Walgreens: Estimate your expected expenditures!

I shopped at Walgreens earlier today. I was happy to find that the store still had the 99¢ eggs when I got there, and I was able to find my other items quickly. I went to the cash register, where the regular Sunday clerk checked out my items, scanned my coupons, and told me the final total, which was something around $9.

I scratched my head. Something wasn't right! I retotaled what I expected the amount to me, which was more around $5. What could have gone wrong?

Then he looked at the receipt and found the problem: I had bought two packages of toilet paper, but he had rung up three. He took off the third one, and the total came to where I had expected it.

And a lesson is learned: Always estimate what you think you'll be paying at the cash register. If you're off by a few pennies - well, maybe the price wasn't exactly what was listed on the website where you found the deal, or the online ad scan's prices didn't match your local ad. That can happen. But if you're off by several dollars, most likely something went wrong. Better to figure it out before you pay than to have to return something, or worse yet, pay for the mistake.

Here's what I got at Walgreens:

2 packages Charmin bathroom tissue @ $2.99 (with in-ad coupon) = $5.98
-2 25¢ off Charmin coupons from the 6/5 P&G insert
= $5.48 for two, or $2.74 each

2 Chips Ahoy cookies @ 99¢ (with in-ad coupon) = $1.98
- $1.00 off 2 Nabisco cookies or crackers (3-21 oz) from the 6/19 Smartsource insert
= 98¢ for two, or 49¢ each

2 dozen eggs @ 99¢ (with in-ad coupon) = $1.98

Total product: $8.44
Pay with $3 Register Rewards from two weeks ago
Total after RRs: $5.44
Tax: 36¢
Total out of pocket: $5.80
Total saved compared to Walgreens full prices: $9.52