Strawberry surprise cake

I don't know what it is about the rice krispies in this recipe, but they just DO something to it. I actually developed it without them at first, but I felt like it was just missing something. Lo and behold, I looked up on top of the fridge and saw the box of cereal. I threw culinary caution to the wind, and tossed some in. And I'm telling you, it really does make a difference! I hope you all like it.

Strawberry Surprise cake

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temp.
1/2 cup rice krispies
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract(optional)
8 to 10 strawberries, hulled and sliced thin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8x8 or small round baking dish with cooking or baking spray. Set aside.
Place sugar and butter in a bowl and cream together for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
With the mixer still going, mix in eggs, one egg at a time.
Gradually mix in the flour until just incorporated.
Drop in the vanilla, lemon extract(optional) and rice krispies. Fold into batter until incorporated.
Place half of the batter in the bottom of the baking dish. Then, place the sliced strawberries on top of the batter.
Place the rest of the batter on top of the strawberries and make sure all the berries are covered.
Place in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top and bottom of the cake is lightly browned.
Once baked, let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn upside down onto a cake pedestal or cute plate.

We like to have this cake a little warm with cool whip on top, like in the picture. But you can keep it simple by dusting powdered sugar on top or even having with some of your favorite ice cream!

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 5/2

Mission tortillas- 1.49
use .75/1 printable coupon (select Kroger and look for coupon) doubled- FREE

Orville Redenbacher's cheese flavored popcorn- 1.59
use .75/1 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .09

Wise snacks- 1.49
use .50/1 printable coupon(IE or FF) for cheez doodles doubled- .49
(this link also prints a .50/1 coupon for dipsy doodles!)

Orville Redenbacher's popcorn- 1.59
use 1.00/2 coupon from 3/28SS- 1.09 each

Dole fruit bowls- 2 for 4.00
use .75/2 coupon from 4/25SS doubled- 2 for 2.50 or 1.25 each

Tropicana orange juice- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 4/18 or 4/25RP- 1.49 each



Other Deals:
London broil twin pack- 1.69/lb
ShopRite Lactose free milk (64oz)- 2.99
Lactaid lactose free milk(64oz)- 2.99

Shop Rite Shoppers- FREE Mission Tortillas week of 5/2!

Mission tortillas will be 1.49 during next week's sales.  Print a .75/1 coupon from this site (select kroger, and then look for the mission products coupon), and get them for FREE! There isn't a store logo on these, so they will be perfect to use at ShopRite.

Also, while you are printing the tortilla coupons, go ahead and print more .75/1 sargento coupons to use for this week's sales! More free cheese to go with our tortillas next week. Wahoo!

Quotable Wednesday

“God educates men by casting them upon their own resources.  Man learns to swim by being tossed into life’s maelstrom and left to make his way ashore.  No youth can learn to sail his life-craft in a lake sequestered and sheltered from all storms, where other vessels never come.  Skill comes through sailing one’s craft amidst rocks and bars and opposing fleets, amidst storms and whirls and counter-currents.  Responsibility alone drives man to toil and brings out his best gifts.”

-Newell Dwight Hills

Get your spring cleaning finished!

Have you all started your spring cleaning? I have to admit, I totally forgot to get started on it! With the weather going from hot to cold day by day, I was still in winter mode. But, I didn't fret. I remembered that I still have my spring cleaning series posted right on this blog. Easy reference for me to get started! If you are new to 4 hats and Frugal, you may not have caught my series. That's OK; i'll re-post the links for you. Hopefully they can motivate you to get that cleaning done in a blink of an eye!

Part 1- The bathroom
Part 2- The bedroom
Part 3- The living room
Part 4- The kitchen
Part 5- The hallway, closets and corridor

These are meant to be done weekly, so you can take your time with each one, or go ballistic, do one each day, and be done in less than a week. It's your choice. Have fun and get those dust bunnies!

Meal Plan Monday!

We're using the rubber chicken method this week! If you never saw my post on how we do it in this house, check it out here. I'm so excited...I haven't been able to do this in a while since the price of whole chickens haven't made me jump for joy in a while. This should be fun :o)

Monday: Roasted Chicken with carrots and buttered noodles
Tuesday: chicken and pasta stove top casserole
Wednesday: Mexican Corn soup
Thursday: Chicken fried rice
Friday: Chicken calzones
Saturday: ultimate veggie soup(made with the chicken stock) and homemade rolls
Sunday: Day off! Going to the parents' house...

Winner of the Stop and Shop GC giveaway!

As chosen by random.org, the winner of the gift card is...


entry number 1, Jenny! Congratulations to you! I've contacted her through e-mail and she has 24 hours to give me their information, or I'll choose another winner. Thanks to all that entered!

ShopRite Deals 4/25 to 5/1

Stayfree pads- 1.99
use 2.00/1 coupon from 3/28SS- FREE

Sargento low sodium shredded cheese- 1.49
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE
use .75/1 coupon from 4/18SS doubled- FREE

Heinz relish- .99
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Marcal small steps Toilet paper roll- 1.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from 4/25SS- FREE

Stonyfied Organic Greek yogurt- 1.00
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Mennen and Ladies speed stick- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 4/25SS doubled- FREE(make sure coupon doesn't say DND-9)

Heinz Worcestershire sauce- 1.59
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .09

Hot pocket side shots- 1.66
use .75/1 coupon from 1/31RP doubled- .16

Betty Crocker cake mix or frosting- 1.00
use .75/2 coupon(one cake mix and one frosting) from 3/28SS doubled- .25 each
Also, 2 box tops will print from the catalina machine, so keep a look out for those...

Reynold's wrap recycled foil- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 4/18SS doubled- .49

Malt-o-meal cereal- 1.99
use .75/1 printable coupon for chocolate cereals doubled- .49

Mom's best natural cereal- 1.99
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .49

Marcal small steps napkins- 1.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 4/25SS- .49

Vitamin water- 1.00
use 1.00/2 coupon from 4/25SS- .50 each

Skippy Peanut butter- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use 2 .50/1 coupons from 3/28RP doubled(expires 4/25!)- .50 each

Lea and Perrins Worecestershire sauce- 2.79
use 2.00/1 printable coupon- .79

BC Hamburger, chicken or tuna helper- 3 for 4.00(must buy 3)
use .75/3 coupon from 4/11SS doubled- .83 each
use .75/3 printable coupon doubled- .83 each

Bush's grillin beans- 1.33
use 1.00/2 coupon from 4/18SS- .83 each

Xtra laundry detergent- 1.88
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/28SS- .88

Lawry's Marinades- 2 for 2.00 (must buy 2)
use 2 .50/1 printable coupons doubled- 1.00 each
 
Dole fruit jars- 2.50
use .75/1 coupon from May All You magazine doubled- 1.00

Dial 8pack soap- 1.88
use .35/1 coupon from 3/7RP doubled- 1.18

Lay's Kettle cooked chips- 2 for 5.00
use BOGO coupon from their facebook page(become a fan)- 1.25 each

___________________________________
50% off Nature Bounty Vitamins
grab the following coupons before going to the store to make some great deals:
1.00/1 coupon from 3/14RP
1.00/1 coupon from 4/25RP
3.00/1 You Life multi-vitamins from 3/14RP
___________________________________

Honey bunches of oats cereal- 2 for 4.00
Catalina deal- Buy 4 boxes of HBO cereal and get 3.00 back
Catalina deal- Buy 4 boxes of any Post cereal and get 3.00 back

Deal Idea(deal only good Sunday, 4/25!):

Buy 4 boxes- 8.00
use 2 1.00/2 coupons from 3/14SS

Pay 6.00 and get back 6.00 in catalinas! (Thanks for the heads up, Jamie!)
______________________________
Purina Pet sale- spend 20.00, get 20.00 in catalinas back (4 5.00 catalinas for purina products to use for 4 future trips)
Friskies dry cat food- 2 for 7.99 (must buy 2)
Friskies canned food- 10 for 4.29 (must buy 10)
Fancy Feast canned food- 10 for 5.00 (must buy 5)
Tidy Cats cat litter, 20lb bag- 2 for 6.00
Mighty Dog canned dog food- 6 for 3.49

Deal Idea:
Buy 4 bags friskies dry cat food- 15.98
Buy 10 cans of fancy feast- 5.00

use 4 1.00/1 coupons for friskies dry cat food from 2/7RP

Pay 16.98 and get back 20.00 in catalinas! 3.00 money maker!

Deal Idea:
buy 40 cans of friskies canned cat food- 17.16
buy 6 cans mighty dog canned food- 3.49

use 2 1.00/15 coupons for friskies canned food from 2/7RP
use 4 FREE item coupons for mighty dog canned food from 4/11SS

Pay 16.33 and get back 20.00 in catalinas. 3.67 money maker!

Deal Idea:
Buy 4 bags Friskies dry cat food- 15.98
Buy 2 bags tidy cat litter- 6.00

use 4 1.00/1 coupons for friskies dry cat food from 2/7RP
use 2 1.00/1 coupons for Tidy cats litter from 2/7RP

Pay 15.98 and get back 20.00 in catalinas! 4.00 money maker!

_____________________________
Other Deals
Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs, big pack- .88/lb
Bartlett pears or Granny Smith apples- .99/lb 
4lb bag navel oranges- 1.99

Friday Funny- Preggo Belly Grafitti

Well, we had quite an artistic adventure on art day this week.  Sonny Boy got to "paint" my belly with markers. Why I let him do this, I do not know. I love him, I guess. He's my big boy!  Afterward, he told me he wanted to have 10 art shows and then demanded I find his art. No, I'm not joking. Here's the damage:

I'm sure his sister will appreciate that he went "graffiti crazy" all over her dwelling place for 9 months. And if that wasn't enough damage, I video taped him doing this to my skin. Yup, go ahead and look:



Look at the little Picasso....he's proud of his work:

Cruising for a Hybrid....win a 20.00 Stop and Shop gift card!

Stop and Shop is doing this awesome contest during the month of May--- buy 5 participating General Mills products, use a reusable shopping bag, and get entered to win a Hybrid car! Now thats an Earth Day present to remember! Thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills, I was sent a 20 dollar gift card for Stop and Shop and encouraged to go try to get my hiney entered into the contest. But, you all know me, I can't just go buy items; I have to see how much of a deal I can get while still "playing the game" and getting an entry. Here are the items I ended up getting:

Betty Crocker potatoes- 3 for 5.00
used printable coupons, so ended up getting them for .87 each

2 yoplait delights multi-packs- 4.00
used 2 1.00/1 coupons, so ended up getting them for 1.00 each

And that was it! 5 items right there and my total was only 4.61!  You know I was hooked after that. I did that transaction one more time and then ended up doing a 2 transactions that included cascadian farms frozen veggies(we are dying to get our frozen veggie stockpile back up). So I ended up with 20 items for the 20 dollars I used. And oh yeah, I got entered to win that snazzy car 4 times. I call that a good shopping trip.

Would you like to win a 20.00 gift card of your own? I'll make this one easy. Just leave a comment telling me if you are doing (or did) anything for Earth Day. Make sure to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

The contest will end on Sunday, April 25th at 11:59pm. I'll announce the winner on Monday. Good Luck!

Big thanks to MyBlogSpark and General Mills for the opportunity to do this giveaway.

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 4/25

Stayfree pads- 1.99
use 2.00/1 coupon from 3/28SS- FREE

Sargento low sodium shredded cheese- 1.49
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Hot pocket side shots- 1.66
use .75/1 coupon from 1/31RP doubled- .16

Malt-o-meal cereal- 1.99
use .75/1 printable coupon for chocolate cereals doubled- .49
 
Dole fruit jars- 2.50
use .75/1 coupon from May All You magazine doubled- 1.00
___________________________________
Purina Pet sale- spend 20.00, get 20.00 in catalinas back (4 5.00 catalinas for purina products to use for 4 future trips)
Friskies dry cat food- 2 for 7.99 (must buy 2)
Fancy Feast canned food- 10 for 5.00 (must buy 5)

Deal Idea:
Buy 4 bags friskies dry cat food- 15.98
Buy 10 cans of fancy feast- 5.00

use 4 1.00/1 coupons for friskies dry cat food from 2/7RP

Pay 16.98 and get back 20.00 in catalinas! 3.00 money maker!
__________________
Come back Saturday for the complete list!Remember to follow 4 hats and frugal on twitter to stay updated on the newest ShopRite deals...

Why Mommy Bloggers are broke....

Man, this article really put me on my bum! I nodded my head to every single one listed and then got depressed lol.  Great round up of realness! Check it out here.

ShopRite: 6.00 scrubbing bubbles money maker!

A great deal has popped up for scrubbing bubbles cleaners this week!

Buy 2 scrubbing bubbles extend-a-clean starter kits- 7.99 each or 15.98 total
Buy 2 scrubbing bubbles power saver refills- 3.49 each or 6.98 total

use 2 5.00/1 coupons from 4/11SS
use 2 BOGO printable coupons(free refill when you buy a starter kit)

Pay 5.98 and get back 12.00 in catalinas; 4.00 for buying 4 SB products, 2 3.00 catalinas for buying the starter kits, and 2 1.00 catalinas for buying the refills!

AND! If you haven't exhausted the SC Johnson rebate yet, that will yield you another 5.00! So, a total of 17.00 in rebates and catalinas!

Thanks to Hot Coupon World for the tip!

Quotable Wednesday

"Compassion is the radicalism of our time."

-The Dalai Lama

Blog Spotlight- Our Homeschool Home

This week's blog spotlight is on Robyn at Our Homeschool Home. I "internet friended" Robyn after last week's Blog Party and I'm so glad I did!  I just love her blog; the look of it, the posts, the realness.  Even though I don't home school, I still love to read how she does it and the everyday ins and outs of her family.  You have to check out her cute, funny post about yoga pants. I re-read it yesterday just to give me a much-needed tickle.

Robyn, keep up the great work and can't wait to see more posts from you!

ShopRite Shoppers: .50 Windex!

Apparently there is a catalina deal going on for Windex products at ShopRite! Here's the deal for this week:

Buy 2 Windex glass cleaners- 2.50 each or 5.00 total
use 2 1.00/1 printable coupons

Pay 3.00 and get back a 2.00 catalina for buying 2. So, .50 each after coupons and catalina!

Thanks Frugal Mom Jenn for the heads up!

And the winner is....

Remember that lovely summer set that I was giving away last week? Well, we have a winner! Thanks to random.org for making my life easier and randomly choosing number 28!

Congratulations jilliebeanmh@.....

I've contacted her through e-mail and she has 48 hours to get back to me or i'll pick another winner. Thanks to all that entered!

Meal Plan Monday!

What a great week coming up!  I don't know why...it just feels like it's going to be a good one. Oh yeah, it may be because we get to have one of my favorite meals right at the beginning of the week, and I get to feature another recipe this week with one of my favorite fruits: Strawberries!  Also, thanks to Expo TV, we get to try Kraft's new homesyle mac and cheese(we got 3 big bags to try!) so that will be included in one of our meals. I purposely made my homemade mac and cheese last week so we could compare. Should be fun.

Monday:  Red Beans and Rice with side salad
Tuesday: Baked Chicken thighs with Kraft homestyle mac and cheese and spinach
Wednesday: Baked ravioli with sliced cucumbers
Thursday: Fried Rice and egg drop soup
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Dinner at my parents' house!

Dessert of the week: Strawberry surprise cake (recipe coming this week!)

ShopRite Deals 4/18 to 4/24

Allen's frozen veggies- .69
use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled(DND5)- FREE

Earth's best baby food- 3 for 1.00(must buy 3)
buy 6, use 1.00/6 coupon from march American Baby magazine- 6 for 1.00 or .16 each

Ortega taco seasoning packets- 3 for 2.00
use .75/2 coupon from 4/18SS doubled- 3 for .50 or .16 each

Betty Crocker cake mix or frosting- 1.00
use .75/2 coupon(one cake mix and one frosting) from 3/28SS doubled- .25 each

Daisy sour cream- 1.49
use .60/1 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .29

NEW! Ronzoni garden delight-3 for 4.00(must buy 3)
use 2 .75/1 printable coupons doubled- 3 for 1.00 or .33 each!
If you can print another coupon from a second computer, you can get all 3 FREE! Thanks Mindi!

Yoplait light yogurt- .50
use .40/6 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .36 each wyb 6

Reynold's wrap foil- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .49

Chock full o' nuts- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .49

Fisher chef sliced almonds- 1.74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 12/13, 1/10, 2/7 or 2/28SS- .74

Skippy peanut butter- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use 2 .60/1 coupons from 3/28RP doubled- .80 each

8th continent soy milk- 1.89
use 1.00/1 printable- .89
use 2.00/1 printable that was available a while ago- FREE!

Green Works natural cleaner- 2.49
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .99

Lawry's Marinade- 2 for 4.00(must buy 2)
use 2 .50/1 coupons from 4/18RP doubled- 1.00 each

Ellio's pizza- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/7SS- 1.49 each

Alouette brie cheese- 2.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/21SS- 1.49

State fair corn dogs- 2.79
use .55/1 coupon from 2/14RP doubled(DND5)- 1.69
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- 1.69
(if the first printable doesn't work, click here and sign up)

Raid ant and roach spray- 2.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/7SS- 1.99

Other Deals
Great lakes chunk cheese- .88
Colonna grated parmesan- .99
ShopRite Whipped topping- .99
Red or green grapes- .99/lb

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 4/18

Earth's best baby food- 3 for 1.00(must buy 3)
buy 6, use 1.00/6 coupon from march American Baby magazine- 6 for 1.00 or .16 each

Daisy sour cream- 1.49
use .60/1 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .29

Reynold's wrap foil- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .49

Skippy peanut butter- 2 for 4.0(must buy 2)
use 2 .60/1 coupons from 3/28RP doubled- .80 each

8th continent soy milk- 1.89
use 1.00/1 printable- .89
use 2.00/1 printable that was available a while ago- FREE!

Ellio's pizza- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/7SS- 1.49 each

Alouette brie cheese- 2.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/21SS- 1.49

Quick, easy and frugal party dips!

My regular readers know that I love to re-cap some great frugal tips from magazines and list them in posts. It helps me to have a place to review all the great things I've come across and it seems to help my readers hone in on the best advice  that can come from the many (free or cheap) magazines we read monthly. 

So, when I came across this wonderful booklet in Food Network Magazine with 50 great party dips, I just had to give it it's own special post! I made sure to pick out the dips that are not only inventive, but use frugal ingredients. I mean, depending on where you live, a dip made with fresh artichoke hearts might not be the most frugal idea.  Here are the ones that I was so impressed with and a few of my own recipes thrown in:

1. Poor man's Hummus- Add 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 can chickpeas, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1/2 cup hot water to a food processor and puree.

2. Deviled Dip- Puree 8 hard-boiled eggs with 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 chopped pickle, a dash of hot sauce and paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pimento-Cheese Dip- Mix 1/2 pound grated cheddar and pepper jack, 1/4 cup each mayonnaise and sour cream and 2 tablespoons diced pimentos.  Season with hot sauce, onion and garlic powders.

4. Eggplant Caviar- Roast 1 eggplant at 400 degrees until tender, about 45 minutes(roast in a toaster oven to save some electricity!). Once roasted, peel and chop. Mix with 2 tablespoons each olive oil and parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 chopped garlic clove, salt and pepper.

5. Olive tapenade- Pulse 1 cup black olives, 3 anchoives, 2 tablespoons each olive oil and capers, 1 tablespoon of lemon, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme and one garlic clove in a food processor.

6. Clam dip- Puree 2 cans clams with 8 ounces cream cheese, a handful of parsley, 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and mayo, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons clam juice and 1/2 teaspoon celery salt.  Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper.

7. Refried bean dip- saute 1/2 chopped onion,  2 chopped garlic cloves and 2 teaspoons ground cumin in olive oil. Add 2 cans pinto beans and salt; mash, adding chicken broth until creamy.

8. Baked Ricotta- Mix 1 cup ricotta, 1 teaspoon each chopped sage and lemon zest, salt and pepper. Bake in an oiled ramekin at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.

9. Hot Crab dip- Mix 8 ounces each crabmeat and cream cheese, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup parmasan, a splash of lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove,  and a pinch of pepper in a baking dish.  Add 1/2 cup chopped basil and parsley.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

10.  Blue Cheese dip- Puree 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 3/4 cup mayo and 1/2 pound blue cheese.  Add chopped chives, dash of Worcestershire sauce, and celery salt and pepper to taste.

11. Wasabi dip- Combine 2 tablespoons wasabi powder and 2 tablespoons water then set aside for 20 minutes(or use the tube of wasabi paste from the store and squeeze out 2 tablespoons of paste).  Mash with 8 ounces each cream cheese and ricotta and 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar.

12. Bagna Cauda- Melt 1 stick butter with 1/2 cup olive oil.  Add 5 chopped garlic cloves and 8 chopped anchovies and mash together.  Serve warm with crudites.

13. Aioli- Whisk 2 or 3 minced garlic cloves with 2 egg yolks.  Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups olive oil.  Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste; thin with water as needed. Serve with crudites.

14. Queso dip- Saute 3 tablespoons minced onion in oil.  Add 1 can green chiles, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 cup beer, 1/2 pound grated cheddar and a handful of chopped cilantro(optional).  Cook until cheese melts, then broil until bubbly.

15. Ricotta-Tomato dip- Simmer 2 cups tomato sauce in a small skillet. Add 1 cup ricotta in dollops and warm through.  Garnish with basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

16. Pizza dip- Make the ricotta-tomato dip(number 15) in a small ovenproof skillet; top with diced mozzarella and pepperoni, then bake at 350 degrees until bubbling.

Quotable Wednesday

"If you were happy everyday of your life, you wouldn't be a human being. You'd be a game show host."

-Heathers(1988)

Oh Baby! Frugal Baby Shower tips

Baby showers can be one of the best parties to attend, while trying to figure out what to give, without busting your budget can be daunting.  Here are a few ideas to get the wheels turning in your brain and keep your checking account full.

Look but don't touch.....the registry
Ahh the infamous baby registry.  It can be so inviting to guests to just look down an online list, pick a gift and call it a day. But, by really paying attention to what is chosen, you can see what products are important to the mom-to-be and what kind of shower this may turn out to be.
For example, if most of her picks have to do with breast feeding, you know that is something truly important to her and you can gift accordingly. In the same aspect, if you see 200 dollar dressers and 600 dollar cribs listed, you can assume that this party just might be a bit more upscale and too rich for your blood.
The best part is that once you figure these hints out, you do NOT have to buy gifts right from the registry. You'll be able to keep the new mama's wish list in mind and randomly find deals in places where you actually shop, like your favorite department stores or even the grocery store.

The baby deals are all around...even at the grocery store
Yes, the grocery store! I think this is one of those places that most shoppers tend to look over when it comes to things other than groceries.  Next time you are picking up a bag of groceries from the store, take a walk down the baby aisle. More often than not, you will find a great sale not only on diapers and baby food, but baby lotions, pacifiers, sippy cups and more.  These are all items that can easily be turned into a cute baby basket.  Also take a look down the laundry detergent aisle. Sales on Dreft and "Free and Clear" detergents pop up quite a bit.  A most grateful mom-to-be will squeal if you can give her the gift of a laundry detergent stockpile. Baby clothes, bibs, burp clothes and such get washed frequently so detergent can be used up in a flash. Also, you can pair the detergent with some packs of onesies and call it a gift! Speaking of onesies....

Stick to the basics
I can't say enough about this tip. I think when guests go shopping for baby gifts and get caught up in all the cute little outfits and fun little toys, they forget that those things are mostly temporary. Getting someone a newborn outfit for their baby means that gift will only get used maybe once or twice before the baby grows out of it.  You'll have to think on a bigger scale when it comes to baby gifts, so pay attention to the basics.  Onesies, sippy cups, burp clothes, crib sheets and baby socks are just a few things that you can focus on.  But don't just grab a few in size 0 to 3 months and call it a day; make sure to be a responsible gift giver and think ahead.  When a friend of mine was having twins, I went out and got her items that would last up to one year with her girls. I got her onesies, but made sure to get multiple packets in each size up to 18 months. I got her sippy cups, but made sure they were the small size ones to start off with and then the 8oz ones for when the girls were older. I did the same with socks and diapers.  Her girls are now 7 and she still talks about that gift. It set her up for success and gave her a mini stockpile of baby items that she knew she would need eventually.  It's understandable that we want to pick up the cutest little outfits for baby, but let's make sure we get that outfit in at least 3 sizes. Believe me, it will be greatly appreciated. 


Offer your services...whatever they may be
Do you love to babysit? Are you a good cook? Do you have a knack for cleaning and organizing? Then offer up those services as a gift.  Most Moms won't ever think to ask for help, so offering it up to them before it even comes to mind is a great way to give of yourself.  New Moms tend to not have much time to cook a quality meal, so you can offer up your services there. Either make a plan to come by the first few weeks after the baby is born to cook a meal for her in-house, or cook some of your "never fail, always taste great" meals and drop them off to her a few days after the baby is delivered.  Do you love to clean? About a week or two after the arrival of baby, I guarantee you she will need help in that area.  Either help keeping up with the cleaning she's been trying to do, or help to get motivated to start.  About a month or so down the line, she may even be ready to call a babysitter. Make sure to offer that service to her at the shower so she knows that you would love to be on the short list of people she'll trust to take care of her baby for a bit.


Fill those gift baskets with more than diapers
Keep in mind that you don't always have to go "full baby" at a shower.  The parents or older siblings can be the recipients of your gifts. So often, the other members of the family can be neglected when a new baby arrives.  Great a "date night" basket filled with a video store gift card, large popcorn tub and a box of microwave popcorn.  Or, for the older siblings, create a gift filled with cool toys or crafts for them to play with while visiting Mom at the hospital.

Inspiration goes a long way
Please don't forget the Mamas!  This is one of those times that they need support and lots of encouragement. If you can't give them advice from experience, find a greatly reviewed book or even a wonderful card to add to those gifts.  Truthfully, a hand-written note expressing how proud you are of your friend or family member will make her feel like a million bucks.  Your love is one of the most and least expensive things you can give a new Mom.

Quick tips:
-Keep a look out for online deals at places like amazon.com and buy.com.  We tend to forget that these sites do offer deals on baby items, and at a great price! If you do swagbucks, you can lower your amount you pay even further by using your bucks to get amazon gift cards.  If you don't know about swagbucks, check this out and sign up here.  Also, if you order online, don't forget to check with sites like Ebates, Cashbaq and Shop At Home to see if you can get cash back on those purchases.
-Watch your drug stores. This is yet another place where you can find hidden baby item deals, as long as you keep your eyes open.
-Gift cards are more than welcome.  Unlike giving these around the holidays, giving a gift card to a new Mom is like giving her license to shop for whatever will make her life easier at that time. Since babies can be particular when it comes to the type of bottles, diapers, and pacifiers they like, giving a gift card gives Mom the chance to try out other items and see which ones fit her baby. If you have a mypoints account, you can use your points to order gift cards from target, walmart and even drug stores like walgreens and CVS.

Reader Question- Baby Showers or Celebrations...

Man, this is a hot topic in the "baby worlds" online and I wanted to get your perspective, especially since I'll be putting up a post on how to give a frugal baby celebration.  So what say you?

Do you believe that every child's birth should be celebrated in some way? Do you think it's irresponsible and greedy to have more than one? Or do you not care and don't even go to them in the first place?

I can't wait to see what you all think and can't wait to see what you think about my party post for tomorrow!

Meal Plan Monday!

It's time for another week of meal planning! I have drill yet again(I feel like I just had it!) so the boys will be on their own for the weekend.  The kiddo has a cold and I just getting over having the flu this past weekend (ugh) so I think my Mom's Chicken and Noodles are in order to get us back to center.  I've also been craving deviled eggs, so I'm going to make those along with slow cooker BBQ baked beans and cornbread. Sounds like a yummy summer meal!

Monday: Slow cooker meatloaf with box car potatoes and green beans
Tuesday: Mom's Chicken and Noodles
Wednesday: Slow cooker baked beans with deviled eggs and homemade cornbread
Thursday: Baked macaroni and cheese with tomato soup
Friday: Homemade Pizza night!

Dessert of the Week: Grandma's sour cream pound cake

ShopRite Deals 4/11-4/17

A big welcome to all of my fellow party people from 5 minutes for Mom! If you are a ShopRite shopper, please feel free to bookmark my page(or add me to your twitter and facebook!) to find your match ups for each week's circulars. Here are a few things about ShopRite and my match ups:

ShopRite is a coupon doubling store. Some stores will fully doubled(a .75/1 coupon will double to 1.50) and some will only double up to .99 or 1.00( a .75/1 coupon will double to 1.00). I base my match ups on fully doubling stores.
If you aren't sure if your ShopRite fully doubles or not, give their customer service a call. You can find the number on ShopRite.com.

ShopRite also participates in the cellfire program which will add e-coupons to your price plus card(the store's loyalty card for their shoppers). Every once in a while, I will match up some deals with some cellfire coupons. Please feel free to sign up for the program so you can easily add the coupons to your card when a great deal pops up.
____________________________

Wishbone salad dressing 8oz- .99
use .75/1 coupon from 3/28RP doubled- FREE

Betty Crocker cake mix- 1.00
Betty Crocker frosting- 1.00
use .75/2(one cake mix and one frosting) from 3/28SS doubled-  .25 each!

Hershey's chocolate milk- 1.00
use .35/1 printable coupon (for FF or IE) doubled- .30 each

Sunny D drink- .99
use .25/1 coupon from 2/7SS doubled- .49

Herr's pretzels- 1.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/10RP- .49

NEW! Welch's refrigerated juice- 2.00
use .75/1 coupon from 3/14SS doubled- .50

Ziploc EZ zipper bags- 1.69
use .55/1 coupon from 2/21 or 3/21SS doubled- .59
Buy 3 and get a 2.00 catalina back! A .23 money maker!
Send in for the SC Johnson rebate, and get back another 5.00, making it a 5.23 money maker

Minute rice ready to serve- 1.67
use .50/1 coupon from 1/24SS or 2/7RP doubled(exp 4/16!)- .67

Eggland's best eggs- 1.69
use .50/1 coupon from 1/31SS doubled- .69
use .50/1 coupon from Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens or Parents magazines doubled- .69

Herr's tortilla chips 1.89
use 1.00/1 from 2/21RP- .89

Tropicana OJ or Trop50 -1.99
use BOGO coupon from Tropicana rewards(was available 4/7 only)- .99 each
use 1.00/1 coupon for Trop50 from 3/14RP- .99

Band Aids- 1.99
use .50/1 coupon from 3/14RP doubled- .99

McCain frozen potato products- 2.00
use .50/1 coupon from 2/28SS doubled-1.00

Hebrew National Beef Franks- 2.49
use .75/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- 1.00

Vaseline sheer infusion lotion- 4.75
use 3.75/1 coupon from 4/11RP- 1.00

Pepperidge Farm chunk cookies- 2.27
use .60/1 coupon from 2/21SS doubled- 1.07
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- 1.27

Kraft philly cream cheese- 1.69
use .55/2 printable bricks coupon doubled- 1.14

Kelloggs cereal- 3 for 5.00
use 1.50/2 coupon for rice krispies from 3/28RP-1.16 each

Hefty OneZip bags- 1.88
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/31RP- 1.38 each

Fab or Dynamo laundry detergent- 1.99
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/21SS- 1.49 each

Whole fruit sorbet- 2.50
use .50/1 coupon from 3/28RP doubled- 1.50

Alouette crumbled feta- 2.99
use .50/1 coupon 3/21SS doubled- 1.99

Whiskas dry cat food- 3.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/28RP- 2.99
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Buy 6 qualifying pillsbury products, get 4.00 back
Pillsbury Grands - .99
use .30/2 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .69 each

Deal Idea:
buy 6 biscuit tubes- 5.94
use 3 .30/2 coupons doubled- 1.80 off
pay 4.14 and get back a 4.00 catalina!
_____________________________________

Buy 25.00 worth of Kimberly Clark Items, get 5.00 back
Buy 35.00 worth of Kimberly Clark Items, get 7.00 back
Buy 10.00 worth of Kimberly Clark Items, get 10.00 back


Huggies Jumbo pack diapers- 8.99

Deal Idea:
buy 4 packs of huggies-35.96
use 4 3.00/1 printable coupons ( I heard these reset here and here)- 12.00 off
pay 23.96 and get back 5.00. So, 4.24 a pack after catalina and you get 35.96 added towards your baby bucks points!
_______________________________

4 Day Price Break- Wednesday to Saturday
Banquet frozen meals- .88
use 1.00/4 coupon from 3/14SS- .63 each

Other Deals:
Chicken drumsticks or thighs- .88/lb
Strawberries -1.49(limit 2)
ShopRite split top bread- 1.50

Welcome to the 2010 Blog Party!

I want to say a big welcome to all of the new readers and future friends from the 2010 Blog Party over at 5 minutes for Mom! It's so great to have you here and I hope you enjoy the site.

 my inspiration...

As it says on the top of my blog, I am a frugal wife/student/mom/airman looking to share great frugal ideas, success in the world's grocery challenges, a clean house, well-adjusted child(ren) and world domination. OK, maybe not the last one!  I love to share whatever tips or tricks that I can develop in my little brain when it comes to keeping family life and finances frugal, while still keeping my home a fun place to grow and love one another.


So you can get to know me further, and my site, as well as learn a few frugal ways(and recipes) that are perfect for partying, take a gander at these links:


Frugal entertaining (tips for all year 'round)
Quick lemonade- the frugal way
Homemade marshmallows
Apple chips
chocolate popcorn

And to recover from your online party hangover:
A frugal spa day...at home!

I can't wait to get this week started with you all. I have some great party-themed posts ready for everyone and I know that you'll love them.

By the way, have you seen the great giveaway I'm doing this week? Click here and enter! It's a great summertime treat.

And since 5 Minutes for Mom is so awesome, they are giving away prizes to the bloggers that are participating in the party! I'd love to win the $100 gift certificate from Earnest Parenting.

Or, I would love to get my hands on the $25 target gift card from Frugal Novice.

Maybe I can even win the $25 amazon.com gift card from The Product Review Place. All great prizes!

If not those top three, then numbers 18, 22, 34, 35, 37,73, or 74 from the U.S. continental list are all great.

Have a great week and keep this party going. Stop on over to 5 minutes for Mom and see what's planned for us!

A great summertime giveaway!

It's time for another giveaway! Since I'm participating in the 2010 Blog Party, it's only fitting to have a giveaway to go with the festivities.  Also, since the warm weather is just around the corner, and we'll all be basking in the sun, this giveaway seems fitting! It's a Sun Guardian gift set, that includes hair and body shampoo, UV protections spray and a wonderful after sun treatment. It's retailed around 60 dollars, and is so worth it! Here's how to enter:

Leave me a comment under this post telling me what your favorite part of a party is. Is it the chit chat? The food? Or is it the time when it ends? LOL i'm dying to know!

Want another entry? Become a NEW fan of 4 hats and frugal on facebook (doesn't count if you are already a fan)

For yet another entry, become a NEW follower of 4 hats and frugal on twitter.

Please remember to leave you (junk) e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you if you win.

This contest will end on April 16th at 11:59pmEST. Good luck to you all and keep on rocking!

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 4/11

Herr's pretzels 1.49

use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/10RP- .49

Eggland's best eggs- 1.69
use .50/1 coupon from 1/31SS doubled- .69
use .50/1 coupon from Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens or Parents magazines doubled- .69

Herr's tortilla chips 1.89
use 1.00/1 from 2/21RP- .89

Tropicana OJ -1.99
use BOGO coupon from Tropicana rewards(was available 4/7 only)- .99 each

Hebrew National Beef Franks- 2.49
use .75/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- 1.00

Vaseline sheer infusion lotion- 4.75
use 3.75/1 coupon from 4/11RP- 1.00

_______________________________


Pillsbury Grands - .99
use .30/2 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .69 each

Deal Idea:
buy 6 biscuit tubes- 5.94
use 3 .30/2 coupons doubled- 1.80 off
pay 4.14 and get back a 4.00 catalina!

Other Deals:
Chicken drumsticks or thighs- .88/lb
Strawberries -1.49(limit 2)

Let's get ready to party!

Are you guys ready for a good time? I so am!

5 minutes for Mom is doing their annual blog party and I'm going to be part of it this year! It's a week of making new friends, finding new, great blogs, participating in giveaways and just plain old fun. I can't wait to post my giveaway for the week(come back tomorrow!) and put up some of my favorite posts, NEW and old, that are party-related. And who doesn't love a good party?

If you have a blog, run on over to 5 minutes for Mom and check out the criteria for joining in on the fun. You might want to just throw your party hat into the mix!

The festivities officially start tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Quotable Wednesday

"An idea is salvation by imagination."

-Frank Lloyd Wright

Frugal Forecast- upcoming spring/summer occasions

With the Easter holiday coming and going, I figured this would be a good time to remind everyone, including  myself, of the upcoming occasions we can start preparing for now.

Since after-Easter sales will be abundant this week and next week, we can get a jump on some of the gifts we may have to give in the coming months. The pastel colors of everything from candy to baskets can help us create a frugal yet beautiful gift for Mother's Day and Father's Day.  I do like to collect as many pastel items as I can for those holidays and build other gifts around those.  These "Mom and Dad packs" seem to go over well every year with all of the people we have to purchase for in May and June. I even make up one for my Aunt's birthday, since it is always a week or two before Mother's Day.

Also, keep in mind that wedding and baby showers will be sneaking upon us as well. With the official coming of spring, you will start to see more summer items in the stores, and all the spring items being put on sale or clearance. These are perfect for shower gifts.  Yellow pastel items are perfect fillers for a shower gift.  Add in a pack of size 1 or 2 diapers(which also have been on sale and clearance all over) and a few packs of onesies, and you have a gift that a new Mom would love.  The same goes for Wedding shower gifts. Keep an eye on household deals on sites like amazon.com. They constantly have Tupperware containers on special pricing, along with full stove top sets.  These are great to give for a shower gift. I've also seen some great prices on cookbooks, magazine subscriptions, and even bedding. You may even get lucky and find something that is listed on the registry! If you use swagbucks, you can use your bucks to attain amazon gift cards, making your out of pocket price even lower.

Also, graduations will be upon us as well. I tend to save up my points from mypoints, and cash in on gift cards that upcoming college students, or college graduates can use(Old Navy for new clothes, Target or Walmart for dorm items, etc).  Or, for college students that are family members, I do what was done for me: I buy a cheap but sturdy hamper, fill it with must have college items like ramen, laudry detergent, band aids, rubbing alcohol, dry erase board, cups, plates, etc.  I still to this day have that hamper that my Mom's best friend filled up with me and have repeated this gift 3 times with wonderful reactions. You can also add in a roll of quarters to really bring the gift full circle.

I'm always hesitant to stock up on holiday items each year, but I always get over the fear and stock up anyway. Throughout the year, I do end up using all of the goodies I find to make great gifts for friends and family, without breaking our budget.  I'm never disappointed.

Looking for sites to help you find deals for upcoming occasions? Check these out:

Thrifty On the Dollar
Swaggrabber
Baby Cheapskate

Meal Plan Monday!

We will be on the road Monday, and have a busy week after that, so our meal plans will be a mix of meals we just had along with some easy but yummy ones. I'm excited to see lemons finally on sale, so that means lemon chess pie will be in the works this week.

Monday: Just getting in from being on the road, so leftovers from the fridge!
Tuesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and salad
Wednesday: Faux crab cakes, brown butter almond rice and green beans
Thursday: Slow cooker turkey breast with mashed potatoes and carrots
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Leftovers night
Sunday: Off to my parents' house for dinner!

Dessert of the Week: Lemon chess pie

Hope you had a happy Easter!

Whether you celebrate the Resurrection, or just the coming of spring and the Easter bunny, I hope your day was fantastic! See you all next week!

ShopRite Deals 4/4 to 4/10

Barilla pasta(including piccolini and whole grain)- .99
use .55/1 coupon from 3/7SS doubled- FREE

Halls cough drops- 1.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from March All You magazine- FREE
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/28SS- FREE

Orville Redenbacher's chedder cheese popcorn- 1.59
use .75/1 coupon from 3/28SS doubled- .09

Scotties tissues- 3 for 3.00(must buy 3)
use 2 .50/1 printable coupons doubled- .33 each
(if you can print a 3rd coupon from another computer, you can get them all for FREE!)

Nathan's crinkle cut potatoes- 1.84
use .75/1 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .34

Cheerios cereal- 1.88
use .75/1 printable coupon(DND5) doubled- .38

Wise snacks- 1.49
use .50/1 printable coupon(FF or IE) doubled- .49

Rayovac 4ct AA or AAA, 2ct C or D, and 1ct 9V- 1.49
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/21SS- .49

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


Bird's eye boxed sauce veggies- 1.00
use 1.00/2 coupon from 3/21SS- .50 each

Ajax laundry detergent- 1.24(with a 10.00 minimum purchase)
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/21SS- .74 each

Niagara spray starch- 1.25
use .25/1 coupon from 2/28SS doubled- .75

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

Arnold's whole grain bread- 1.99
use 1.00/1 coupon from 3/28SS- .99

Musselman's applesauce 6pk- 2 for 3.00
use 1.00/2 coupon from 3/28SS- 1.00 each

Fisher Dry roasted peanuts- 2.00
use 1.00/1 coupon from 2/28SS- 1.00

Tidy Cats cat litter 20lb bag- 3.79
use 1.00/1 coupon from 2/7SS- 2.79


Other Deals
Farm Flavor apple juice- .99
Red or Green seedless grapes- .99/lb
ShopRite shredded cheese- 1.67
6pk lemons- 2.49(usually 3 for 1.99!)

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 4/4

Looks like a slow week, but that's expected the week after a big holiday. Here's what I see so far:

Nathan's crinkle cut potatoes- 1.84
use .75/1 coupon from 3/21SS doubled- .34

Cheerios cereal- 1.88
use .75/1 printable coupon(DND5) doubled- .38

Ajax laundry detergent- 1.24(with a 10.00 minimum purchase)
use 1.00/2 coupon from 2/21SS- .74 each

Niagara spray starch- 1.25
use .25/1 coupon from 2/28SS doubled- .75

Musselman's applesauce 6pk- 2 for 3.00
use 1.00/2 coupon from 3/28SS- 1.00 each

Tidy Cats cat litter 20lb bag- 3.79
use 1.00/1 coupon from 2/7SS- 2.79


Other Deals
Farm Flavor apple juice- .99
Red or Green seedless grapes- .99/lb
ShopRite shredded cheese- 1.67
6pk lemons- 2.49(usually 3 for 1.99!)


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

Back from Internet Purgatory

I'm still here! I promise!

Wow, the best laid plans of a blogger are sure to be ruined by life's happenings. We have been without a working modem since Monday morning and was not able to get a new one until this morning. Yup, 4 days without the internet(thanks Cablevision!) made me itch, not to mention fill with rage since I had some great posts I wanted to put up this week. Oh well, I guess they just weren't meant to be created this week, but next week will be quite different. Not only am I posting some new topics, but I'm going to be doing something super special that I am so excited about. Of course, (you all know me) that means a giveaway somewhere in there.

So stay tuned the rest of the week, and prepare yourself for next week!