Quotable Wednesday- On the road edition

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."


-Charles Kuralt

Frugal Beauty- Egg Yolks

Have you ever made a recipe and had leftover egg yolks to deal with? Those mornings when you just want an egg white omelet, but you don't want to waste any part of that egg? Well, how about using it in a beauty regimen?

Egg Yolks do a great job of tightening the skin and creating a smooth texture.  Rather than spend sometimes hundreds of dollars on those face-tightening creams, you can use something right from your fridge.

Here's how to properly use egg yolks to tighten skin:

-Break the yolk and stir a bit
-Place a cotton ball in the yolk
-Use the yolk-soaked ball to rub the egg all over your face and neck
- Leave on face for 15 minutes
-Rinse off with lukewarm water
-Moisturize as usual

And that's it! You can do this up to once a week or just as a freshener whenever you have some spare yolks to part with. I even do this to my hands(they show age quicker than any other part of your body) but you will have to make sure you can keep your hands still for the whole 15 minutes. Try it today!

Meal Plan Monday!

This is a great week! It's finally Easter, I'm reaching 6 months in my pregnancy, and we're off to see the In-Laws! I'm not looking forward to the 8 hour drive(ouch for my belly, legs and bum!) but this will be our last trip as a family of 3, so I'll make it work. Plus, this will be the week of easy meals for me since I need to tidy up the house and pack everyone's bags.

Have a good holiday, all!

Monday: Baked ravioli with cucumber salad
Tuesday: Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and sweet corn
Wednesday: Mexican baked shrimp with yellow rice and string beans
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes with turkey bacon, scrambled eggs and home fries
Friday to Monday: We're having fun with the in-laws for Easter! Off to Ohio!

Dessert of the week: cupcakes? I've been craving them...

ShopRite Deals 3/28 to 4/3

Don't forget! This is the last week to qualify for your free turkey/ham/kosher chicken/stouffer's lasagna. You need 300.00 in qualifying purchases, so keep an eye on the bottom of those receipts.

Ronzoni smart taste pasta- 3 for 4.00(must buy 3)
use 3 .75/1 printable coupons(they were just released!) doubled- FREE pasta!
Get your coupons HERE, HERE and HERE

Snuggle fabric softener(64oz liquid)- 3.00
use 3.00/1 coupon from 3/28RP- FREE

Halls cough drops- 1.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from March All You magazine- FREE

Betty Crocker mashed potato pouches- 5 for 4.00(must buy 5)
Buy 5 pouches
use .40/1 printable coupons here and here(hope you printed them, they're gone!)
pay .80 or .16 a pouch

Idahoan potatoes- 1.00
use .40/1 printable coupon(use zip 45345) doubled- .20

Carnation evaporated milk- .79
use .50/2 from 3/21RP doubled- .29 each

Philadelphia cream cheese- .99
use .55/2 printable coupon doubled- .44 each
buy 4, and get back a 1.00 catalina! That's .19 each!

Dole pineapple- .99
use .55/2 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .44 each

Marcal small steps napkins- 1.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/7SS- .49

Nabisco mac and cheese crackers or cheese nips- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use 2 1.00/1 coupons from 1/24SS(expires 3/31!)- .50 each

New England coffee- 2.74
use 2.00/1 coupon from 3/21RP- .74

Skippy peanut butter- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use .75/2 coupon from 3/21RP doubled- .75 each

International delight creamer- 1.99
use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- .89

Wisk laundry detergent- 2.99
use 2.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP- .99

Wise snacks- 1.99
use .50/1 printable coupon(FF or IE) doubled- .99

Lays potato chips(excluding baked and light)- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/14SS- .99

Herr tortilla chips- 2.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from 2/21RP- 1.00

Polly-O Mozzarella 1lb- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/28SS- .99

Light brown, dark brown and powdered sugar- 1.99
use .50/1 printable coupon(use zip code 76109) doubled- .99

Nabisco snack crackers- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use 2 1.00/1 coupons from 1/24SS(expires 3/31!)- 1.00 each

Hefty trash bags- 2.24
use .55/1 coupon from 1/3RP doubled(expires 3/31!)- 1.14

Hefty foam plates- 1.67
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31RP- 1.17 each

Cheez-Its crackers- 1.69
use 1.00/2 printable coupon(look for cheez-it advertisement to the right)-1.19 each
If you buy 4, you get a FREE gallon of milk!

Tropicana OJ- 2 for 5.00
use BOGO printable coupon from tropicana rewards(not available now!)- 1.25 each

Over the Moon Milk- 2.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon(use zip 01089)- 1.49

Trop 50- 2.50
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP- 1.50

Hershey's shelf stable, 3-pk chocolate milk- 1.79
use 1.00/2 coupon from 10/4SS- 1.29 each

Crystal light on the go- 2.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/21SS- 1.49

Meow mix cat food- 3.69
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- 2.19
_____________________________________
Land O Lakes butter- 1.97
use .50/1 coupon from 3/14SS doubled- .97
or try this deal....

Buy 3 pillsbury biscuits, and get 1.00 off Land O Lakes butter
Pillsbury grands biscuits- 1.49
Land o lakes butter- 1.97

Deal Idea:
Buy 4 biscuits- 5.96
Buy LOL butter- 1.97
use 2 .30/2 coupons for biscuits from 3/7SS doubled- 1.20 off
use .50/1 coupon for LOL butter from 3/14SS doubled- 1.00 off
get another 1.00 off automatically
Pay 4.73 and get back a 2.00 catalina! That's .54 each.
___________________________________
Buy 3 Gorton's seafood, get 2.00 off of your order
Gorton's fried shrimp- 2.24

Deal Idea:
buy 3 boxes of shrimp- 6.72
use 3 .55/1 coupons from 2/21SS doubled- 3.30 off
get 2.00 automatically taken off of your order
pay 1.42 or .47 per item!
________________________

Other Deals
ShopRite wheat bread- 1.49
Breyers Ice Cream- 1.79(rock bottom without a coupon)

Grandma's southern banana pudding

What else can you do with over ripe bananas besides make the easiest banana ice cream ever?  Make banana pudding, of course!  Now this is the real deal banana pudding. I've seen a few recipes for it floating around, but this is how my southern Grandma and Great-Grandma used to do it. Layering the cookies and cream, making a meringue for the top. Now, that's dedication!


Grandma's Southern Banana Pudding

Custard:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
dash of salt
4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

layers:
5 or 6 bananas, sliced
30 vanilla wafer cookies(or crumbled shortbread cookies!)

meringue:
4 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, flour and salt in saucepan over low heat.
Stir egg yolks and milk together in a separate bowl, and place in saucepan. Stir well.
Cook, uncovered, stirring constantly until thickened.
Reduce to simmer and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Place egg whites in a dry clean bowl.
Using you hand mixer, beat the eggs for about 10 seconds. Then, gradually start adding in the 1/4 cup of sugar.
Beat until soft peaks are formed, or until you turn the beaters upside down and the peaks are shiny but hardly move.

Using an 8x8 or round casserole, place a bit of custard at the bottom of the pan and spread out.
Next, place a layer of cookies, then a layer of bananas, and then a third of the custard.
Repeat layers until all of the ingredients are done.
Top pudding with meringue, making sure to bring it to the edges of the pan.

Bake in oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until meringue browns at the top. Eat right away or let cool.

Notes:
Don't think you have the time, or skill, to make your own custard? Just use banana pudding mix! My Grandma would use this in a pinch when she had all of us grandkids spending the night and no time to make the full recipe.
Not a fan of meringue either? You can always top the pudding with cool whip instead. I'd top it, cover it and let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 3/28

Ronzoni smart taste pasta- 3 for 4.00(must buy 3)
use 3 .75/1 printable coupons(they were just released!) doubled- FREE pasta!
Get your coupons HERE, HERE and HERE

Snuggle fabric softener(64oz liquid)- 3.00
use 3.00/1 coupon from 3/28RP- FREE

Dole pineapple- .99
use .55/2 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .44 each

Wisk detergent- 2.99
use 2.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP- .99

Cheez-Its crackers- 1.69
use 1.00/2 printable coupon(look for cheez-it advertisement to the right)-1.19 each

Tropicana OJ- 2 for 5.00
use BOGO printable coupon(not available now!)- 1.25 each

Over the Moon Milk- 2.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon(use zip 01089)- 1.49

Meow mix cat food- 3.69
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- 2.19


Other Deals
Breyers Ice Cream- 1.79(rock bottom without a coupon!)

Don't know where to buy coupons? Ebay is always a good place to find them or you can try these coupon clipping services:

the coupon clippers
coupons and things by dede
the coupon clipping crew

Two new ShopRite Deals!

Disney or Marvel Children's vitamins- 3.64
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP- 2.64

Meow Mix cat food- 3.69
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- 2.19
or use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP- 2.69

Quotable Wednesday

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one man can be at peace unless he has his freedom."


-Malcolm X

Blog Spotlight- Thrifty on the Dollar

Welcome to another edition of Blog Spotlight!

This week, we are featuring Jenn of Thrifty On the Dollar.  Jenn is awesome at finding great online deals that just seem to not be posted on any of deal sites.  Believe me, I searched and it's true. I don't know how she finds them all, but she does such a great job and listing the ones that really and truly are good deals, something frugalites and appreciate.  I love to pop in daily and see what she finds. I've accumilated quite a few Christmas and shower(baby and wedding) gifts so far.  You can't beat a great deal on stockpiled gifts!

Thanks for being a loyal reader, Jenn, and keep up the good work!

Meal Plan Monday!

This should be a pretty easy week. I do have drill this weekend, so the boys will be cleaning out the fridge while I'm gone. I am going to make sure we have 2 filling meals that will guarantee leftovers.  Since everyone has milk in the house now, I think cookies are in order. That will go over well with the boys and with the little princess in the belly.

Monday: Slow cooker beef tips, carrots and onions served over egg noodles
Tuesday: Black bean soup with smoked turkey served with quick yeast bread
Wednesday: Chicken Adobo with green beans and white rice
Thursday: homemade hamburger helper served over bowties; cucumber salad
Friday: FREE pizza! Thanks House Party!
Saturday and Sunday: Gotta go protect the country again! The boys will be in leftover heaven...

Dessert of the Week: Oatmeal raisin cookies, Chocolate Chip cookies AND ricotta cookies! Why not?

ShopRite Deals 3/21 to 3/27

Wishbone dressing- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use 2 .75/1 printable coupons doubled- FREE

Breakstone's sour cream- 1.09
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
use .60/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Frank's Hot buffalo sauce- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 1/24SS doubled- FREE

Halls cough drops- 1.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from March All You magazine- FREE

Gold medal flour- 1.49
use .75/1 printable(hope you held on to it!) doubled- FREE

Betty Crocker potatoes- 3 for 3.00 (must buy 3)
use .40/1 printable coupon doubled- .20
OR! use 1.00/1 printable coupon(IE or FF)- FREE

Oscar Mayer bacon- 1.99
use 1.50/1 printable coupon- .49
Buy 2, pay 1.00 and get back 1.00 catalina. FREE after catalina!

Suave deodorant- 1.69
use .75/1 coupon from 3/14SS doubled- .19
or use the 3.00/2 printable coupon- .19 each

Carnation evaporated milk- .79
use .50/2 from 3/21RP doubled- .29 each

Birdseye steamfresh veggies- .99
use .35/1 coupon from 2/28SS doubled- .29

Progresso beans or bread crumbs- .99
use .1.00/2 printable coupon- .49 each

Mission flour tortillas- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- .49

Sylvania energy saver flourescent bulbs- 1.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .49

Emerald dry roasted peanuts- 1.66
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP- .66

Betty Crocker warm delights- 3 for 5.00(must buy 3)
use 3 .50/1 printable coupons doubled(need 2 computers)- .66 each

Welch's jelly or jam- 1.99
use .55/1 coupon from 1/3SS doubled- .89

Keebler fudge shoppe cookies- 1.99
(if cheesecake middles are included) use .55/1 coupon from 3/7RP doubled- .89

Wise potato chips- 1.99
use .50/1 printable coupon(FF or IE) doubled- .99

Light brown, dark brown and powdered sugar- 1.99
use .50/1 printable coupon(use zip code 76109) doubled- .99

Uncle Ben's ready rice- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/21RP- 2 for 2.00

Healthy choice dinners- 6 for 9.96
use 3 1.25/2 printable coupons(will need 2 computers)- 1.03 each

Pop secret popcorn- 1.66
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/21RP- 1.16 each

hefty foam plates- 1.67
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31RP- 1.17 each

Log cabin syrup- 2.49
use .50/1 coupon from September All You magazine doubled- 1.49

Maxwell house coffee- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 3/21SS- 1.49 each

Huggies baby wipes- 2.49
use .50/1 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- 1.49


Silk soymilk- 2.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 2/21SS- 1.99

Other deals
Perdue Chicken leg quarters- .59/lb(rock bottom)
Carrots 1lb bag- .79
Reynolds cut rite wax paper- .99
ShopRite large 18-pk eggs- 1.79
ShopRite shredded cheese- 1.79

Increase your savings with these cellfire coupons:
Betty crocker warm delights- .40/1(on sale this week for 1.67)
Betty crocker potatoes- .40/1 (on sale this week for 1.00)


Stay on top of the deals! Follow 4 hats and Frugal on twitter and become a fan on facebook!

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 3/21

Gold medal flour- 1.49
use .75/1 printable(hope you held on to it!) doubled- FREE

Betty crocker potatoes- 1.00
use .40/1 printable coupon doubled- .20
OR! use 1.00/1 printable coupon(IE or FF)- FREE

Suave deodorant- 1.69
use .75/1 coupon from 3/14SS doubled- .19
or use the 3.00/2 printable coupon- .19 each

Birdseye steamfresh veggies- .99
use .35/1 coupon from 2/28SS doubled- .29

Welch's jelly or jam- 1.99
use .55/1 coupon from 1/3SS doubled- .89

Keebler fudge shoppe cookies- 1.99
(if cheesecake middles are included) use .55/1 coupon from 3/7RP doubled- .89


Other deals
Perdue Chicken leg quarters- .59/lb(rock bottom)
Carrots 1lb bag- .79
ShopRite large 18-pk eggs- 1.79
ShopRite shredded cheese- 1.79

Open your big, frugal mouth

As you are reading this, I am on my way to the southern part of the state to pick up a brand new, FREE, nursery set.  No, it wasn't a lucky find on craigslist, or even freecycle, but something that we were blessed with because I opened my big, frugal mouth.

When we found out that we were pregnant and that the first trimester was almost behind us, I made a point of telling as many friends and family about our new blessing.  Besides the fact that we were excited, I wanted to "put the vibe out" that any and all deals when it came to baby were welcomed. Whether is was told to us through phone calls, e-mail, or through other family members, all was appreciated. I even made sure to spread the word with my non-frugal friends. Since hubby and I are in our twenties, so are most of our friends. Out of those "20-somethings" there may be only a few that appreciate saving, frugality and stretching a buck. I knew it was a long-shot asking them to keep an eye out, but it was worth a shot.

In comes our dear friend Andy. Andy is actually a friend of mine from my base, but once he and hubby met, they hit it off too. My military buddy has an eagle-eye for deals, as long as they pertain to his interests and the interests of his friends. On Monday, he happened to check our base e-mail and found out that there is a yearly baby furniture gala going on Thursday. At this gala, they give brand new nursery sets(crib, changing table and crib sheets) or children's bedroom sets to qualifying military members. For Free. He immediately forwarded the e-mail to me AND sent me a text message telling me to jump on this. There were limited amounts to give away, so I needed to register ASAP. Of course, like the busy bee I am, I took care of it and got my confirmation. My free nursery set will be waiting for me tomorrow morning. Ka.....Ching.

I write all this to say, we have to remember to continue opening our big, frugal mouths. All of my friends and family members know that I love to work deals, build on my stockpile, and grow my family on a minimal budget. But, every once in a while, you have to remind them again.  It's also wise to not rule out those that you know really aren't frugal. Because they aren't doesn't mean that one day, they may save you hundreds of dollars on something you desperately need.

Do you all have something you need to spend on soon, but are dying to find a deal on? Have you spread the word to family and friends?

Quotable Wednesday

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."

-Immanuel Kant

Question to the readers....

Since Easter is right around the corner and spring break is upon most of us, I was wondering:

How many of your plan vacations during the spring? Do you go visit family for the holiday? Maybe take a week off now instead of summer? Do you keep it frugal or treat yourself? Or, do you just "staycation" right at your house?

As always, this pertains to an upcoming post, and I would love to read what you all do around this time of year.

Meal Plan Monday!

This is one of those weeks that we do meal plans for. We save by eating in almost every week, so when special occasions. like MY BIRTHDAY!, come around, we can take advantage of eating at some of our favorite places. I've been getting lots of coupons from our favorite places to eat for my birthday, so I'll pick my top two (plus a trip to cold stone for free ice cream) and that's where we will be having dinner for the weekend. Ahh, it's so nice to do this sometimes, and know you've saved more than enough by planning past meals to celebrate :o)


Monday: Slow cooker chili with homemade tortilla chips
Tuesday: Falafel with tzatziki sauce
Wednesday: St. Patty's Day! Slow cooker corned beef, potatoes and cabbage
Thursday: My birthday! No fry mustard tenders with yellow rice and green beans
Friday: Off to my parents' house to babysit my sister....pizza night out!
Saturday: Birthday dinner out number 1!
Sunday: My mama's making me my favorite dinner!

Dessert of the week: whatever cake my mama makes me lol! Plus, free ice cream from Cold Stone creamery

Winner of the 20.00 amazon gift card!

The winner, as chosen by random.org, is entry number 91!

Congratulations to Resa Saves! And thanks for becoming a facebook fan!

She has 24 hours from the posting of this message to contact me at 4hatsandfrugal@gmail.com, or I'll pick another winner.

Thanks to all that entered!

ShopRite Deals 3/14 to 3/20

Looks like another good week to help you get to that free turkey, ham or lasagna!  Just a reminder, all match ups listed here are based on ShopRite fully doubling your coupons. If you aren't sure if your store fully doubles, contact their customer service.  If I missed anything, please feel free to add it in the comments.

Ken's salad dressing(8oz)- 1.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from 2/28SS- FREE

Barilla pasta- .99
use .50/1 coupon for piccolini or whole grain from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

French's yellow mustard- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 1/24SS doubled- FREE

International delight creamer- .99
use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS or printable doubled- FREE

ban deodorant- 1.49(again)
use .75/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

Pepperidge farm Gold fish crackers- 1.67
use .75/1 printable coupon(no longer available) doubled- .17

Lender's bagels(fridge version)- 1.25
if the little lenders are included, use .50/1 printable coupon or coupon from March All you doubled-.25

Sunlight dishwashing liquid- .99
use .25/1 coupon from 10/4 or 2/28SS doubled- .49

Quaker true delights granola bars- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 2/14RP doubled- .49

Emerald dry roasted peanuts- 1.74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/31SS or printable- .74

Ajax 2x Ultra- 1.77
use .50/1 coupon from 2/21SS doubled- .77

9lives wet food 4pack- 4 for 5.00(must buy 4)
use 1.00/2 printable coupon(print twice)- 4 for 3.00 or .79 each

Friendship sour cream- 1.29
use 1.00/2 printable coupon (use zip 30013)- .79 each

Lays potato chips- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/14SS- .99

scotch brite scrub sponges- 1.74
use .75/2 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- .99 each

real goodness lactose free milk- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/31SS or printable (use zip 10011)- .99

Superpretzels, tito pepe churros, or pretzilfils- 1.99
use .50/1 coupon from 1/31 or 2/21RP doubled- .99

pop secret popcorn- 2 for 3.00
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31SS, 2/21RP or printable- 2 for 2.00

Manischewitz egg matzo- 2.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.49

Manischewitz matzo meal- 2.50
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.50

Gorton's seafood is on sale again! Sale prices are between 2.24 to 4.99. Pull these coupons before your trip to the store:
1.00/2 coupon for any grilled item from 1/3SS
.40/1 coupon from 1/24SS
.55/1 coupon from 1/24SS
1.00/2 coupon from 1/24SS
.40/1 coupon from 2/21SS
.55/1 coupon from 2/21SS
1.00/2 coupon from 2/21SS
.60/1 coupon from February All You Magazine


Other deals:
pollo fresco leg quarters- .69/lb. rock bottom is .59, so OK price if you need it this week
russet potatoes 5lb bag- 1.49
3-pack fresh italian bread- 1.79
Similac baby formula(ready to feed)- 4 for 19.99(good price if you have those 5.00 checks)

Easy Pizza Dough

I do love the pizza dough recipe that we use the most, but when we don't have a bit of bread dough in the house(like the past few months), I default to this one. This is an Emeril recipe and is so stinking easy, that I still can't get over how you put in about 5 minutes to put it together, but yield such awesome results.  When I'm feeling particularly lazy, I forgo the stand mixer and use my bread machine to mix the dough.

Easy Pizza Dough
by Emeril Lagasse


1 cup warm water, 105 to 110 degrees
1 packet of dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/4 cups flour(may need more, dough is a bit sticky)

In your stand mixer, combine water, yeast, and sugar. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
Add salt, olive oil and flour, and attach dough hook to mixer.
Mix until the dough comes together and climbs up the hook.
Grease a large bowl and place dough inside, turning over once to coat the dough.
Cover with towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
Place dough on a floured surface, and if its a little wet, knead in more flour.
Roll out, place on pizza pan, and bake (we like ours crispy, so we grease our pan and bake at 500 degrees).

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 3/14

international delight- .99
use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS or printable doubled- FREE

ban deodorant- 1.49(again)
use .75/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

lender's bagels(fridge version)- 1.25
if the little lenders are included, use .50/1 printable coupon or coupon from March All you doubled-.25

sunlight dishwashing liquid- .99
use .25/1 coupon from 10/4 or 2/28SS doubled- .49

quaker true delights granola bars- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 2/14RP doubled- .49

emerald dry roasted peanuts- 1.74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/31SS or printable- .74

9lives wet food 4pack- 4 for 5.00(must buy 4)
use 1.00/2 printable coupon(print twice)- 4 for 3.00

scotch brite scrub sponges- 1.74
use .75/2 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- .99 each

real goodness lactose free milk- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/31SS or printable (use zip 10011)- .99

pop secret popcorn- 2 for 3.00
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31SS, 2/21RP or printable- 2 for 2.00

Other deals:
pollo fresco leg quarters- .69/lb. rock bottom is .59, so OK price if you need it this week
russet potatoes 5lb bag- 1.49

 Don't know where to buy coupons? Ebay is always a good place to find them or you can try these coupon clipping services:

the coupon clippers
coupons and things by dede
the coupon clipping crew

Quotable Wednesday-halfway through edition(IT'S A GIRL!)

"Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another."

-John Dewey

Today is the day we hopefully find out what we are having! It's also a great day because I'm halfway through my pregnancy. And to put the icing on the cake, today is my grandfather's 76th birthday! All wonderful goals that are starting points to another. I hope my grandfather is ready to live another 76 years! LOL

How cool is this?!

I just learned that 4 hats and Frugal has been featured of one of the:

75 Frugality Blogs That Will Change Your Life

 I am so giddy right now, it's ridiculous! Thanks to Rose and the team over at accountingdegree.com for placing my little old blog on your list.  You've really made my month, so far!

 Click here to check out the full list(they have some great blogs on there).

 

Meal Plan Monday!

 

Monday: Slow cooker meatloaf with box car potatoes and corn

Tuesday: Faux crab cakes with yellow rice and sweet peas(we didn't get to this last week)

Wednesday: Chicken and mushroom ziti bake

Thursday: Enchilada bake with side salad

Friday: Homemade Pizza! New pizza dough recipe will be posted this week!

Saturday: Falafel with tzatziki sauce and a side salad

Sunday: Dinner at the parents' house :o)

Dessert of the Week: Grandma's southern banana pudding(recipe coming this week)

Win a 20.00 amazon gift card!

It's finally that time again! I love doing these giveaways and I love seeing you all win.  This time around, there will be 4, yes 4, different ways to enter the contest. I'm finally launching a Facebook and Twitter page for 4 hats and frugal and I want to celebrate!

To enter:
Leave a comment letting me know what song is being "played" in this video. Some of you have already seen this video(and giggled at the silliness), so this should be easy. (one entry)
HINT: you may want to google(or swagbuck) this one. Seems like most of you all are getting it wrong! I need right answers, people! LOL and the title does start with a "Y". Now, that's a hint.


Want more chances to win? Do each of these for extra entries:
-Become a facebook fan of 4 hats and frugal, come back to this post and leave a comment telling me that you are now a fan(one entry).
-Follow 4 hats and frugal on twitter, come back to this post and leave a comment(separate from the last two) telling me that you're now following the blog (one entry).
-Check out my latest post about one of my favorite frugal secrets. Read the questions at the bottom of that post, come back here and leave your answer to those questions(one entry).

BONUS ENTRY: If you have a blog, create a post telling your readers about this contest. Leave a comment here, with the link to your post (one entry).

Now for some small rules: If you are not on blogger or have a google account, I need you to leave me an e-mail address. No address means no entry, so make sure you take care of that little step.
The entries naming the song and answering the questions from the frugal post will be suppressed until the end of the contest, just so we don't have any "mockingbirds" repeating what others have put down. Seems fair. If you aren't sure if your entry has gone through, you can always e-mail me to ask.

This contest will end Friday, March 12th, at 11:59pm EST.

Good Luck to all of you!

ShopRite Deals 3/7 to 3/13

Looks like a productive week! This should be a good week to help you use up your catalinas from Dollar Days. It also should help you get to your free turkey, ham or stouffer's lasagna even quicker. Thank you to Hot Coupon World for some of the match ups.

World's best cat litter- 6.99
use 3.00/1 printable coupon- 3.99
or use 3.00/1 coupon from 3/7SS- 3.99
then, send in Mail in Rebate for 6.99 back- 3.00 Money maker

Post cereal(natural bran, grape nuts, shredded wheat)- 2.00
use 2.00/1 printable coupon- FREE
If you can print from 4 different computers:
Buy 4 boxes
use 4 2.00/1 printables
Pay 0.00 and get back 3.00! 3.00 Money maker!

French's yellow mustard- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 1/24SS doubled- FREE

French's brown or deli mustard- .79
use .50/1 coupon from 1/24SS doubled- FREE

Ban deodorant- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

Bumblebee tuna pouches- 1.00
use .55/1 coupon from 2/21SS doubled- FREE

International delight creamer- .99
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
or use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

Suave shampoo- .66(says any variety 15oz)
use .50/1 coupon from 12/13RP(for mens shampoo) doubled- FREE
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/3RP(for professionals)- .16 each

Pepperidge farm Gold fish crackers- 1.67
use .75/1 printable coupon(no longer available) doubled- .17

Naturally Delicious dressing- 1.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon(fill out form and get coupon)- .49

Barilla Pasta- .99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 3/7SS(for piccolini or whole grain)- .49 each

Chock full o' nuts- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 1/31SS doubled- .49

Breathe Right Nasal strips- 2.49
use 2.00/1 coupon from 1/3RP- .49

Hot pocket side shots- 2.00
use .75/1 coupon from 1/31RP doubled- .50

General Mills Cereals(assorted varieties)- 4 for 8.00(must buy 4)
buy 4 Fiber One cereals
use 4 .75/1 printable coupons for Fiber One doubled (print from 2 computers)- .50 for each box

Nabisco cheese nips- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/24SS- .50

Shedd's spread country crock- 1.50
use .40/1 printable coupon(IE or FF) or coupon from 3/7SS doubled- .70

Pillsbury frosting- 1.67
use .40/1 coupon from 1/24RP doubled- .87 each

Hormel compleats- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .55/1 coupon from 2/7SS doubled- .90

Dixie napkins- 2.00
use .55/1 coupon from 1/24RP doubled- .90

Scotch brite scrub sponges(3pk)- 1.74
use .75/2 coupon from 3/7RP doubled- .98 each

Huggies baby wipes- 2.49
use .75/1 printable coupon(use zip 30002) doubled- .99

Superpretzels, tito pepe churros, or pretzilfils- 1.99
use .50/1 coupon from 1/31 or 2/21RP doubled- .99

Klondike ice cream bars- 1.99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .99

Hefty one zip bags- 1.77
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31RP- 1.27 each

Hungry Jack Complete, Light, or Buttermilk pancake mix- 1.79
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/21RP- 1.29 each

Chinet comfort cups- 2.39
use 1.00/1 printable coupon or coupon from 1/31SS- 1.39

Smuckers jelly, preserves or marmalade- 1.99
use .25/1 coupon from 2/21RP doubled- 1.49(good price for orange marmalade...a pantry staple!)

Manischewitz egg matzo- 2.49
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.49

Manischewitz matzo meal- 2.50
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.50

Gorton's seafood is on sale again! Sale prices are between 2.24 to 4.99. Pull these coupons before your trip to the store:
1.00/2 coupon for any grilled item from 1/3SS
.40/1 coupon from 1/24SS
.55/1 coupon from 1/24SS
1.00/2 coupon from 1/24SS
.40/1 coupon from 2/21SS
.55/1 coupon from 2/21SS
1.00/2 coupon from 2/21SS
.60/1 coupon from February All You Magazine



St. Patty's Day deals starting!
1.89/lb corned beef brisket
.17/lb cabbage
1.49 for 5lb bag of eastern potatoes

Friday Funny- Sonny Boy pays homage to NJ

My family and I have been laughing at this video all week. My poor Mother In Law not only watched it 4 times the day I uploaded it to you tube, but made all of her co-workers watch it.  I have to admit, my boy is a bit hilarious....and quite serious about guitar hero.  This is for you, Bon Jovi!

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 3/7

Time to get ready for St. Patty's Day!  There is also a Kraft/Nabisco/Coke deal thats going on this week. I should have a scenario or two up on the master list tomorrow. For now, check out the few things I saw so far:

St. Patty's Day deals starting!
1.89/lb corned beef brisket
.17/lb cabbage
1.49 for 5lb bag of eastern potatoes

French's yellow mustard- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 1/24SS doubled- FREE

International delight creamer- .99
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
or use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

Post cereal(natural bran, grape nuts, shredded wheat)- 2.00
use 2.00/1 printable coupon- FREE

Suave shampoo- .66(says any variety 15oz)
use .50/1 coupon from 12/13RP(for mens shampoo) doubled- FREE
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/3RP(for professionals)- .16 each

Pepperidge farm Gold fish crackers- 1.67
use .75/1 printable coupon(no longer available) doubled- .17

Nabisco chips ahoy- 1.99
if you printed that facebook coupon for BOGO cookies when you buy milk, you might want to use it now

Chock full o' nuts- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 1/31SS doubled- .49

Hormel compleats- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use .55/1 coupon from 2/7SS doubled- .90

Hefty one zip bags- 1.77
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31RP- 1.27 each

Magazines: The secret hiding place of good coupons

So many frugal "newbies" ask where is the best place to get coupons when you start on a frugal grocery journey. The most obvious place would be right in the Sunday paper. The coupon inserts are the most referenced when doing match ups for drugstores and grocery stores. We also have the wonderful printable coupons available all over the internet. Whether they come from coupons.com, smartsource or redplum.com, or even directly from the product's website, this is the easiest way to "cash in" on savings.

But what about magazines? More and more magazines are now placing great coupons inside their pages for their readers to take advantage of.  The best part is that these coupons are widely coveted by couponers because they seem to be of high value or for items that we hardly see coupons for.  To make it even better, these magazines are delivering cheaper subscription prices to lure us penny pitchers in; some are even giving away free subscriptions!  Sites like Money Saving Mom and Deal Seeking Mom constantly post deals for free or cheap subscriptions for some of your favorite mags, and they tend to be the ones that carry coupons.

Two of my favorite magazines to grab coupons from are All You and Woman's Day.  These two magazines are frequently featured in my frugal magazine tips. I had an issue with All You at first since it is only sold at Walmart (I'm not a big fan of Wally World) but once I was able to get a super cheap subscription, I was hooked. You can't beat paying around .70 an issue per your subscription and get 33.00 in coupons right in the magazine! Talk about a great deal! The articles aren't bad either, and they offer printable coupons and free samples on their website as well.  I mostly love Woman's Day for the articles and tips, but they consistently surprise me with the great coupons they offer inside their issues. I got lucky and received this subscription for free, but once a great deal comes up to get another subscription, I will NOT mind paying some pocket change to renew.

Speaking of magazine deals, here is a great deal that was just passed on to me from Campus Fundraiser: they are offering 40 issues of All You and 68 issues(i know!) of Woman's Day for only 28.00 after special discount!! The subscriptions are 40 dollars each, but by using the special link I'll provide below, they will credit you back 12 dollars within 24 hours. That comes out to about .70 an issue for All You (THE BEST price you will find) and about .40 an issue for Woman's Day.  Click here to subscribe and check out the other many magazines they are offering. I already took advantage of the Woman's Day deal. I just couldn't pass it up.

Do you all take advantage of coupons from your magazines? Have you taken advantage of the cheap or free magazine deals that float around the internet?

Quotable Wednesday

 

"Life becomes harder for us when we live for others, but it also becomes richer and happier."

-Albert Schweitzer

The deal on nuts...

Here in this house, we do love to stock up on nuts. I mean, we ourselves ARE nuts, but that's a whole different post. As a frugal mama, I love to have all kinds of nuts available in the house for quick snacks and a few sneaky tricks I use in cooking. It also helps that, depending on the type, they are an inexpensive variety of protein.

Throughout the year, I keep an eye on sales on any type of nuts, trail mixes or prepared chopped nuts.  No matter what type it is, I make an effort to stock up on them when they are cheap or free. When placed in the freezer, they can last a very long time and can be used in a variety of ways.

We love to use slivered almonds in our salads, fried rice(chopped peanuts too!) and on top of my easy raisin bran muffins.  Heck, at winter time, I can easily change out peanuts for almonds and make a yummy almond brittle for pennies on the dollar.

My favorite trick is so sneaky but works with the hungry twosome I feed here.  I love to stockpile those flavored nuts, like the salt and vinegar or salt and pepper almonds.  We do love to snack on those for a bit of time, but after a while, we get tired of them. I grind up the rest of them, and hide them in my bread crumbs or "panko"(crushed rice cereal) crumbs.  This lets me add even more protein to our meals that use bread crumbs as an ingredient, and in turn, causes my brood to eat less of that dinner. We used to have a whole meatloaf only last a day and a half, but now they sit, enjoy, and may only eat 2 slices at dinner. The meatloaf then becomes lunch for the next 3 days at least.  This "quarterback sneak" is also great in my no-fry mustard tenders. The tenders gets even more golden brown and the aroma is heavenly from the roasting almond "paste" in the bread crumbs.

My major love is that it's yet another inexpensive way to incorporate more vitamins into your family, and add unexpected protein into their diet....while extending some of their favorite meals.

Are nuts a main snack in your house? What's your favorite to stock up on? Do you use them in different ways?

Meal Plan Monday!

Yum Yum....here we go!

Monday: Spice rubbed steak served over garden salad
Tuesday: Chicken and broccoli with white rice
Wednesday: Falafel with tzatziki sauce(we didn't get to have it last week)
Thursday: Steak fried rice
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: crab cakes with sweet peas and yellow rice
Sunday: leftovers night

Dessert of the week: Slow cooker peach cobbler