Why Be The First One to Open the Kellogg's Cereal Box? The Big Family Blues

With a big family it was critical to be the first one to grab the Frosted Flakes box as well as to be the person to finish the Hostess HoHos.  Doing either of those things increased my chances of getting the cards that were included.  I can't imagine what it would have been like to be in a small family where the box would be sitting in the pantry waiting for me to open at my leisure.

I didn't go shopping on Saturday morning often with my mother but that was another secret to getting more of these cards.  When mom was going to grab the numerous boxes of cereal that we devoured weekly she would grab the nearest Frosted Flakes boxes.  If I was with her I could check out the different prizes in an attempt to find the box with cards included.  Mom also wasn't too concerned with getting the HoHos and Twinkies that included cards so being around helped.

Even if mom brought home the Frosted Flakes boxes that I wanted, there were still a few hurdles getting in the way before I could get the card.

1.  Since mom usually shopped on Saturday morning with every other mom in the area, I was usually out playing sports when she returned.  If one of my brothers got to the card first I might now have to trade something to get the card.

2.  If one of my older sisters opened the box the card might be discarded.  Even if they saved it for me, they probably didn't make any effort to keep the card in decent shape.

When someone finished off a box of a Hostess product, it was important to get to the box before it was thrown away.  We didn't have any recycling in our day so time was critical on this one.

If I purchased an old box of Frosted Flakes it would be difficult for me not to open it.  That's just like the decision pack buyers make - it's a tough one.

Ding Dongs in my world