evolution of pregnancy test anticipation

I know that some girls (ok people) just love to mark things with their pee.  There are websites completely devoted to peeing on a stick.  However, when you are pregnancy challenged there's probably going to become a point when you dread the pee tests.  Not knowing that your body is malfunctioning / disappointing you is way worse than merely suspecting that it is.  When I was first trying to get pregnant I was SO excited to take a pregnancy test.  I laid it all out the night before, read the instructions 3 times and then set my alarm for an ungodly early hour.  It was like Christmas Eve!  I was giddy with anticipation.  I'm not quite to the point where I HATE taking pregnancy tests or flat out refuse to do and just wait for my period to show, but I'm well on my way.  The glamour of the pregnancy test has well worn off.  Even though I don't look forward to the pregnancy test, I still get hopefull in anticipation of a positive result and end up testing a few days before my expected period.  I spend endless hours calculating exactly which day I should take it versus the first day I could conceivably see a big fat plus sign.  I usually PLAN to take it the day my period should arrive but I inevitably break down and take it a couple days before.  However, the entire protocal for testing is completely different for OPKs.  You already know day you'll start and there's no point in checking early, it won't give you any hints about ovulation that is still days away.  I've done a few OPKs (2 with clomid and 1 time without) so clearly being as this is my fourth time doing it I'm by far not an expert.  The instructions say to limit drinking and hold my urine for 4 hours.  To the average human this seems like suffienct instructions.  But the ovulation deranged pregnancy hopeful female this is like a drop in the bucket and is basically open to interpretation.  Do I taper my fluid intake prior to the 4 hour urine holding?  Should I void right before I start my 4 hour stint?  Should I drink something right before the 4 hour hold so that I actually have something to pee on the stick?  There's so many possibilities it literally boggles my mind!  I've also heard girls say that you can buy the cheap OPKs that are just the strips and not all the plastic junk and that "work just the same".  In my rational mind I do believe that, I really do.  But here's my situation - on OPK rounds 1 and 2 I used the cheap strips (I LOVE to save a buck!) and this is when I was ON clomid.  Nothing, nada, zip, zilch in the ovulation indication, but I did have regular 29 day cycles, which does suggest that operation ovulation was a success.  Then OPK round 3 I bought some at the store (fancy name brand and all) and I used them along with the cheapies.  The expensive ones did give me a gorgeous angel's singing sun shining down spotlight kind of positive while the cheapies clearly still showed negative.  So I just don't trust them for me.  So today is the day that I start my OPK...wish me luck!