January monthly savings!

Man, January was a great month! Even though we had an extra paycheck, I still had grocery money left over from December(8.79 to be exact). CVS had a great 3.00 off any CVS product coupon that I used a bit. That helped with my high savings. Because we had 5 paychecks in January, and I had the left over December money, my budget for this month was 343.79. Here are my numbers:


Total items purchased: 348
Total coupons used: 207
Total before coupons and discounts: 1076.77
Total out of pocket: 301.12
Total savings: 775.65 or 72%
Total number of free items: 104
Re-usable bag credits: 1.12
Total amount received from rebates: 114.07

So, after my rebates that I got back this month, my OOP is 187.05 for the whole month. I was also 42.67 under budget, so I can move that to February, in case there is a good sale on something I want to stockpile. For a long month, this is pretty good for us. We weren't able to get any organic items this month, so I'll have to double that effort in February. Did I mention how much I love rebates?!

Friday Funny- Fail Blog

I think I have a new obsession. Please don't tell lolcats that i'm cheating on them, but I heart failblog.org. I find myself checking in twice a day just to see if there are any more monstrosities they've posted for a good giggle or hearty LOL.

Don't believe me? Look what they posted yesterday:

Title: Public decency FAIL

see more pwn and owned pictures

Title: Camera FAIL

see more pwn and owned pictures

Any my favorite one from a few days ago:

Title: Convenience FAIL

see more pwn and owned pictures


Please proceed with caution.....it's addictive.

The Best of 4 Hats and Frugal: Family and Charity

I try to help out my family and others as much as I can. Because we live frugally in our household, we are able to share in abundance at anytime. I also love to post personal triumphs(and setbacks) and share those experiences with you all. You all are so supportive and responsive to my little "life stories" that I can't hold them from ya! Here are a few posts that show how dedicated we are to sharing our bounty with those in need, and a few more that celebrate fun and family:

Charity
The distress call
Giving without hurting(the karma box post)
Family in Need


Family, Fun and life lessons
Boys and leaves....the best part of Autumn
Do unto others part 1, part 2, and part 3
Lest SHE be tested part 1, part 2, and part 3
A panic attack saved my sanity

New Winner for CVS gift card!

Since my last winner never contacted me, I had to pick another one through random.org. The new winner is number 32:

Abigail's Mommy!


Of all the people to win, I am so happy it's her! She was one of the early followers of 4 hats, and I appreciate her immensely! Congratulations!

I have contacted her on her blog AND through e-mail, so hopefully she will get back to me within the next 24 hours.

Quotable Wednesday

"I am not a glutton. I am an explorer of food."

– Erma Bombeck

Selecting another CVS gift card winner?

Well, Miss Diane hasn't contacted me yet, but I'm crossing my fingers for her! She has until 9:08pm tonight to return my e-mail, otherwise I will have to select a new winner. Diane! Where are you, darling?

Frugal Winter Entertaining

I love to entertain. I really do. It's like a passion of mine, that sometimes gets me into trouble with the budget. So, for the past few years, I have been following rules of my own to help keep the party rocking, the food (and booze) flowing, and the budget teeny tiny. This, my friends, is my gift to you. You may have a "huh?" factor to some of the things I suggest but just hear me(or read me) out.

Choose a theme....from your freezer
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book. With a theme, you can keep everyone focused on what to expect when they walk into your house. Having a comfort food party? Your guests will expect slow cooked soups or stews, or maybe a big dish of mac and cheese. Want to spice it up with a Tex-Mex theme? They'll expect the smell of cumin and chili powder to be the perfume of your abode. Now, the freezer aspect. This is where you make the rules. A good little "frugalite" would have a freezer full of essentials: frozen chicken parts, ground meats, frozen fruits and veggies. See what you have plenty of, and make a menu of that. Since you know the sales cycles of your stores and when certain meat and produce items will be on sale again(if you don't know, there's always someone on the 'net, like me, who can tell you!), you won't be left in the dust if you use half your stockpile of chicken leg quarters.

You cook the goods...pot lucks are for wussies!
Yeah, I know, I know....this is so the opposite of what those magazine articles tell you about hosting get-togethers. But, I have good reasoning why I do this. First off, if everyone brings something, about 70% of the "goodies" will either end up back at the creator's house, or in your trash. Sad, but true. It's like when your Aunt Trudy tries to bring that jello salad every year, and gets upset that no one, not even the dog, touches it. It's not her fault...she tried her hardest, but she just didn't cut it.
The best way to handle this is for you to make the meal. You can be very Ina Garten about it though....one appetizer, one entree, a veggie and a starch. Boom! This won't give them much choice but you eat what ya got. And to make it even easier, don't try to choose a new recipe. Make something that you love to cook for yourself on a cold winter's night. One great example is a baked pasta dish. Use diced tomatoes, a great jar of spaghetti sauce, chopped up winter veggies(they'll be super cheap at the grocery store), a bag of shredded mozzarella and some Parmesan cheese. I cook the pasta halfway, drain, mix in the other ingredients, and sprinkle extra mozzarella and Parmesan on the top of the dish. Add a 1.00 loaf of Italian bread from the supermarket, and you've got a family style dinner. This is also great if you have vegetarian guests coming. Want to bulk it up? Poach a chicken breast, cut it up, and add it to the mix.

Plan way ahead...become a housekeeper/prep cook
This is pretty much a given, but an important point to drill into your head. Planning ahead is a constant lifesaver for any lover of entertaining. I make a list of what I want to accomplish before the big day. The list is split into 2 categories: food and household. If there is any food item I can prep before the gathering, I will. If I can do it two weeks before and freeze it, I will. Like a good prep cook, I get all of my veggies cut up, my meat thawed and/or put in the marinade no later than 24 hours before real cooking needs to commence. Every day during the week before the party, I get 2 of my items completed: one from my food list and one from my household list. Like a good prep cook, a good housekeeper has assigned days when certain items are done. Be proactive! By the time you buddies are an hour away from being at your home, all you'll have to do it make sure the place is somewhat tidy and the table is clear.

A place that smells good, must be clean....or so they think
This is something wonderful that I have heard from those who have cleaned houses. A deep clean isn't necessary for company, and it only stresses you out. Tidy up the rooms you know your guests will be in the most(kitchen, bathroom and living room/dining room), close the doors to the other rooms and light a few candles(or put in a few plug-ins) in the rooms that are going to have the most traffic that evening. The movement from everyone will help to create a "breeze" that will carry the scents all over and make everyone "feel" like your house is so clean. The best scents to use for this are citrus and vanilla. Vanilla brings the idea of comfort and citrus scents, like lemon or orange, are programmed into the brain as a "clean" scent. No candles or plug ins? Put a cut up lemon or orange and a cinnamon stick in a pot on the stove, cover with water, and let it simmer until the guests get there.

"Pot luck" the booze....and maybe the dessert
Ok, I know I said earlier that pot lucks are for wussies, but "pot lucking" the booze is quite a win-win for you and your guests. For one, they will obviously bring something that they like to drink, thus deleting your worry about your best friend Stacy's aversion to certain red wines. Secondly, you'll have quite a plethora of libations to try out yourself, if you drink. Lastly, if there is any leftover, everyone can take home their own booze! You don't have to think about how you're going to use those 3 Paps Blue Ribbons that your old college roommate bought over "for nostalgia's sake."
The dessert is where I am a bit more lenient. I wouldn't suggest telling everyone to bring a dessert, but if you have a buddy that kicks butt at desserts, then give them a call about a week before and see if they can make that awesome cake everyone loves. You can also ask that friend who's trying to watch their weight to big yummy sliced fruits for dessert and you'll provide the fat free whipped topping. Then, everyone will be covered!

How about you all? Do you utilize some of these suggestions as well? Any great ideas for frugal, stress free, entertaining during this time of year?

Blogiversary gift card winners!

Thanks to all of you for entering! Let's get down to the big show. Here are the winners of each of the cards:


Walgreens gift card
Teresa at slowing down a bit

CVS gift card
Diane @ dianesmb

Rite aid gift card
Robyn @ robyn812

Congratulations to all of the winners! Thank you so much for entering.

For all of my other lovelys, no worries, there's yet another giveaway(or 2) scheduled for February. So, I'll see you all then! Hope everyone has a great week :o)

Blog Spotlight- Fun Being Frugal

I'm so excited to finally start this series! I appreciate all of my followers, so this is a great way to spotlight those that have blogs. Plus, I get to see each and every one of you pages and become as much of a fan of your blogs are you are of mine!

First up is MyShelly from Fun Being Frugal. I have been a long time fan of her blog since I started blog surfing last year. She is the best at finding freebie deals and I love her personal posts as well. Here are two of my most recent favorite blog posts on her site:

Low Sales?!(a walmart rant)
Christmas at my house

So, if you are freebie fanatic like I am, and loves someone who tells it like it is, and is funny to boot, check out Fun Being Frugal!

Meal Plan Monday!

This is going to be week full of food! Well, at least the end of the week will be. We are having friends over for a cookie swap party and I told them that I was going to surprise them with a special dinner. They're going to be in store for a full southern dinner on Saturday, so I hope they come really hungry(thank goodness this group of friends don't read my blog yet....the surprise would be ruined!). To add to that, I have to make my cookies for the swap. AND! Sunday is the best football day of the year, and since Hubby is a BIG Steelers fan, it's going to be like a holiday. We'll be going over to my parents' house to watch the big game, so that will be a snack food extravaganza. ALSO, I'm going to start making a "soup of the week" for the remainder of the winter. This helps to bulk up hubby's lunches and it guarantees that Sonny and I will have a lunch ready for the whole week. Here's the game plan for this week:

Monday: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and buttered corn
Tuesday: Chinese Chicken casserole
Wednesday: homemade gnocchi in a vegetable marinara sauce with garlic bread
Thursday: spice rubbed tilapia with collard greens and rice pilaf
Friday: (Homemade)Pizza night!
Saturday: the big get-together! Fried Chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens, corn casserole and biscuits!
Sunday: Super Bowl, baby! off to eat chili, pizza, hot dogs, chips and salsa!

Bread of the week: Wheat
Dessert of the week: lemon chess pie and chocolate meringue cookies(for cookie swap)
Soup of the week: Slow cooker french onion soup

Ultiimate(Easy) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Finally! I had been threatening to post this recipe for about 2 weeks, but I just didn't have the time to sit and type up the completed masterpiece. For that, my friends, I am sorry. But, here it is. My contribution to you. The best part about this is that I was able to use up some of my stockpiled items: cookie dough pouches, oatmeal, and chocolate. There are a few things that you have to do in this that may seem a bit silly, but once you taste this cookie, you'll understand why. I based it off of the chocolate chip cookie recipe I saw on southern plate, but I just wanted to find a way to get rid of 2 more bags of cookie mixes. I'm so glad I decided to do it!

2 bags chocolate chip cookie pouches(I used the ones with walnuts)
2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 bar chocolate, grated(yes, I know....wierd. But so worth it!)*
1/2 cup oats, grinded into a powder(use your food processor, blend the heck out of it)

Place butter, eggs, and milk in a large bowl and mix on medium speed until blended. Add oats and grated chocolate and blend briefly, about 30 seconds.
With a wooden spoon or other sturdy utensil, gradually add in the cookie mixes, until all of it is moistened. Don't over-stir!
Once all is blended, turn oven to 375 and let the dough sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Scoop cookie dough out of bowl and make into golf ball size bites. Place on cookie sheets.
Cook in oven for 10 minutes ONLY! This is the big secret. Take them out at 10 minutes and let them sit on the cookie sheet. The carry-over heat will continue to gradually bake the cookie but it won't burn. It will also keep the inside yummy like the cookies you get at Mrs. Fields. Yum!
Once you can touch the cookie sheet with your hand(still warm but not piping hot), remove cookies and place on cookie sheet(eat one right away though....it's a must for the cook!).

These cookies are fabulous! I love a warm cookie that's a bit puffy and gooey, so I eat mine right away. Hubby loves a crunchy cookie, so he waits a while before eating his. The best part about this cookie is that I can re-heat a few and get that warm, goo, puff, loveliness again. Also, you can easily serve these at a cookie swap or take to a pot luck party. The oat "flour" gives them that yummy, stomach-lining heaviness, while the extra chocolate makes them velvety. Ugh! Delicious!

*note: if you are accident-prone like me and think it might be a bit dangerous to grate chocolate...chocolate that is prone to melting and getting your digits closer and closer to that deadly rasp....you can use the blender or food processor to do it. Just place chocolate in the freezer for a bit, break up into pieces,drop it in there and let 'er rip. Wait until after your grind the oats, though.

Amazon.com winner!

Thanks to all of you who entered the 25.00 amazon.com giveaway! Also, welcome to all those that found me through deal seeking mom and money saving mom! It's great to have you here.

I used random.org to generate the number of the winner(turned out to be lucky number 60).

The winner of the giveaway is:

Mary Anne at life unfolds

Congratulation Mary Anne! I've already e-mailed you with instructions.

All of you other special people, if you haven't done so yet, please feel free to enter my 3 other giveaways this week, a CVS gift card, a Walgreens gift card and a Rite Aid gift card!

24 hour giveaway! 25.00 Amazon gift certificate!

That's right, folks! For my last horrah to celebrate my blogiversary, I'm giving away a 25.00 amazon.com gift certificate. After I saw quite a few of my readers mentioning that they didn't have a Walgreens, CVS, or Rite Aid nearby, I knew I had to dedicate a giveaway to something that all internet users could benefit from. Amazon.com is such a great site! I love to check out what's on clearance from time to time, so I can re-stock my Tupperware full of gifts. I'm so excited to be able to do this giveaway for you all. But, of course, there is a catch. The catch is that this giveaway will only be up for 24 hours, so get to posting!

Same rules as before: just leave one comment under this post to enter. If you are not part of blogger or gmail, make sure to leave your name and e-mail address in your comment. If you don't do this, YOUR COMMENT WILL BE DELETED! How can I call you the winner if the only name I have for you is "anonymous"? There are quite a few anonymous folks in the world.....seems like a popular name! Ha!

Contest will close on Friday, January 23rd at 2:00pm! Good luck!

Boy am I bad with these awards....

I so love getting awards, but I'm so bad at posting about them! Abigail's Mommy and Debtfreemommy both we so kind to nominate me for the lemonade award, and I totally flaked lol. I've been given this award once before, but didn't have too much time to nominate other blogs. Shame Shame! Well this time, I'm ready. Sort of. Since I will be starting to post the "Blog of the Week" next Monday, I'm nominating all of them right now! That works, right?

So, ladies, thank you with all my heart for the award! I really do appreciate your love of me and my blog :o)

The Best of 4 Hats and Frugal: Food and Recipes

Well, you all know that I have a bit of a passion for cooking, so this "best of" post was great fun to put together. Although, it was hard to pick my actual favorites(that weren't already favorites of a few of you), I still loved doing this. I'm also going to include my 2 food tutorials. I really need to do more of those! I hope you enjoy these:

Food Tutorials
The Elusive Fried Chicken
Re-visit the casserole, please?!
Holiday Baking made easy

Most popular recipes(side dishes)
Box Car potatoes

Most popular recipes(entrees)
peachy chicken
applesauce chicken
no-fry mustard tenders

Most popular recipes(desserts)
Sopapilla Cheesecake

Most popular recipes(snacks and treats)
Chocolate Popcorn


My favorite recipes
poor mom's red beans and rice
easy teriyaki marinade
bread pudding- McGuyver edition
lazy mom's tator soup
quick casserole recipes
beefy enchilada bake
Asian spaghetti and meatballs

Ok, I'm going to cut myself off before I end up posting all of my recipes! For the full list of every recipe I've posted on 4 hats, click here. Thanks to all for your support of my recipes. I love when you love them. Keep on cooking!

Quotable Wednesday

"It's better to do nothing, than to do something you don't understand."

-Suze Orman

4 Hats and Frugal Blogiversary!

Well, today is a great day! It is my blogiversary! One year ago today, I decided that I wanted to start being accountable for everything I was planning to do to be frugal. I figured typing up on a blog, posting my deals, and maybe having a few people stop by to read it would be fun.

One whole year and 95 followers later(hello bloggy buddies!), I feel like a totally different person, with totally different goals. Frugality has become second nature for my household now, and we are far from the struggle we were in less than a year ago. With a full pantry, fridge, freezer, and savings account(a few accounts actually), I can take my goal of "accountability" to the next level. It's exciting to know that this little old blog has changed my life so dramatically!

Before the end of 2008, I shared with you all my vision for 4 hats and frugal in 2009. Nothing has changed on that front, but I have decided to really dedicate more time into those that visit me everyday, subscribe and choose to follow my blog journey. For starters, every Monday, I will be featuring a blog from one of my followers! You all are so wonderful to me, but I have yet to view every single one of your pages. Some of you are already great buddies, but others I would love to get to know through you own blog journeys.

Also, tomorrow, the first post of "Military Woman: technical school" will be posted. Stop by to get your first dose of the drama! Thursday will be the big day for winning. I already have 3 giveaways going this week for CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid gift cards, but I think we need another, don't you? Giveaways galore! Here's the catch, though: The Thursday prize will be a 24-hour giveaway and will be a higher priced gift card than the pharmacy gift cards. No, I'm not telling you what it is. That would ruin the surprise! Believe me, this will be a prize that you will want!

Finally, I just wanted to say thanks again to all of you. You will never know how much you inspire me, encourage me, and give me strength to get through the days sometimes. Hopefully, you will keep reading (and commenting!) here, and enjoy what I have in store for this year. You're all the best!

Now that's what I call hounding!

A&P turned out to be a great trip this week! Just look at all that stuff up there! I thoroughly enjoy the fact that it's healthy items. People who look down on coupons say that they are all for junk food. Well, here's the list of what I was able to get because of sales, coupons and catalinas:

4 large bags frozen veggies
4 tubs quaker oats
3 boxes of quaker oat squares cereal
4 6-packs of yoplait trix yogurt
1 pack Land O' Lakes sliced cheese
2 dozen Land O' Lakes eggs
2lbs of Land O' Lakes butter


From these items, I received 3.00 off instantly from my total and I got back 13.00 in store catalinas toward my next order. I went back and got:

2 3lb bags of McIntosh apples
1 family pack of chicken drumstick/thighs
1 1/4 pounds of tilapia on manager special

By using the catalinas, I ended up paying .44 cents for the last 3 things! My total for the whole loot? 30 bucks! These are the types of deals I love....when I can use a great sale to end up getting free protein, fruit and veggies.

Meal Plan Monday!

Because of the Inauguration on Tuesday, we get a free meal! My parents are having an Inauguration party Tuesday evening to celebrate and it will be full of food. I can't wait to watch the ball and chow down. Since we have so much stew left over from Sunday night, we'll finish that off Monday. AND! This saturday was our designated monthly night out, so that's yet another day I don't have to cook! I love when the stars align for this busy mama. Here's what we have in store for this week:


Monday: Leftover beef stew
Tuesday: Inauguration party! Free food at Mom's house! lol
Wednesday: Shrimp Scampi with peas
Thursday: Keilbasa with braised cabbage and carrots
Friday: Pizza! Whoo!
Saturday: Dinner out! Finally!
Sunday: Slow Cooker applesauce chicken with mixed veggies and box car potatoes


Dessert of the week: Ultimate Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies(I know, I know....I promised to have the recipe up already. I will get it up! I vow to do it this week)
Bread of the Week: Wheat....again....

Walgreens Giveaway!

Well, tomorrow is my big blogiversary! So, to celebrate this week, I want to do a giveaway bonanza for all of my readers. If you are new to 4 hats and frugal, check out my round up posts for frugality and my series, stockpile double agents. Also, I do giveaways every month, so become a follower, so you're always in the know!

Well, let's get to the get down! This contest is for a 10.00 gift card to Walgreens pharmacy. I'm (sometimes) a big fan of Walgreens and would love to give away a gift card to my readers that do shop there. To enter, just leave me a comment under this post. If you aren't a part of blogger or gmail, please leave your first name and e-mail address, so I can contact you if you win.

The contest will be open until Sunday at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced Monday, January 26th.

Good luck all!

CVS giveaway!

Well, tomorrow is my big blogiversary! So, to celebrate this week, I want to do a giveaway bonanza for all of my readers. If you are new to 4 hats and frugal, check out my round up posts for frugality and my series, stockpile double agents. Also, I do giveaways every month, so become a follower, so you're always in the know!

Well, let's get to the get down! This contest is for a 10.00 gift card to CVS pharmacy. I love CVS and constantly shop there, so I like giving away gift cards there. To enter, just leave me a comment under this post. If you aren't a part of blogger, please leave your first name and e-mail address, so I can contact you if you win.

The contest will be open until Sunday at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced Monday, January 26th.

Good luck all!

Rite Aid Giveaway!

Well, tomorrow is my big blogiversary! So, to celebrate this week, I want to do a giveaway bonanza for all of my readers. If you are new to 4 hats and frugal, check out my round up posts for frugality and my series, stockpile double agents. Also, I do giveaways every month, so become a follower, so you're always in the know!

Well, let's get to the get down! This contest is for a 10.00 gift card to Rite Aid pharmacy. I don't really shop at Rite Aid, but I know a good amount of my readers do, so I love to oblige. To enter, just leave me a comment under this post. If you aren't a part of blogger, please leave your first name and e-mail address, so I can contact you if you win.

The contest will be open until Sunday at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced Monday, January 26th.

Good luck all!

Good Bye Bank of America

Well, old friend, it was fun while it lasted. Spending all kinds of "money" with you, putting that vacation on your credit limit, and even those cute pair of shoes I ended up giving away. *sigh* We sure had some good times.

I know you're hurt that I'm giving you up. I had to. You were holding me down and well, I just had to pay you off and let you go. I felt like I was giving more than I needed to, and, well, I was right. Your interest rate was killing me!

Please don't be mad. Maybe one day soon we'll meet up again. Those perfect pair of shoes, a new sofa for the living room, or even a quick trip to the grocery store. Ok, I'm lying. Those things will never happen again. We just need a clean break.

I don't know how to tell you this, but the last check to you went through. We're officially over. I'm sure you'll find another girl who will appreciate you. She'll use you to the limit and you'll be so happy together.

I sure will miss you, but nowadays, cash is king in my house. Don't be jealous; he's just a bit more accessible and forgiving.

Take care and be well...


Now to start my "Dear John" letter to Discover Card...

A&P/Superfresh Deals 1/16- 1/22

More bonus bucks deals again! Here are the ones with the best coupon match-ups:

General Mills Buy $30 get $8

Progresso Classics Soup B1G1
.50/2 coupon doubled from 1/4/09GM- price to be announced;nothing listed in circular
Yoplait Yogurt 12/$5.99
.40/6 cups coupon from 1/4/09GM doubled- .36 a cup
Yoplait Trix Yogurt 6 pack or General Mills Milk & Cereal Bars 2/$5.00
coupon for .75/2 yoplait trix multipack from 1/4/09GM doubled- 1.75 each
General Mills Chex Mix Select or Betty Crocker Mini Warm Delights 2/$4.00
.50/1 coupon for chex mix from 12/7/08SS doubled- 1.00 each
Better Crocker Fruit Snacks 2/$4.00
.50/2 coupon from 1/4/09GM doubled- 1.50 each
Green Giant Frozen Bites, Just for One's and Big Sauce Bags 2/$5.00
.50/1 coupon for Just for Ones from 1/4/09GM doubled- 1.50 each
.40/1 coupon for Big bags from 1/4/09GM doubled- 1.70 each
.50/1 coupon for Big bags from 12/7/08SS doubled- 1.50 each
Pillsbury Savorings 3/$9.00
.75/1 coupon from 11/2/08SS doubled- 1.50 each
.75/1 coupon from 12/7/08SS doubled- 1.50 each
Totino's Pizza Rolls 7.5 oz 10/$10.00
.35/1 coupon from 11/9/08SS doubled- .30 each
.35/1 coupon from 1/11/09SS doubled- .30 each

Quaker Buy 7 Items get $3 back instantly

Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix 2/$4.00
1.00/2 coupon from 1/4/09RP- 1.50 each
Aunt Jemima Syrup 2/$4.00
1.00/2 coupon from 1/4/09RP- 1.50 each
Quaker Life Cereal or Quaker Oat Squares 2/$4.00
1.00/2 coupon for life cereal from 12/7/08SS- 1.50
1.00/2 coupon for life cereal from 1/4/09RP- 1.50
.50/1 coupon for oat squares from 1/4/09RP doubled- 1.00 each
Captain Crunch Cereal 2/$4.00
.50/1 coupon from 1/4/09 doubled- 1.00 each
1.00/2 coupon from 1/4/09- 1.50 each
Quaker Instant Oatmeal including Simple Harvest 2/$4.00
1.35/2 coupon from 1/4/09RP- 1.32 each
.70/1 coupon from 1/4/09RP doubled- .60 each(best deal)


McCain's / Birds Eye Buy $20 get $5.00 back

Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables (select Regular & Steamfresh varieties Regular Farmfresh & Baby Blends) 2/$5.00
.35/1 coupon from 1/4/09SS doubled- 1.80 each

McCormick Buy $10 get $3.00 back

McCormick Chili Seasonings 3/$2.00
.25/2 coupon coming in 1/18/09RP doubled- .41 each if you get 6 and use 3 coupons
McCormick Grinders 2/$4.00
.25/1 coupon coming in 1/18/09RP doubled- 1.50 each

Other good deals:
Roaster chicken- .69/lb
McIntosh or Empire apples 3lb bag- BOGO Free(comes out to 1.99 a bag)
Chicken drumsticks, thighs or combo- .99/lb
silk soy milk half gallon- 2 for 5.00
1.00/2 coupon from 1/11/09SS- 2.00 each
wholly guacamole- .99
1.00/1 coupon from 1/4/09SS- FREE

4 day sale(friday to monday):
fresh broccoli- .88/lb
pepsi 2 liter(asrtd varieties)- Buy one get 2 free(additional purchase of $25 required)
Utz potato chips and snacks- Buy one get 2 free(additional purchase of $25 required)

If you have an Acme near you, grab their circular. There is a mail in rebate for quaker products in it where you will be given a 5.00 coupon for purchasing 5 of the listed products. The coupon can be used at any grocery store!

The Best of 4 Hats and Frugal: Stockpile double agents

I am loving these "best of" posts! I'm able to go back and read some posts that I totally forgot about and re-read the comments under them. The "Stockpile double agents series" is a passion project of mine that I am so glad I started. I can't wait to post new ones this year and share my ideas with all of you!

Here are the "agents" that caused the most chat-bout:

Face Scrub
Pantiliners
Canned gravy

And my favorites:

Bottled Mustard
Johnson & Johnson Bath Buddies

Next Thursday we'll cover my favorite posts.....recipes!

Quotable Wednesday

"If you prepare for the worst, then it may not happen."


-Nigela Lawson

No bean Chili(Texas style)

This is a chili that I make when *gasp* we don't have a bean in the house. Hubby loves Wendy's Chili, but I can't bare to eat something like chili from a fast food place. Since chili is one of those things you make with scraps of this and pieces of that, I can't imagine what Wendy's puts in theirs. Yuck! I make sure to serve with with sides(sour cream, crumbled up crackers, cornbread, etc) and piping hot. It's a great recipe for "game day", since some people don't care for beans in their chili. Some ingredients need a bit more explaining, so see the notes at the end of the recipe.

1 pound ground meat(beef or turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
1 can(15oz or 29oz) tomato sauce*
1 bottle(16oz mild or medium) salsa*
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 piece of chocolate(dark or milk)
a pinch of cinnamon
dash salt
dash pepper

Brown meat and onion in a skillet over medium high heat. Make sure to break the meat into small pieces. Once it is all browned and onions are somewhat translucent, sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn off heat.
Place the meat/onion mixture in your slow cooker. Top with salsa, tomato sauce, chili powder and cumin. Mix well.
Cover with lid and put on low for at least 3 hours. This can go up to 8 or 9 hours in the slow cooker, so this is a great meal to turn on before you leave for work.
Once you are ready to eat, turn off slow cooker, add the cinnamon and chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted.
Serve immediately :o)

Serves 4(triple the recipe for game day!)

*If you like your chili thin like a soup, use the 29oz can of tomato sauce, but if you like it chunky, only use the 15 or 16 oz can. If you like heat with your chili, use medium salsa. If you like to control the heat in your chili by adding your own amount of hot sauce or cayenne after, use the mild and then add the heating ingredient of your choice. The medium salsa won't make it spicy right off the bat, but it will build up the heat. The chocolate helps cut the heat a bit so it doesn't come full force at you.

Another CVS trip!

Have I mentioned lately that I love CVS? Well, I do! Did two great trips today and those febreeze candles just keep on giving. Here's how it went down:

1 febreeze apple & spice candle- on clearance for .79
2 boxes gold emblem(CVS brand) cheese crackers- 1.97 each

CVS coupon for 3.00 off any CVS brand item
1.50 in EBs

Total OOP: .23 Savings: 11.74 PLUS I got back 2.00 in EBs for the crackers! If you buy 2 boxes of cheese crackers(must be the ones that say '25% extra' on top), you get back 2.00 in Extra bucks.

Trip #2
2 febreeze candles(one vanilla one apple & spice)- on clearance for .79
2 packs of tissue paper- on clearance for .19

1 coupon for 1.00/1 febreeze candle(got in a home mailer)
1.00 in EBs

Total OOP: .03 Savings: 20.00! These Mother's Day baskets are basically making themselves lately.

So, total savings for the day: 31.74
Total OOP for the day: .26

*sigh* I love saving money :o)

Meal Plan Monday!

Boy, am I late with this! I usually have this up on sunday night, but when I got home from working at the base, I was dog tired! I slept from 5pm to 11pm! Got up, ate some leftovers, and went BACK to sleep! Goodness me! Here's what I thought up in my sleep:

Monday: Texas style Chili(no beans) with cornbread
Tuesday: Quick Chicken Pot Pie(topped with puffed pastry)
Wednesday: Tomato Soup with cheese toast(didn't get to make it last week)
Thursday: slow cooker swiss steak with an onion/potato side dish
Friday: pizza day! it's back!
Saturday: leftovers night
Sunday: slow cooker pot roast with mashed potatoes

Dessert of the week: ultimate(but easy) chocolate chip cookies(promise to post the recipe this week!)

Shop Rite deals 1/11-1/17

Can Can Sale is back! Thank you to negletarino at Hot Coupon World for posting the sales this week!


Dole fruit cream parfaits- 3 for 5.00(must buy 3)
.75/1 coupon doubled from 1/4/09SS- .15 each

General Mills cereal- 1.77 each
Cocoa Puffs Combos, Fiber One Clusters, Whole Grain Total, Honey Nut Cheerios, or Cheerios
1.00/2 printable coupon- 1.27 each

lysol disinfectant wipes- 1.49
1.00/1 coupon from 1/4/09SS- .49 each

progresso soups- 1.24(limit 4 per variety)
1.10/1 printable coupon- .14 each(best deal)
.50/2 coupon doubled from 1/4/09GM- .74 each

Near East Rice or Couscous- 1.49(limit 4 per variety)
.50/1 printable coupon doubled- .49 each(not bad for couscous)

Quaker old fashioned or quick oats- 2 for 3.00
.60/1 coupon from 1/4/09RP- .30 each

Betty crocker frosting- 3 for 5.00
.50/1 coupon doubled from 12/14/08SS- .67 each

Pillsbury grand biscuits- 4 for 5.00
1.00/1 coupon from 11/16/08SS(if you were lucky enough to get it)- .25 each

chi chi's salsa- 1.49
most coupons were for 1.00/2, but some got .55/1 doubled from 12/7/08SS- .39 w/ good coupon

pingles- .99
.30/3 coupon doubled from 12/14PG- .79 each

niagara spray starch- .99
coupon for 1.00/2 from 9/21/08SS-.49 each

Juicy Juice 100% bottle- 1.99
1.00/1 coupon from 1/4/09SS- .99 each

Stop and Shop Deals 1/9-1/15

These are the deals that I see for this week(not many):

knorr rice or pasta sides- 1.00 each
.75/2 coupon doubled from 11/16RP(expires Sunday!)- .25 each

blistex ointment or lip balm- 2 for 3.00
1.00/2 Blistex Lip Ointment Or Lip Balm from 12/14/08SS- 1.00 each
1.00/2 Blistex Lip Care Products from 11/16/08SS- 1.00 each

halls cough drops- 2 for 3.00
1.00/2 Halls Cough Drops 20 Ct. from 12/07/08SS- 1.00 each

soy joy bars- 1.00 each
BOGO Free coupon from 1/4/09SS- .50 each
3.00/10 coupon from 1/4/09SS- .70 each

colgate toothpaste(any 8.2oz pkg) or colgate pro or wave toothbrush- 2 for 4.00
1.50/1 colgate total coupon from 1/4/09SS- .19 each
.75/1 any colgate toothbrush coupon doubled from 1/4/09SS- .19 each

Softsoap elements hand soap- 1.00 each
.50/1(any variety)coupon from 1/4/09SS- FREE(if you were lucky enough to get this one)

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers- 4 for 10.00
1.00/2 cafe steamers coupon from 1/4/09SS- 2.00 each
1.00/1 healthy choice meal printable here(thanks Abigail's Mommy!)

Betty Crocker 80 calorie mashed potatoes- 1.00 each
.35/1 coupon doubled from 12/14/09SS- .30 each

Get 5.00 Off your next order when you buy 15.00 of these products:

Fiber One Cereal- 3.99
.75/1 printable here
Fiber One Soft & Chewy Bars- 2 for 6.00
.50/1 coupon from 1/4/09GM
Fiber One Toaster Pastries- 2 for 4.00
.75/1 printable here
Velveeta Shells & Cheese- 2 for 4.00
1.00/1 printable here
Select Kelloggs cereals- 2 for 6.00
frosted mini wheats(strawberry and bite size), corn pops, corn flakes, cocoa krispies
frosted mini wheats printable here



If I find any more deals, I will post them immediately. If I missed something, please feel free to leave a comment :o)

A&P/Superfresh Deals 1/9- 1/15

Thanks to Hot Coupon World for posting the ad early!
Bonus Bucks are back again this week! Here are a few things I see:


Unilever- Buy $20 get $5 bonus bucks

Ragu pasta sauce- 3 for 5.00
.25/1 coupon doubled from 11/16RP- 1.13 each
Lipton tea bags- 2 for 5.00
.60/1 coupon doubled from 11/16RP- 1.30 each
skippy peanut butter- 3 for 4.00
.40/1 coupon doubled in 11/16RP- .53 each
wishbone salad dressing- 2 for 4.00
FREE after 2.00/1 coupon coming out in 1/11 paper
Hellman's mayo- 2 for 6.00
.60/1 coupon doubled from 11/16RP- 1.80 each


Kellogg's- Buy $30 get $7 bonus bucks

Special K cereal/bars/waffles- 2 for 5.00
.75/1 special k waffles doubled from 12/14RP- 1.00 each
1.00/1 kellogg's smart start or special k from 12/14RP- 1.50 each
Eggo waffles(10ct; ecluding nutri-grain and special k)- .99
.75/1 eggo 6ct+ doubled from 12/14RP- FREE or possible overage at a nice store :o)


Dannon Buy $12 get $3 bonus bucks

Dannon Yogurt 12/3.96
Buy 6 Get 1 Free coupon from 1/4/09- 14/3.96 or .28 each
1.00/10 coupon from 1/4/09SS- 12/2.96 or .24 each
2 .60/6 coupons from 1/4/09SS doubled- 12/1.56 or .13 each
Dannon Frusion $1
1.00/4 coupon from 1/4/09SS- .75 each

Conagra Buy $20 get $5 back

Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers 2.99
1.00/1 coupon from 1/4/09SS- 1.99 each
or use a printable from here
Orville Redenbacher Microwave popcorn $2
1.00/1 orville redenbacher printable
there is also a TRY ME FREE rebate here
Healthy choice or marie callender frozen entrees 4/$10
Healthy Choice frozen entree printable
Wesson Oil 2.88 (4 days only, rest of week 3.99) $25 Additional purchase required

More deals(other than bonus bucks)

4 day deals
Colgate total toothpaste or 360 degree toothbrush 1.69
1.50/1 colgate total from 1/4/09SS- .19 each
.75/1 any colgate toothbrush doubled from 1/4/09SS- .19 each
fresh express garden salad .97
Tyson Hickory Smoked Bacon 1.99
.55/1 tyson cooked bacon from 11/16SS(not sure if this counts)-possible .89 each


Your choice 1.68/lb
* 85% lean fresh ground beef family pack
* MC bone-in center cut pork chops
* Fresh boneless skinless chicken breast

GG Frozen boxed veggies - .99
.50/2 coupon doubled from 1/4/09SS- .49 each when you buy 2
GG frozen steamers- 3 for 5.00
.50/1 coupon doubled from 1/4/09SS -.66 after coupon

I included printable coupons on here, even though most A&P/Superfresh markets don't except them. I've heard that a handful of stores do take them and some are even able to use them in the self-checkout lanes! Lucky shoppers!

Great Flintstones Vitamins deal at Walgreens!

Ok, here is the breakdown of the flintstones vitamins deal at WAGs:

Buy 4 flintstones vitamins at 5.00 each
Use 4 1.00/1 coupons (found in 1/4/09 SS or look on HCW for a printable)
Pay 16 dollars OOP
Get back a 10.00 RR
Send in rebate for flintstones vitamins(rebate is also found in the 1/4/09SS insert: the deal is that they give you 50% back on what you spend AFTER the dollar coupons)
Get 8.00 back from the rebate
Profit of 2.00 after RR, coupons and rebate


Of course, if you have a RR that you can use, you can find a really cheap filler(buy 2 reeses whipps and use one whipps coupon and your RR!) and get even better profit.

I have been waiting for a good deal on vitamins for Sonny, and he was just about out of them. I love getting them for free, but a 2.00 profit ain't bad either! Hope this helps someone!

The Best of 4 Hats and Frugal: Frugality

Welcome to 4 Hats and Frugal Best Of mini-series! For the rest of January, I want to bring to you all the best posts of 4 different categories: Frugality, Family, Stockpile double agents, and Favorite Recipes. We have a good amount of new readers here on 4 Hats, so I want to make sure that everyone gets a taste of some of the best posts! Today, I bring you....Frugality! Here are the ones that caused the most chatter:


Getting ready for Christmas...in July
Technology and Frugality: A perfect match?
Goodbye, Old Friend(the TV repast)
Does age make the homemaker?
Giving more than receiving(an after-Christmas review)


And here are some of my personal favorites:

The magic of powdered milk
See? Pets aren't that expensive...

Whew! That's quite a bit of wonderful posts. It's a blast reading them and remembering how I felt while typing them up. So many different ideas in just a year! I hope you all enjoy these and come back next Thursday for another installment.

Quotable Wednesday

"He who would learn to fly one day, must first learn to stand and walk. One cannot fly into flying."


-Friedrich Nietzsche

Free Febreeze Candles?! Heck yeah!

I just got back from doing an awesome trip at CVS. Yes, it is 11 at night and no, I'm not ashamed of going out this late. Plus, I had to return a red box rental anyway. Ha!
Thanks to a great tip on HCW that I read last night, I was able to get 4 febreeze candles for FREE! Yes, FREE! Those 7.99(and above) candles were mine for the taking, well, as long as I had enough 2.00 coupons to cover them. Here's how my trip went:

3 vanilla febreeze candles- originally 7.99....on clearance for 1.99
1 apple cinn. spice febreeze candle- originally 7.99 on clearance for 1.99
2 l'oreal lipsticks- on 75% off clearance and BOGO- 2.49 for both
2 bags CVS brand orange slices- on sale BOGO 50% off- 1.48 for both

2 coupons for 2.00 off any l'oreal lip product(cashier said they couldn't use 2 for BOGO, but did it for me anyway b/c she's my "favorite")
4 coupons for 2.00 off any febreeze candle

Total OOP: -.07! She and I laughed and I asked her to just zero it out for me.....after I gave her the tide coupons she asked me for last time I saw her :o). So, no money out of my pocket! Total savings: 54.42!

Box Car Potatoes

With the great sales around here on potatoes lately, I knew that I needed to find a new way to serve them other than mashed, baked or fried. Even though Hubby and the boy probably could care less, I love change. I thrive off of it. Do you think this explains why I make so many new recipes? I do.

The idea for the box car potatoes actually came from an episode of Guy's Big Bite. I didn't remember how he made the potatoes, but I remember he cut them into a box shape and put them in a wide skillet. When I went to look for the recipe, I couldn't find it on the food network site. I had to use my own noggin on this one.

Here's what I came up with:

5 thin-skinned medium starch potatoes(eastern, yukon, whatever you have)
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
10 pats(5 tbls) of butter or margarine
2 tsp salt(I use seasoned salt)
1 tsp pepper

Cut the sides of the potato so they turn into a "box car" shape. I used my longer, rectangular potatoes for this recipe.



Now, cut the potato into 1/2 inch slices, place into a shallow skilletthat's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and tilt them slightly, like dominos.



Repeat 4 more times( or 9, if you're doubling the recipe :oP) and your skillet should look like this:



Once all the potatoes are in, turn heat to medium and slowly pour in your half cup of broth...



Evenly sprinkle your salt and pepper over the potatoes, cut pats of butter in half and dedicate one half of a pat to one half of a potato. Kind of like this:



Once the broth comes to a boil(see above), put on the lid(see below), turn the heat to low and let them simmer and steam for about 15 minutes or until fork-tender.



Sorry I don't have a "finished product" picture for you all. The potatoes, veggies and meatloaf all finished at the same time, and I took that as a Holy sign that we needed to sit and eat right then. Of course, the potatoes were the first to go. Maybe next time!

This is such a simple recipe, with simple flavors, but will knock your socks off at how yummy it is. If you want a bit of a kick, sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top of the potatoes when you add the salt and pepper. Hubby loved the "kick" the second time I made these. Hope you all enjoy and let me know how it turns out for you!

Happy couponer's Day! (and what to do with all of those extra papers)

Hello my fellow coupon hounds! Today is like our national holiday. It's great coupon insert day! Whoo Hoo! The first weekend of every year(unless it's the actually new year holiday), we coupon fanatics are blessed with multiple coupon inserts in our Sunday paper. This year, we were give 5 separate inserts to tickle our fancy, make us giggle, and cause extreme drooling over the values. Yes, the values. For the most part, the coupon values are increased during this "holiday," giving us coupons of 2,3, and sometimes 4 dollar values. A blessing, indeed. Ha! I sound like a crazy person, don't I? Well, it's a great day for me since I use coupons to not only get great deals on my groceries, but to stockpile items we use and need most. And you all know how much I love to stockpile. Remember this? And this? How about this blast from the past? Or, maybe you like this one better. See? I told you.

Anyway, what do we do with the Sunday papers once we've ravaged them for their inserts? Obviously, recycling is the best way to go, but there are a few places that would love your extra papers:

The local laundromat- Sunday is a big washing day, so many people will be in there wanting something to read. You could leave a few papers at these places and have people be very appreciative

The emergency room- If you live near a hospital, you can drop one or two off in the waiting room of the emergency area. Or, even in the general waiting room of the main entrance. When I went to visit my grandfather recently at the hospital, I realized there were quite a few "waiting" areas that lacked even current magazines.

The nursing home or hospice- I fortunately have one up the street, so they are recipients of my papers most of the time. The staff is so appreciative of this because sometimes there are just too many residents but not enough papers, and it's a treat when they don't have to share with 5 or 6 people. Sometimes they can even give a paper to each room, so only the roommates are sharing.

Your neighbors!- I love doing this one. Because we are in a complex, I can actually put the extra papers near the recycling and other neighbors can pick them up at their leisure. Or, I leave them in a few of the laundry rooms we have(see first suggestion). For those of your with "traditional" neighbors, you can ask them if they would like your "extra" paper to read. Explain to them that you get them for the coupon inserts. You may earn an new source for extra coupons! Look for houses that don't have a paper in their front porch on Sunday morning.


This is a great way to share the multiple copies of newspapers you purchase if you are a coupon user, on days like today, or any Sunday of the year.

Meal Plan Monday!

This is the week where I'll have to do military duty, so I only have to worry about 5 meals. Yay! Plus, we're have 3 of our favorite meals this week: meatloaf, no-fry mustard tenders, and baked ravioli! January is starting off right! Please come back on Tuesday and Friday for 2 new recipes. I love new recipes....they're so....new! Have a great week, you all!


Monday: meatloaf with buttered corn and box car potatoes(new recipe on Tuesday!)
Tuesday: shrimp fried rice with side salad
Wednesday: creamy tomato soup and grilled cheese sammies
Thursday: No-fry mustard tenders with spinach and rice
Friday: baked ravioli with side salad(*gasp* no pizza this week!)

Dessert of the week: peach cobbler and easy, ultimate chocolate chip cookies(new recipe on friday!)
Bread of the week: none! we still have plenty from last week, since Hubby only worked one day. Whoo Hoo!

*sigh* I love triple coupons...

Today was the start of triple coupon day at A&P/Superfresh Supermarkets. I really didn't organize like I usually do for this but I knew there were quite a few items that would be free after coupon. Since I purged all of my 2008 coupons a few days ago, I knew which low value coupons I had, so I went to business. Here are a few of my goodies from today:

4 boxes Betty Crocker potatoes- 1.00 each- .35/1 coupons tripled- FREE with .05 overage each
4 suave deodorants- 1.39- 4 .75/1 coupons doubled(didn't triple because of the low price)- FREE
Lipton tea bags 16 ct- 1.29- .60/1 coupon tripled up to 1.29- FREE
4 blue diamond bold almonds- on sale 1.99 each- 2 coupons for .75/2 tripled- .86 each
4 blue diamond regular almonds- on sale 1.99 each- 2 coupons for .75/2 tripled- .86 each
Fiber One cereal- on sale 2.50- coupon for .75/1 tripled- .25
Fiber one granola bars- on sale 2.50- coupon for .50/1 tripled- 1.00
white chocolate nestle morsels- 2.49- coupon for .50/1 tripled- .99
2 franks red hot sauce- 2.29(big bottle)- coupons for .75/1 tripled- .04 each
BEST FIND! Mr. Clean magic erasers citrus scent- on clearance for 1.49- coupon for .50/1 tripled- FREE

I got all of that without really trying. Sunday will bring a crazy amount of coupons of great value, so I'll have a reason to go back and get even more. The almonds are definitely on the list, since it's something that I hardly ever see a good deal on. These are the deals that I take advantage of when I want to stockpile. It also gives me a chance to see what free items I am attaining and if I can pass them on to charity or family members....one of my favorite thing to do with my stockpile.

New Years goals....finally...

OK, I've been totally avoiding doing this but I guess since it's a new year, I have to post some goals that I want to accomplish this year. I already posted my 2009 goals for the blog, so now it's time to turn to life outside of cyberspace space. Who knows if I'll get them done, but hey, I'm sure as heck am going to try!

Personal goals:

Stop wearing my yoga pants and old t-shirts to bed. This is a big one for me. Since I get rather cold at night, I come up with some rather interesting ensembles to wear. The kicker is that I have quite a few nice pajamas and chemises that are just sitting in boxes. It's time to let go of the tattered and torn, and treat myself every night with lovely pajamas. Plus, hubby would appreciate it!

Use the weights I asked for last Christmas. I was determined to start exercising with weights at the end of 2007, and asked Hubby to "put the word out" that I would love a little weight set. That poor set has been sitting under our TV stand for the past 8 months. I hear them crying to me from time to time. I tend to drown it out with the sound of me sitting and eating a bag of potato chips.

Finish my degree. I don't want to take a break in between semesters this year, so I can get as close as possible to my degree. I don't have much to go, but life kept getting the way. Well, no more! I want 2010 to be my graduate school year, so 2009 will have to be full of classes.

Financial goals:

Attempt to saving over 7,000 dollars with my grocery shopping. Since I was so close in 2008, I think I won't have any problem getting this done. Plus, the more I save, the more I can put in my little "nest egg." I'm still deciding what I want to do with it, but knowing me, it won't be towards anything just for me. I'm cursed with "selfless" genes.

Pay off my last credit card. Yes, I know I can use the money from goal #1 to pay it off, but we already have an allotted amount going towards credit card bills. I said goodbye to capitol one in 2008 and Bank of America and I will be parting ways this month. My last card, Discover, will probably be gone by march.

Beef up my side hustles. Frugal Dad constantly talks about having a side hustle to bring more money into you household. I never realized that my military service can count as its own side hustle. I plan on volunteering for a few jobs there, and since I will be going to school full time for the whole year, that will bring in an obscene amount of extra income.

Household goals:

paint what I want! I'm so tired of following the "rules" here in this complex when 90% of the other tenants don't and actually "live" in their apartments. I have been dying to re-paint these walls and even paint one wall a bold color. I know I'll have to change it back when we move but, so what. I spend a good amount of time in this place, so I'm down for a change.

Re-do sonny's room. This is a goal I'll be sharing with all of you. My boy is almost 4(crying inside right now) so he needs a room to reflect that. Just because we don't own our home doesn't mean I shouldn't make it comfortable for my boy.

Move out! This may seem silly after reading the first two goals, but we do need to find a new space by the end of the summer. God willing, we will be expanding our family this year, so more space will be needed. I can't get Hubby to agree to getting our own home just yet, but town homes may be an option. I will be saving for the move starting now. Hey, maybe that's what I can use my savings for!

As I accomplish these goals, you know I will keep you all posted! Thanks for the constant encouragement. You all are the best!

My 2008 grocery savings!

Well, Happy New Year! This is the most exciting part of today for me....showing you all my year end totals from grocery shopping. For those of you that remember my mid-year savings post, you'll know that I've been not only searching for great grocery deals, but I've been taking the amount that I save at the store and putting it into an account. I got Hubby to agree to this almost a year ago when he didn't think I would save more than a few dollars a grocery trip. Silly, silly man. Take a look at how well I've done this year:

Total items purchased: 3887
Total coupons used: 2251
Total before coupons and discounts: 9699.69
Total out of pocket: 3337.16
Total savings: 6362.53 or 66%
Total number of free items: 992
Re-usable bag credits: 6.58

I didn't start tracking the amount I spent on organic items until July, so these totals reflect my savings from July to December:

Total of organic items before savings: 167.89
Total of organic items after savings: 84.40 or 50%