First, peruse your Sunday coupon circulars carefully, specifically the sections from your local grocery stores. Go ahead and clip your coupons, but also look for what is on sale at different stores. If there are items that you have coupons for, you will save even taking the coupon amount off of a sale price. Stock up on pantry items and paper goods that won't go bad, and your savings will be really effective.



Many stores now have savings club cards, and it is usually free to apply. Just stop by the store's customer service desk on your way in to shop, fill out an application, and you can have your new card activated for immediate use. One savings type that these cards often feature are buy one, get one free items. If you have coupons for these items, your savings can really add up. Since you are getting two of the item (even though the store is only charging you for one), you can use two coupons if you have them. If your store also doubles manufacturers' coupons, well, you can see how you can start getting some items practically for free.

That's great, you say, but who has the time to clip and sort all those coupons, then sift through the circulars for sale items? If you have young kids at home, they can help you out, and it can be a learning experience for them at the same time. They can have scavenger hunts through the sale items in the circulars, looking for the items on your grocery list. You can also give them a pile of coupons to sort. Older kids can separate the coupons into the different categories, younger ones can look for all the coupons for one particular item, like toothpaste. In addition to sorting and matching skills, you can also use this time to talk to your kids about what coupons are, why you use them, and why they are helpful (maybe your kids are able to take dance lessons or play on a soccer team because you save money shopping). Discuss making priorities with your finances and living on a budget.