Honesty really is the only policy

So, I am sick as a dog today. I honestly wish I could just crawl back into bed instead of getting things done. But, for some reason kids refuse to let me not feed them and wipe their hineys. Plus, I had some coupons to use before tomorrow.

So, off I went. I actually hit Smiths for once to get 20 tubs of land o lakes buttery spread. First off it isn't all for me (but a lot of it is) and second those things freeze just fine for me and keep great. At $.50 a tub I want to stock up.

So, I was at the register, wanting to die (I feel sooooo rotten) and with 3 kids who are not in the mood to grocery shop. The cashier was semi kind and asked me how many tubs I had. I told her 20. She asked me what the coupons were worth, I said $1 and off she went. My total was $1.79. For 20 tubs o' butter. Nice, eh?

There was a line behind me so I moved up to investigate and saw the error. She thought I meant I had 20 $1 off 1 coupons when I had 10 $1 off 2. So, I owed Smiths $10. Great. Sick as a dog with cranky kids and a line at the register AND customer service. I took one look at my kids and knew what I had to do. So I got into the customer service line and paid them the $10 I owed them. Huge pain, but worth it when my daughter asked me why we had to wait in line again and I got to teach her a lesson in honesty.

The moral of the story is that deals are great, when won fair and square. I'd rather not save $10 and know I can sleep at night (if my nose weren't stuffy) than save that chunk of money.

I know it is hard to sometimes own up to such a thing or to take the extra time to do the right thing, but people, we need to. We live in a time when more than ever, we MUST be honest in all our doings. I'm not saying to tell me that I look chubby next time I wear my too tight jeans from the GAP (I paid $30 and I will wear them until I die), but I am saying that saving money needs to not be highway robbery. Frugality shouldn't have shades of grey. If you are even contemplating something to save money because it's ethically shakey, take my advice and just walk away from it.

Okay, off to dig out the Nyquil I got for $1 last fall so I can stop feeling so wretched. Thanks for reading.