First day of couponing.....

After watching 'Extreme Couponing' and thinking I could easily buy my kids a trip to Disney World after a couple months of clipping, I had a reality check. This is serious business, and not to be taken lightly! I am not sure why I feel so embarrassed to use coupons. Shoot! I have just broken out of my shell enough to use a calculator when I shop, and that's only because I know I am passing as a compulsive texter ;)
This morning I ran down to the gas station to grab a stack Sunday papers, and I found $2 in quarters abandoned in the coin slot. SCORE! I thought my first day was looking up until  a couponing dad thought I was the newspaper lady and seemed a little irritated when I only left 2 papers in the bin.
I waited until Midnight before heading to Walgreens. Half the things on my list where already sold out, so I ended up with 4 tubes of tooth paste, and 6 boxes of cereal. What was supposed to be a steal of $5 ended up being $25. Embarrassed, and not sure where I had made the error, I grabbed my change, receipt and headed to my car.

I bought two boxes of cereal for $5.29 each, and two of the tubes of tooth pasted rang up for over $3. To shy to return cereal and toothpaste to a busy drug store, I left and decided I would drive across town to exchange them. I had to wait a good 10 minutes before the parking lot was clear before making my returns ;) A manager was called, a blush exposed, and I had my $18 back in my pocket!

Todays lesson? No upgrades! When your coupon says "Raisin Bran", and "Colgate Advance Whitening"
 don't think you can get away with adding CRUNCH to your cereal, and MINI BRIGHT STRIPS to your tooth paste....