My very first shopping trip

I was insanely nervous going for my first shopping trip using coupons. I had stacks of coupons organized in my accordian file folder, felt that I had done my research and found match-ups that would give me free items for my stockpile based on match-ups I had found on other websites, I made a list of how many items of each product that I would purchase to maximize my coupons and my savings, and with toddler-in-tow, I drove to the Dollar Tree store in Woodinville, WA. I was optimistic that I had a small haul that I could easily manage with my coupons, so I didn't feel overwhelmed or silly using coupons at the cash register for the first time. Much to my dismay, when I started browsing the aisles, I realized that NONE of the coupon match-ups I found online would work at my Dollar Tree because they had none of the products on my list. Since I drove 20 minutes to get to that Dollar Tree, I didn't want it to be a completely wasted trip, so I was able to find some items that I was able to get for free or very inexpensive. Since this was my first haul, I didn't have a ton of coupons, so I wasn't able to be "extreme" and get 100 tubes of toothpaste for free, but I improvised and did the best I could with what coupons I had. I learned with this trip that people post match-ups online that are not always available in your area because products vary by store or region. I later found that the Dollar Tree on Sunset in Renton is twice the size of the Woodinville store, and has more brand name products. I may be shopping there in an upcoming trip.