Wordless Wendesday- I found Santa and he's tan!

All about presentation

It may be my Food Network obsession talking here, but I feel that any meal, frugal or not, always seems to taste better if the presentation is on point. Now, I don't mean that we have to top parsley to every meal or some type of edible flower to the plate, but when you can place that piece of chicken just so, life seems to be just right, at least during dinner.

Mostly, I feel that this is my CDO (OCD put in it's proper alphabetical order) kicking in, but I make sure to do this for my family members. I try to use the "good china" when possible, I like to make everyone's plates for them and even have drinks poured and ready before they sit down to eat. It makes that chicken dinner that we have 2 times a week seem a little less ordinary.

Yes, I do cut the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in halves or triangles, either 2 or 4, and I love to place a matching cup of milk or juice next to a matching plate. If we have tacos for dinner, I put them on my nicest serving tray. Because we do eat quite a few frugal meals, the effort of presentation is appreciated. Plus, my son thinks it's cool. Anything I can do to gain cool points with my six year old is worth the effort.


Do you all present your meals in a cool or interesting way?

Meal Plan Monday!

I have a cool giveaway going on right now! Have you entered yet?

This should be an easy week. We have another "staycation" planned for Saturday, so that's one less day I have to actually cook. We'll be having dinner out that day.

Monday: Slow cooker pot roast with orzo and carrot "spaghetti"
Tuesday: beef and bean burritos with side salad
Wednesday: Chicken Adobo with brown rice and broccoli
Thursday: Turkey noodle soup with garlic bread
Friday: Pizza night! Made a white pizza last week and I'm REALLY craving it again for this week
Saturday: "Staycation" to the Poconos! We'll treat the family to dinner out :)
Sunday: Invited to a BBQ for the holiday! Should be fun!

Dessert of the week: Ritz cookies!

Hope you all have a great week and an even better holiday weekend!

ShopRite Deals 8/28 to 9/3

New to 4 Hats and Frugal match ups? Check out the ShopRite match up information page.
Don't forget to bookmark the ShopRite Deals page for an updated list of the ongoing deals this coming week!

I hope everyone stays safe this weekend! Looks like most of us will lose a day of ShopRite shopping since most of the stores in all 6 states will be either closed or open for a limited time on Sunday. Be safe!

Chex Mix snacks- 2 for 3.00(must buy 2)
use two .50/1 coupons from 8/7GM doubled- .50 each
plus, use .50/1 cellfire coupon (available Sunday)- FREE

Butterball turkey bacon- 1.50
use .65/1 coupon from 6/26SS doubled(DND5)- .20

Friendship sour cream- 1.34
use 1.00/2 coupon from 7/24SS- .84 each
use .55/1 coupon from 7/24SS- .24

Nabisco snack saks- 5 for 5.00(must buy 5)
use two .75/2 coupons from 8/7SS doubled- .40 each

Set the party mood with an invitation (giveaway)

We try to do a good amount of celebrating in our family. Because life is so short, we try to make sure we enjoy our friends and family and create get-togethers at least every 2 months. For the big celebrations, like birthdays or anniversaries, I try to make them beyond special. When you're on a budget, it can seem like this might be a challenge, but you just have to pick and choose where you want to stretch your dollars. Here are a few quick tips:

A Tale of Two Parties- Duchess(part 2)

Click the link, if you missed the first part of Duchess's birthday party breakdown.

Our plans were working out perfectly: we were under budget for both parties, the menu was decided for Duchess's party and even my mother said that she would make a wonderful cake to match the theme we decided on.

The bank of Mom and Dad

When it comes to loans, especially in this economy, we see them as totally taboo. You have to give your left arm, first born and promise of your soul to even get one nowadays. But guess what? There's always the bank of Mom and Dad.

ShopRite Deals 8/21 to 8/27

Finally, some back to school food deals! Looks like we can start stockpiling cereal, peanut butter and jelly for the school year. Have a good week!

Carolina Rice mix packets- .66
use .50/1 coupon from 5/1RP doubled- FREE

Kozy Shack pudding- 1.49
use 1.00/1 coupon for bread pudding from 5/1SS- .49
use .55/1 printable coupon doubled- .39
use .75/1 coupon for CowRageous from 3/27SS doubled- FREE

Cocoa puffs brownie crunch cereal- 1.88
use .75/1 coupon from 7/17SS doubled- .38
(check your filed coupons for a printable!)

Wheaties cereal- 1.88
use 1.00/1 printable facebook coupon- .88
use .75/1 coupon from 7/17SS doubled- .38

ShopRite match ups: Get ready for changes!

We are working on some great things over here at 4 Hats and Frugal! Since ShopRite is the only match ups that I do, I decided to dedicate a whole page to the match ups and any new deals that pop up. I've been a bit upset that I can't share the deals that pop up during the week like I want to, since I don't want to flood the main part of the blog with deals. Although I love sharing the new hidden sales that pop up for ShopRite, i'm not essentially a "deal site" so I can't justify filling up the blog with them.

So, if you look at my navigation bar at the top of the blog, you'll see the ShopRite Match up information tab and now a new ShopRite Deals tab. Feel free to  bookmark that actual deals page and check into it once a day for any deals that pop up. I will be essentially updating that page a few times a day, so please take a peek at it. Also, I'll still be dedicating a whole post to the weekly deals, and I will be posting them on the new page. The newest deal will always be featured at the top of the post and the weekly deals will be close to the bottom to make it easier for you all.

I'm excited about this! This is actually the first step to a bigger project i'm doing with the ShopRite Match ups, so I want to get us all acclimated to having the deals separate from the actual blog. It will help us transition into the new project easier.

Stay tuned for this week's deals a little later today. Thanks for all of your support!

Why Didn't I Think of That?!

When it comes to being frugal and constantly reading frugal and finance blogs and magazines, I get totally burned out. It seems like everyone either has the same ideas or are repeating what was obvious to most years ago. Sometimes it makes you want to go off the frugal grid and look in a different direction.

Wordless Wednesday- Staycation at Fort Sea Girt(beach time!)

Meal Plan Monday!

We're dealing with a bit of stress this week since I found out that there is a 90% chance I will be deployed in a few months. So, I need food that's going to be easy. Like, stupid easy. I have lots of phone calls and running around to do now, so cooking will not be at the top of my list. Here's what I'm thinking:

Monday: Teriyaki Tilapia with broccoli and brown rice
Tuesday: Cream cheese chicken over egg noodles with a side salad
Wednesday: Freezer meatloaf with mashed potatoes and carrots
Thursday: veggie soup with quick yeast bread
Friday: pizza night!
Saturday: DH is taking me out on a date! I think he's missing me already, even though I'm not leaving for a while lol
Sunday: Dinner at my parents' house. Thinking of making a warm dip in the crock pot and taking it over there

Dessert of the week: Slow cooker peach cobbler! Peaches are on sale again this week :)

ShopRite Deals 8/14 to 8/20

For more information on how match ups are done on 4 Hats and Frugal, check out the ShopRite match up page.

Barilla piccolini- 4 for 5.00(must buy 4)
use two 1.00/2 coupons from 6/26SS- .75 each
use four .55/1 coupons from 6/26SS doubled- .15 each

Butterball turkey bacon- 1.50
use 1.00/2 coupon from 6/26SS- 1.00
use .65/1 coupon from 6/26SS doubled- .20

Honey nut cheerios- 1.79
use 1.00/2 coupon from 7/17SS- 1.29 each
use 1.00/2 printable coupon- 1.29 each
use .75/1 home mailer coupon(from vocalpoint) doubled- .29

Kleenex hand towels- 2.79
use .75/1 coupon from 7/17SS doubled- 1.29
Buy 1 kleenex hand towels, get 1.00 catalina- .29 after coupons and catalina!

Baby Cothing Network

If you've been a reader of 4 Hats and Frugal for a while, you know that I love a good deal on kids clothes. It seems like with every new day, they are growing out of something, or ruining another clothing item. It can turn you batty if you don't stay on top of it.

My favorite thing to do to remedy this issue is to consignment shop. My NEW favorite thing to do is to do this consignment shopping online. This is where Baby Clothing Network comes in. I have a deep love for sites like this and the Baby Clothing Network is now on the top of my list. Like most online consignments, it's free to join and you just pay a small fee plus shipping, but this site stuck out to me for a few reasons:

1. on their main page they insure "quality first"; one of the downsides of thrift and consignment shopping is all the stains and holes you may find on a somewhat good piece of clothing. What a mood-kill! It's awesome to know that quality means so much to them, and in turn, when I sell the clothes the kids have outgrown, I can care back.
2. They're main goal is to deliver quality clothing to moms for $1 a piece. How awesome is that? Obviously I always try to keep things as inexpensive and frugal as possible, so knowing that they are on a mission to give me a piece of clothing for a dollar bill is fantastic.

Needless to say, my first box is on it's way. Like I said, I love these online shops and Baby Clothing Network is now a great contender.

Click the link for more tips on how to take advantage of consignment shopping, online or brick and mortar. Make sure to sign up for Baby Clothing Network and get your stress-free shopping started.

Disclosure: This is a paid post on behalf of Baby Clothing Network. All opinions stated are my own

I miss being pretty...

In the world of Mommyhood, heck, in the world of Frugal Mommyhood, the idea of going to get your nails/toes/feet done gets put on the back burner. Mostly because we are smart enough to see that it isn't a necessity and it is something that we can do for ourselves right at home.  That doesn't mean that we don't miss the hell out of it.

Meal Plan Monday!

I haven't posted a meal plan in forever! And it's showing; I've been razzled trying to get meals done. No more of that!

Monday: Breakfast for Dinner- homemade biscuits, scrambled eggs, grapes, turkey bacon and homemade syrup
Tuesday: Slow cooker peachy chicken with broccoli and brown rice
Wednesday: Slow cooker turkey chili with homemade baked tortilla chips
Thursday: Beef fried rice with side salad
Friday: Pizza night!
Saturday and Sunday: Mama's off to serve her Country...again.

Dessert of the week: Slow cooker peach cobbler

ShopRite Deals 8/7 to 8/13

Looks like we get a week to breathe! There are a few good catalina deals where you can roll your Dollar Days catalinas from last week. Here are the best deals I see:

Crest toothpaste(look for the "extra 33%" tubes)- .77
use .50/1 coupon from 7/31PG doubled- FREE

Colgate toothpaste- .77
use .50/1 coupon from 7/24SS doubled- FREE

St. Ives body wash- 1.99
use .75/1 coupon from 7/10SS doubled- .49
Buy 2, use 2 .75/1 coupons doubled- .99 and get back 1.00 catalina
2 FREE after coupons and catalina!

Budget Redux

Lately, we've been trying to stretch our budget down to the penny. I mean, this isn't anything different from what we have been doing, but it seems with the addition of Duchess, the rise in gas costs, the lack of awesome grocery deals like years past, and DH being on a mission to lose weight and eat healthier, that budget is screaming.  We also found out that our rent will be increasing yet again starting in the fall, so we have to keep that in mind. So, it's definitely time for a Budget Rennovation.

PYHO: Since you've been gone

Lately, I have been thinking about my Grandmother.

How she looked, smelled, her mannerisms, her laugh. What she would be like today. How she would react to my children.

I lost my grandmother when I was 14. She was the light of my life, and I, hers. I was her first grandchild and she took me everywhere. She was the "fun" grandma; cooking the sunday dinners, letting all of the cousins sleep over in her living room almost every weekend and letting us have all of our birthday parties either in her house or in the backyard. She was the world to me.

It hurts to remember that she's gone, so I don't do it often. But when I do, it feels like she's there with me. Like she's right over my shoulder watching how my family grows, and wondering if I'll make it to 6 kids like she did.

Mostly I wonder if she would have been proud of what I'm doing with my life. Would she support the fact that I'm home raising my kids, or would she insist that I at least get a part time job? Would she encourage me to start my own business like she did once my kids are school age? And would she divulge her fried chicken recipe to me or just make me guess it until I get it right?

When I do feel her over my shoulder, I hear her saying "Don't give up. You're doing a great job. Keep laughing, because you do it so well. I AM proud of you." The tears well up, and I hope that it's not just my subconscious creating the phrases, that it is her speaking to me.

All and all, I just miss her laugh. I'm sad that my Husband and children won't ever get to hear and have it warm their hearts like it did mine. I guess I'll just have to laugh loud and long in her place.

Miss you, Grandma....

Cheap Eats: the big salad

For all of your Seinfeld fans, you get the reference of the big salad. A meal in itself, a bowl of lovely salad greens topped with whatever you can imagine can be one of the best things you ever had for dinner.  It can also be one of the cheapest meals of the week.