a penny saved is a penny earned which I need to pay for therapy.

I decided to try the "grocery game." I had haphazardly convinced myself that I could actually pull this off and save money. Sarah did it and then she filled me in on the tricks of the trade.

So, at 4:00 in the afternoon, Annie and I headed out to the grocery store. List in one hand. Coupons in the other.

It started out great. Then I couldn't find the Pirate's Booty. Maybe they don't have it anymore? I moved on. Then half way through we had to back track to get floss. And then I had to go back for my free hot dogs. Then we had to go back for the free salad dressing. Then I couldn't find my hot dog coupon but it was on my grocery list as "free "so then I called my personal grocery planner. I could barely hear her above all that crying. I felt bad calling her about something so trivial as free hot dogs when she was so busy.

"Who is crying?" I ask.

"Both babies," she replied.

I honestly think her house with 4 kids, two crying twins (and a partridge in a pear tree) was calmer than me working my way through the grocery store with that grocery game list and all those coupons.

At quarter till five we pick a short check out line. In front of me was a very little old lady. She wrote a check and then asked me if she should endorse the back as well. So sad. Poor little old lady. Then they asked for her drivers license. "She doesn't drive," her friend told the the checker. To make a long story short - they finally did accept her check but it was an ordeal. Five till five I'm up to bat.

Suddenly, there was a very long line behind me. It was very hectic. They were calling for extra checkers. I was hot and sweaty. My coupons were not organized. For every free coupon (there were FIVE!) the cashier had to look it up and print a little receipt, write the savings on the coupon and then enter it into the cash register. There was loose paper- everywhere. My coupons were everywhere.

And then I paid (what I thought was way too much) and he handed me my receipt. I scanned it to make sure my bread rang up for free. Nope. I thought I was supposed to get free bread with two Hillshire Farm sandwich meats? I stopped by the customer service desk and asked her. She looked at me like I had two heads. OK. Maybe I'm wrong. Never mind.

When I got home I started double checking everything. The $3.99 Crystal Light coupon did not ring up. The close-out $2.49 Brilliant Brunette shampoo rang up for $5.99.

For crying out loud. I am way too obsessive to try and do something like this. Whose idea was this anyway? Grocery Game? Who came up with that name? Game?? Doesn't that mean a winner and a looser? Here's the deal. I'm not so good a looser. And I did not get my free Crystal Light.