had set, properly)

This is the first time I've tried making this pudding using a cornstarch based mix, and, it will probably be the last time I make it with a mix!  The texture was that of any other cornstarch pudding, like a boxed chocolate pudding, not at all like the texture of the made-from-scratch pudding.  Taste-wise, it was OK, but not quite how this pudding should taste.  I will not be buying this boxed mix, again!

I didn't go to the knitting group, today.  Instead, I chatted on the phone with aunt T who called to remind me that I haven't visited her, yet (notwithstanding the fact that I gave her a ride to the prayer gathering on Saturday); with neighbor T who called with a special prayer request; with friend R who called to check on me and to say she'd like a ride to the temple on Friday if I go, and aunt C, who I called to check on her and cousin N. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to sleep in this morning
- Good sales at the grocery store
- Phone calls from family and friends
- A relaxed day
- Video chatting with my daughter

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Put away laundry - DONE
- Bring in the trash cans - DONE
- Grocery shop (didn't buy the eggs, yet!) - DONE
- Vacuum the house
- Knitting group in the evening? DIDN'T GO

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Vacuum the house
- Go to the pharmacy
- Cook the beef I put to thaw

How was your Tuesday?  How is your grocery budget coming along this month?