Meal Plan Monday!

Another week down, another one to plan!

Monday: faux crab cakes with mixed veggies and potatoes
Tuesday: Stovetop lasagna with side salad
Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: baked french toast, turkey bacon, scrambled eggs and hot cocoa
Thursday: Italian turkey soup
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Steak salad (um, yum! I actually can't wait for this meal lol)
Sunday: Dinner at my Parents' house

Homemade baby food of the week: Lentil stew

ShopRite Deals 2/27 to 3/5

Click here for information on 4 Hats and Frugal's ShopRite match ups

It's the second week of Dollar Days! Let's see how much fun we can have this week.
Here's how it works: 
With each deal, you have to buy a certain amount of items to get your catalinas.
The catalinas are broken down into 4 week intervals. So if a deal gives you back 12.00, you will get 4 3.00 catalinas to be used within the next 4 weeks. Don't worry, each catalina has the dates when they are valid, so you don't need to remember.

NOTE: These deals are one per manufacturer per card. You can't do a deal more than once, so pick which scnearios you like the best from each manufacturer and go with that one. That will be your only time to do a deal from that group. Sorry.
Also, The catalinas for the reusable bags can only be redeemed between 3/6 and 3/12, so we'll only have that week to get our free bags.
Mt. Olive pickles- 1.84
use .75/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- .34

Krusteaz pancake mix- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use .50/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- .50

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 2/27

It's the second week of dollar days! Last week was really fun and this week will not disappoint. Make sure to check last week's deals for new ones that were found. I love my readers...you all let me know about the best hidden deals! Here's what's in store for next week:

How to cash in on your Grocery budget

I've been getting lots of e-mails from ShopRite shoppers about how I'm able to keep up with all the sales while decreasing my grocery budget every month. I figured this is something that all grocery shoppers can benefit from, so I wanted to share a few simple things that I did the first year(and still do) that I started budgeting our amount towards groceries.

ShopRite gift card winners!

Wow, that giveaway was fun! Thanks again to MyBlogSpark and ShopRite for the 25.00 gift card. I hope to be able to do a 4 Hats sponsored Shop Rite gift card giveaway soon so stay tuned for that!

Now, let's get to those winners.

The winner of the 25.00 gift card sponsored by MyBlogSpark is.....Datsillychick!

The winner of the 10.00 gift card sponsored but yours truly (lol) is.....Cathryn's Closet!

Congratulations to the winners! Both were selected on Random.org.

Ladies, please contact me at 4hatsandfrugal (at) gmail (dot) com so I can get you mailing information.  The winners have 48 hours to get in contact with me or I will pick another winner.

Thanks to all that entered! And don't forget, I will be picking 2 winners, one from my twitter followers and one from my facebook friends, at the end of the month for a special prize! I love to dote on you all...can you tell?

Yankee/Dixieland corn muffins

I am constantly torn when it comes to certain memories of cuisine. Because my grandparents are from the south, I remember lots of those tried and true classics: Southern banana pudding, tomatoes and okra over rice, southern fried chicken, etc. But, I was born and raised in the great state of New Jersey. So, I have Italian hot dogs, matzo ball soup and classic New York cheesecake in my heart of hearts. This duality also lives in cornbread.

Meal Plan Monday!

Happy President's day to all the Americans out there! I hope you aren't spending too much at all those sales lol. Here is what I have in mind for this week:

Monday: Roasted Chicken leg quarters and potatoes with a side of peas
Tuesday: Baked ravioli with side salad
Wednesday: faux crab cakes with creamy rice and broccoli
Thursday: Mexican Corn soup with dixieland/yankee corn muffins
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Dinner party with friends
Sunday: Dinner at the parents' house

Dessert of the week: Cinnamon raisin apple brown betty(again!)
Homemade baby food of the week: turkey in turkey broth

The Anniversary....

I want to wish my wonderful Husband a Happy Anniversary! Love you lots, darlin'!

"I love being married.  It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life."

-Rita Rudner

ShopRite Deals 2/20 to 2/26

Click here for information on 4 Hats and Frugal's ShopRite match ups

It's dollar days again! I absolutely love when this sale comes around. We seem to get some of the best deals of the year during these, plus free re-usable bags! Fabulous!

Here's how it works: 
With each deal, you have to buy a certain amount of items to get your catalinas.
The catalinas are broken down into 4 week intervals. So if a deal gives you back 12.00, you will get 4 3.00 catalinas to be used within the next 4 weeks. Don't worry, each catalina has the dates when they are valid, so you don't need to remember.

NOTE: These deals are one per manufacturer per card. You can't do a deal more than once, so pick which scnearios you like the best from each manufacturer and go with that one. That will be your only time to do a deal from that group. Sorry.
Also, The catalinas for the reusable bags can only be redeemed between 3/6 and 3/12, so we'll only have that week to get our free bags.

Wacky mac pasta- .60
use .40/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled(DND5)- FREE

10 reasons this week needs to be over

1. Last weekend was military weekend. Hence, not the 2 days of rest that I usually get every week. I's mad tired, yo.

2. Sonny Boy had not 1, but 2 early dismissals this week. What this means for us is that instead of him being in school for his regular 2 and a half hours, he's only there for an hour and some change, as if the 2 and a half hours wasn't a waste already. So, I had to pack him and his sister up, drop him off at school, drive back home, pack the girl back in the car 1 hour later and go back and pick the Boy back up. I's mad tired, yo.

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 2/20

Remember to enter the 25.00 ShopRite gift card giveaway!

It's Dollar Days again! I absolutely love when this sale comes around. We seem to get some of the best deals of the year during these, plus free re-usable bags! Fabulous!

Here's how it works: 
With each deal, you have to buy a certain amount of items to get your catalinas.
The catalinas are broken down into 4 week intervals. So if a deal gives you back 12.00, you will get 4 3.00 catalinas to be used within the next 4 weeks. Don't worry, each catalina has the dates when they are valid, so you don't need to remember.

Wacky mac pasta- .60
use .40/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- FREE


No coupon needed deal
Buy 8 Mott's items get 12.00 back
Mott's apple juice- 2.00
Mott's apple sauce 6-pk- 2.00

Buy 4 apple juice- 8.00
Buy 4 apple sauce packs- 8.00
Pay 16.00 and get back 12.00! That's .50 an item after catalina!
_______

Money Maker after coupons deal
Buy 7 Unilever items, get 12.00 back
Ragu- 3 for 4.00(must buy 3)
Dove deodorant- 2.49
.75/2 ragu coupon- located in 1/30RP
2.00/1 dove deodorant coupon- located in 1/30RP

Buy 6 ragu- 8.00
Buy 1 dove deodorant- 2.49
use 3 .75/2 ragu coupons doubled
use 1 2.00/1 dove coupon
Pay 3.99 and get back 12.00! 8.01 money maker after coupons and catalinas!
________
Buy 6 Dole items, get 12.00 back
Dole fruit crisps- 2.00
.75/1 coupon for dole fruit crisps- located in 1/9SS

Buy 6 Dole fruit crisps- 12.00
Use 4 .75/1 coupons doubled
Pay 6.00 and get back 12.00! 6.00 money maker after coupons and catalinas!
_______
Buy 7 Clorox items, get 12.00 back
Clorox bleach- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
Clorox disinfecting wipes- 4.00
.75/1 coupon for disinfecting wipes- located in 1/2SS
1.00/1 printable coupon for Clorox bleach(scroll down and look for clorox match up)

Buy 6 Clorox bleaches- 9.00
Buy 1 Clorox disinfecting wipes- 4.00
Use .75/1 coupon doubled
Use 2 1.00/1 printable coupons
Pay 9.50 and get back 12.00! 2.50 money maker after catalinas!
_______
Free after coupons deals
Buy 15 General Mills items, get 12.00 back
Progresso soup- 1.00(limit 4 per variety)
1.00/4 coupon for progresso soup- located in 2/13GM

Buy 16(it's 4 per coupon!) soups- 16.00
use 4 1.00/4 coupons
Pay 12.00 and get back 12.00! FREE after coupons and catalinas!
_______
Missing a few coupons? 
Check out Coupons and Things by Dede and order them today!
Or Try My Coupon Hunter and place an order!

Meal Plan Monday(or Tuesday....)

I got so behind yesterday that I forgot to post the meal plan. Luckily, it's an easy one since I put a big beef roast in the slow cooker Monday morning.

Monday: Slow cooker beef roast with sliced onions and peppers served over orzo
Tuesday: Off to a funeral :o(. Will eat at the repast
Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan served over spaghetti with a side salad
Thursday:  Beefy Enchilada bake
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday: Vegetable soup with homemade rolls
Sunday: Our 6th Wedding Anniversary :o). Hubby and I will spend dinner at one of our fave places

Dessert of the week: Easy Cinnamon rolls
Homemade baby food of the week: Corn, potato and onion puree

ShopRite Deals 2/13 to 2/19

Remember to enter the 25.00 ShopRite gift card giveaway!

Click here for information on 4 Hats and Frugal's ShopRite match ups

Ronzoni garden delight pasta- .74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/23SS- FREE

Halls cough drops- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 2/6SS doubled- FREE

Stonyfield farm yogurt- .49
buy 6, use 2 .50/3 printable coupons doubled- .16 each

Red pack canned tomatoes(1lb can)- 3 for 2.00(must buy 3)
buy 6, use 2 .75/2 printable coupons(can only print 2 per computer) doubled- .17 each
(If you are able to print one more coupon from another computer, you can get 6 FREE!)

Snickers bars- 3 for 1.00(must buy 3)
use 3 BOGO coupons from 1/23RP- 6 for 1.00 or .17 each

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 2/13

Looks like another good week for deals! Here are a few good ones:

Ronzoni garden delight pasta- .74
use 1.00/1 coupon from 1/23SS- FREE

Halls cough drops- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 2/6SS doubled- FREE

Red pack canned tomatoes(1lb can)- 3 for 2.00(must buy 3)
buy 6, use 2 .75/2 printable coupons(can only print 2 per computer) doubled- .17 each
(If you are able to print one more coupon from another computer, you can get 6 FREE!)

Ronzoni healthy harvest pasta- .74
use 1.00/2 coupon from 1/23SS- .24

Orbit gum- 2 for 2.00
use BOGO printable coupon- .50 each

4 Day Price Break(Wednesday to Saturday)
Hamburger Helper- .99
use .50/1 printable coupon doubled- FREE

Missing a few coupons? Check out Coupons and Things by Dede and order them today!

Deprivation

One thing I love about living a frugal lifestyle is that we are able to try out new and different items that companies put out and want to take off. They fall over themselves to release coupons for free items or big promotions online to get people talking.

But, every once in a while I get pangs of deprivation.

Win a 25.00 gift card from ShopRite!

Did you guys know that ShopRite has started a new program? It's called "Shop once, give twice" and it involves those cool box tops for education that seem to be on EVERYTHING.

Now through September 30, 2011 visit ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com to register your ShopRite Price Plus Card. Check back each month for participating products and great savings. When you purchase any 5 participating products on or before the end of the month using your ShopRite Price Plus Card, let the giving begin. With a qualifying purchase of 5 participating products you earn 5 Bonus Box Tops to be electronically added to your school, and $0.55 will be donated to the ShopRite Partners in Caring Fund.

And if that’s not enough, be sure to enter the ShopRite “Shop Once. Give Twice.” Sweepstakes* by filling out the form on ShopRiteShopOnceGiveTwice.com for your chance to win one of 10 Grand Prizes of 5,000 Bonus Box Tops for the school of your choice! 

Now, how about that 25.00 ShopRite gift card? Want to win it? Thanks to MyBlogspark, ShopRite and General Mills, I have one to give to one lucky reader!

ShopRite Shoppers: wanna win a 25.00 gift card?

I have the opportunity to give away a 25.00 gift card but I need to see how many of you are interested first. You'll have to do a few easy things to enter, but I'm going to have you all be able to enter more than once if you want.

Is this something you'd want me to do?

Meal Plan Monday!

This is another "fix it fast" week for us. Hubby has classes on Monday and Tuesday night and  Ihave drill this weekend. We also still have some chicken left from our rubber chicken last week, so I have to use that up.

Monday: Lazy mom's tator soup(potatoes have been on sale every week! We are drowning in them!)
Tuesday: Chicken chili with cornbread
Wednesday: Homemade hamburger helper (with ground turkey)
Thursday:  Red beans and rice
Friday: Make your own pizza night! We tried this last week and it was a hit! Sonny put 3 veggies on his! lol
Saturday and Sunday: Leaving the boys with a baked ravioli for dinner and leftovers for lunch

Dessert of the week: Apple cinnamon raisin brown betty (New recipe this week!)
Homemade baby food of the week: Lentils

ShopRite Deals 2/6 to 2/12

Check out 4 Hats and Frugal's ShopRite Match up information here

Land O Lakes fresh buttery spread- .99
use .50/1 coupon from 1/9SS doubled- FREE

Frank's buffalo wing sauce- 1.49
use .75/1 coupon from 1/23SS doubled- FREE

Afrin nose spray- 2.89
use 3.00/1 coupon from 2/6SS- FREE

Ghiradelli Chocolate bar- 1.69
use .75/1 printable coupon doubled- .19

Nathan's Crinkle cut fries or onion rings- 1.84
use .75/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- .34

ShopRite sneak peek- week of 2/6

This is going to be a great week! I wanted to get some of these deals up today so you all can see if you got these coupons in your inserts or you will need to order them.

Nathan's Crinkle cut fries or onion rings- 1.84
use .75/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- .34

Chock full o' nuts coffee- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- .49

Eggland's best eggs- 1.77
use .50/1 coupon from 1/30SS doubled- .77

Mariani dried friuts- 2.29
use .75/1 coupon from 1/23SS doubled- .79
__________
Quaker grits- .99(limit 4 per variety)

There is a catalina deal starting 2/6:
Buy 5, get 5.00 OYNO
Deal Idea:
Buy 4 of one variety and 1 of another variety
Pay: 4.95 and get back 5.00! .05 money maker!
__________
Quaker instant oatmeal packets- 2.49

Besides the catalina deal mentioned above, there is also another deal ending 2/13:
Buy 3 Quaker oatmeal products, get 3.00 catalina
Deal Idea:
Buy 4 of one variety and 1 of another variety
Use 4 1.00/1 coupons from 1/2RP
Pay: 8.45 and get back 5.00 catalina and 3.00 catalina! .09 each after coupons and catalinas!
_________

Missing a few coupons? Check out Coupons and Things by Dede and order them today!

ShopRite Shoppers: .99 Stouffer's and .18 Spike's salsa!

Here are a few more deals for the week of 1/30 to 2/5:

Stouffer's frozen entrees- 1.99
use 1.00/1 printable coupon- .99

Spike's salsa- .88(unadvertised deal!)*
use .35/1 printable coupon doubled- .18

*this is a YMMV situation. One of my two stores had it at that price.

Hope those of you that had been stuck in the house because of the weather can get out there today and shop!

6 months down...

My sweet little duchess turned 6 months old last week(actually, it was the same day the blog turned 3!) and it had me thinking:  within these few months, I've really learned quite a bit from and about her. So, I wanted to dedicate a quick post to her in honor of her half-birthday.

- You are totally different from your brother. I mean it. If there was an "opposite baby" you'd be it. He was mellow as all get-out and you are not. He tolerated other adults with a smile every once in a while, but you are a constantly flirt and give your smiles away like candy. He slept through the night; you don't have time for little shenanigans like sleeping. He could chill out in his high seat or crib or playpen for hours and not worry about a thing; you MUST know where we are at all times, and that place better be right next to you as we hold you on our hips.

- You are a "lovey" baby. This is new territory for me, but I must have a blankie or burp cloth with you at all times or you don't feel complete. You do have a favorite, and it's of course the handmade one made by a wonderful online buddy. You only want the finest things. You are going to be trouble when you become a teenager.

-You talk. A lot. I blame this on your brother who insists on talking to you every waking moment. He's an enabler, teaching you how to yell and squeal and, just recently, how to do a fake laugh. That fake laugh is killing me right now.

-You adore your brother and he adores you. I was very afraid that this wouldn't go down the way it has, but you two have been two peas in a pod. I blame the flirting mentioned earlier.

- Kitty boy is smitten with you also. He was NOT smitten with your brother, so this was a complete surprise to me. He gives you more kisses than he ever gave me, and I'm his favorite human. I blame the flirting mentioned earlier.

- You think crawling is for the birds. It looks like you will be walking first. I think you figure if you are going to be mobile, why not skip the "baby" stuff and do what everyone else in the house does. You live life on the edge.

- You are your Mother's daughter. Daddy got his mini-me 5 years ago, and now I have you. You even look like me when I was a baby. It's eerie and cool at the same time. Except you have a coif of hair that I couldn't rival. What are we gonna do with all that?

-All and all, we love ya lots. You're cute, funny, and a riot 95% of the time. This is a problem for Mom because now I'm thinking that another one of you wouldn't be so bad. Then you wake me up at 2:30am and I come to my senses.

Happy Un-birthday, Duchess!

January Facebook/Twitter winners!

Thanks to all of you that follow 4 Hats and Frugal on Facebook and on Twitter!  I told you that I'd be rewarding you for being a "friend" of 4 Hats on both of these junkets and I will not disappoint!  If you still haven't joined in on the fun, friend the blog on facebook and follow my tweets here.  The monetary sizes of the prizes will vary from month to month, so you don't want to miss out on any of them! Now here are our winners for January:

Facebook:  Joy Williams
Twitter: jess827

Don't forget to "like" 4 Hats and Frugal too! Help this little fish swim in the big FB pond! LOL