i've got the golden ticket

as i was going through the checkout line at target, i handed the cashier a coupon for a dollar off toothpaste. you know the kind that you peel off the item to use immediately. after swiping my credit card and completing the transaction the cashier mumbled something about forgetting to scan my coupon. she quickly zapped the bar code, hit a few keys, and handed me the most beautiful one dollar bill i have ever seen. okay, so maybe i took it a bit far with the description, but it was greener than most and crisp too or perhaps i just remember it that way.

i occasionally cut coupons while kyle watches football, but by no means would i consider myself  a coupon queen extreme. i admit i like the thrill of saving a dollar here and there on items i already intend to buy. anyway, upon receiving my dollar, i walked out of target with a smile on my face. if kyle had been there, i'd have held it up with a big grin and said, "i've got the golden ticket!" yes, he watched charlie and the chocolate factory as a kid and enjoys it when i do things like that.  acting silly and quoting movies, that is.  

i reached the height of my career in couponing a few months later when i saved $35 on a $100 purchase. kyle was with me this time and after helping him put the groceries on the belt and handing him the coupons i made a beeline for the restroom.  not because i really had to go, but because i am embarrassed easily and a line was forming. i didn't want all those people waiting and watching as each coupon was scanned. as i peeked around the door i saw kyle give me the evil eye and sulked back to the register.

i don't have a picture that resembles his glare at target,
but here is kyle at my mom's birthday party with our nephew, mason.

yep, the coupon lady with five carts of the same item will just never be me.