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| 4/7 Groceries |
I went grocery shopping, today. I went to the Armenian store. I had been planning to wait until Tuesday, when chicken drumsticks were going to be on a 1-day only sale at $.59/lb. However, Aunt C called this morning to say she and cousin N were planning to stop by on Monday to exchange Christmas gifts, so, I thought I had better get some groceries to cook a meal for them. I paid the store's regular prices, today; nothing I bought was on special sale.
I bought:
2 lbs. (almost) chicken drumsticks @ $.99/lb = $1.90
1 (20 oz) bag of honey barbecue glazed chicken wings = $3.99
4 cans of condensed milk @ $1.69 = $6.76
Bananas @ $.49/lb = $.64
1 Papaya @ $.69/lb = $1.47
Onions @ $.39/lb = $.41
Green beans @ $.89/lb = $.73
1 lettuce = $.79
1 cucumber = $.34
Broccoli @ $.99/lb = $.94
Cheese (Wensleydale with apricots) @$5.99/lb = $3.14
Total = $21.11
I had read about Wensleydale cheese in one of the British blogs I read, at Christmas. When I saw it for sale at this store, the last time I shopped there, I was tempted to buy it, but I didn't. Today, however, I decided to buy the smallest piece they had to try it. I am not a big cheese eater, but, this sounded interesting. I read that it was a dessert cheese with a crumbly texture. I tried a small piece of it and I like it, It's very mild, which is what I like, and not too salty. I especially like the bits of dried apricot mixed in it!
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| A New Cheese to Try |
Today's grocery total came to $21.11.
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| 4/7 Receipt |
March grocery shopping budget = $75
Spent in March = $1.79 + $7.74 + $5 + $23.29 + $4.07 + $5.70 = $47.59
Amount left in the March grocery budget = $75 - $47.59 = $27.41
The $27.41 left in the March grocery budget is being carried over to the April budget. I will use it to replenish my earthquake supplies and to stock up on a few things (and for novelty items like the cheese I bought, today!).
My April grocery budget is $75 + $27.41 carried over from March = $102.41
Spent to date in April = $1.49 + $21.11 = $22.60
Amount left in the April grocery budget = $102.41 - $22.60 = $79.81
I will cook a chicken curry, tomorrow, some lentils, rice, and the broccoli. Aunt and cousin N can have some lunch when they visit and I'll probably pack some of it up for them to take home with them.
I don't do a regular weekly meal plan, but, there will be leftovers from tomorrow's lunch, plus the leftover beef stew (at least one serving left), and, I have plenty of fresh produce for salads, and the makings of tomato soup in the freezer. Plus, there are eggs for egg salads or scrambled eggs, and canned tuna for tuna salad.
How is your April grocery shopping coming along? Do you have a set grocery budget? If money is leftover at the end of the month, do you carry it over to the next month? Have you tried Wensleydale cheese with apricots? If so, do you like it?
Wensleydale cheese has been made in Yorkshire since the 12th century. In 1992 the multinational that had bought the creamery a few years before decided to close it. Local people rallied around to buy it back and continue making the cheese. In 1995,in an animated film with characters Wallace and Gromit, Wallace declared Wensleydale to be his favourite cheese. In the 25 years since, sales have soared. You can now buy Wensleydale cheese worldwide - but proper "Yorkshire Wensleydale" has protected status. Many people like to eat it alongside a slice of rich fruit cake (eg English Xmas cake) or with an apple. Enjoy your cheese, Bless!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. Now, I have an excuse to make rich cake (our version of the English rich fruit cake, made at weddings and Christmas)! LOL. I guess I had better eat it with a slice of apple, instead! I tried it by itself, on a cracker, and with some grapes, last night. I think I could get used to this cheese. :)
DeleteI like Wensleydale cheese but it doesn’t like me so I never eat it now. In the north of England it’s quite often eaten with a slice of rich fruit cake (like a Christmas cake) and in Yorkshire, white Wensleydale is sometimes served as an accompaniment to apple pie.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I like both rich fruit cake and apple pie! LOL! I tried it on a cracker, by itself, and with some grapes, last night. I shall try it with a slice of apple, tonight. This will be a good snack for when I need a little something extra, I am thinking. :)
DeleteI'm not familiar with Wensleydale cheese. What kind of milk is it made from?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the package, it is made from cow's milk, Live and Learn. This is the first time I am trying it, myself.
DeleteThe prices are great! I can't wait to get some really fresh, local vegetables. It will be a little while. Sigh. I love cheese. It's one of the things Mum always gets me when I go home lol. There is absolutely nothing like English cheeses - so many varieties!
ReplyDeleteThe prices at this one store tend to be very good. I expect we will be paying higher prices for produce and meat, this year, with all the weather-related problems parts of the country have been experiencing. I am not too familiar with cheese and I tend to stick with what I know and like, but, I wanted to try this particular cheese.
DeleteAs you know, I love cheese and I am a big cheese eater. My grocery shopping always includes at least a block of old cheddar. I also like to include a mozzarella and pepper jack if the budget allows. The speciality cheeses cost too much, unless it is for a special occasion. I used to provide several different cheeses over the Christmas holiday season, but now I just buy it for other people as a gift, with a variety of crackers and spreads. I live just a very few miles from a cheese factory, so I buy locally made cheese. Cheese is a wonderful accompaniment to dried fruit, so I imagine your cheese tastes heavenly. Have a wonderful day tomorrow with your family.
ReplyDeleteI grew up eating just a couple of varieties of cheese - gouda or "red ball cheese" as we used to call it, because it came with a red waxy outer rind, which was served only during Christmas because it was very expensive, and a processed cheddar cheese that came in a blue can (used to be made by Kraft), which was more available and not as expensive. They were both imported cheeses and when the government put a ban on imported goods, they were much coveted items. I occasionally find the cheese in the blue cans in the ethnic stores, here, but, cousins visiting from Australia usually bring a supply of the cheese with them (now they come in packages, not cans, and have a different company name on them) and the way I eat cheese, a 1 lb. package lasts me all year! LOL!
DeleteI live in West Yorkshire, and Wednesleydale is North Yorkshire - the neighbouring county! If you get a chance to get the good stuff, it is really worth it, very mild and crumbly. If you get a chance at some good Cheshire, from the actual county, that is also mild, but it is a lot saltier. There are salt deposits under the Cheshire plain and some people say that the cows get a little extra salt from their grazing. (grew up in Cheshire and had a chance to get the cheeses straight from the farms).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa! I am still getting used to the taste and texture of this cheese, as it is unlike any other cheese I've had before (as I've mentioned, I'm not a big cheese eater). I didn't notice any Cheshire cheese, but I'll keep an eye out for it. :)
DeleteYou did very well with your shopping. I have never tried that cheese...the apricot does appeal to me though! I have not yet started a grocery budget. I really should though! My mom used to write me (back in the snail mail days) of her bargains. Andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. If you've been managing without a grocery budget till now, maybe you don't really need one? I just like knowing how much I am spending. I am probably the only one in my family (other than my daughter) who has a grocery budget (or any kind of budget!). It works for me and that is all that matters, as far as I am concerned. :)
DeleteI had read about the cheese on a couple of blogs and was curious, because of the apricots.