I usually wipe my finger with an alcohol pad then let it dry and do the test.

Tonight was odd. I waited 2 hours after dinner which was split pea soup. I took the test and it was 149 then freaked because my BS is never that high, usually I am in the 115 range. So I did the test again and got 119.

Why was there such a huge difference? How do I know which is more accurate?

most of the books describe some of the things that affect the readings. First off, get rid of the alcohol. It dries the skin, and research shows that it doesn't prevent infections and better than good general hygeine (that is washing your hands) unless you rub the alcohol, WITH FRICTION, for at least one minute. (thats what they do when I give blood, and its really irritating to the skin, but they are sticking a great big needle directly into my vein, so I put up with it then).
So a good soap and water wash a bit before your poke for bs. Dry well. do NOT squeeze the finger. some people wipe away the first little drop and test the second. I have done both, and found no difference in readings. So now I don't bother. I would chart both readings for now, and continue charting and see if its just a fluke.
remember too that within the allowable error range can be quite a range.

My husband is a 33+ year type 1 diabetic, so I asked him. He said a lot of meters just aren't that reliable and also that strips can be bad too (even if not expired). Alcohol is unnecessary but wouldn't have changed your bgl reading.

Most BG meters say they are accurate to are +/- 20 %, so it's possible that you could get the two different readings you saw from the same meter

I find , however that such differences from the same meter are rare. You can get a high reading from sugar on you finger. What I do is wash my hands before, and that helps keep measurements the same