Clipper

Having ceased and decisted for a time in the Grocery Game to allow the stockpiles of toilet tissue and breakfast cereal to decrease, the mister and I picked up a paper this week. It was time to replenish the toothbrushes, dental floss, and the makings of school lunches. While clipping, I sometimes check sale ads to determine whether or not to clip a particular coupon. Hmmm... Drug Store is offering $2 off the same brushes and floss that the manufacturer is providing a coupon for "Buy one, get one free". Put those in a pile along with some for baby soap earmarked for that particular store.
The following morning after church, I zip into the drug store for the floss and toothbrushes while the rest of the family opts to sit in the car rather than endure Mom's giddy coupon shopping. Four of each dental item plus some baby bath (that will eventually find its way into gift baskets for other people's new arrivals) are carried to the check stand. Waiting in line allows time to mentally calculate the rewards of the previous evening's scissor-happy clippings.
As the prices registered on the digital readout add up to a total of $43, I wonder how anyone managed to take keep their teeth and babies clean without benefit of the precious little scraps of paper being transferred from my hand to the cashier's palm. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep, "... uh, how much were the toothbrushes originally?" Scribble. Beep. Scribble. Beep. "... and the price on the floss?" Scribble. Beep. Scribble. Click. And... the total? (Drumroll, please.) $4.70.
Containing crows of delight, I make the triumphal march to the car clutching my cheaply bought treasures. A few spontaneous bursts of, "Woo-Hoo!!!" explode into the air of the car to the eye-rolling of the tween. Pulling out of the parking space, I ask if anyone can guess the total value of the goodies in the bag. Since no one seems inclined to play this guessing game, I reveal the total value followed by the cost. Still, no one else seemed to share the enthusiam, but that is still okay because I am going home a winner the Grocery Game.