Are there horns growing out of my head?

I'm pretty accustomed to people giving me some strange looks while I am shopping. I do go to the store the majority of the time with four kids who are far from angel children most shopping trips. I can't figure out if the strange looks are because people can't figure out why the oldest two are with me in the middle of the day, or if the looks are just because people think I'm a complete loon for shopping with four kids.

Today though I only had the three youngest kids with me, and they were behaving as close to angel children as they can. Even so, in two of the stores, the employees were giving the weirdest looks. I was starting to wonder if I had food in my teeth, my zipper was down, or there were horns growing out of my head.

After checking to be sure I wasn't walking around with something embarrassing, I began to wonder what the looks were for. The only thing I could figure was they were giving me the "oh you are one of those " looks. You know, "one of those" who uses coupons and gets good deals. That might not be it, but in both of those stores where the employees, not the customers, were giving me odd looks, I combined coupons and deals to get what I needed pretty cheaply. I fed the four of us at Subway, drinks and all, for under $10, and at CVS I had multiple coupons, and of course my ExtraCare card. If that was the problem, all I can say is, "I am one of those and proud of it!"

I didn't follow the recommended formula for starting out at CVS. Most places I have read recommend starting with only a few items, and only those that are free after your extra bucks. Then the recommend to slowly build up your stash. I understand the logic behind that, but chose to do do it differently for two reasons. One, multiple trips to CVS aren't really possible for me. I will probably only go twice a month. Two, there were things I needed to buy anyway this week.

I went prepared with a list from browsing the weekly flier online and coupons to match. What I didn't realize until this morning was there are also monthly specials. Caught that on a forum recommended by Kim. (Thanks!) So, I picked up the January book in the store, (is this available online anywhere?) and quickly browsed through it while looking for the deals I already had planned and keeping the three munchkins corralled. (Yep, I am "one of those.")

I ended up spending a good chunk of change, but most items I would have purchased anyway today, or in the near future. The cashier gave me the longest receipt I have ever seen. (Along with a strange look.) After the coupons and the Extra Bucks, the items were cheaper than I would have paid elsewhere. I now have a nice stash of Extra Bucks to work with. I can't wait for this Sunday's flier, and February's savings book!