by Amber Benge

Created on: October 24, 2008   Last Updated: July 08, 2010

If you want to slash your grocery bill in half, coupons will be your new best friend. Don't let that scare you! I'm not asking you to spend hours cutting coupons only to save fifty cents for all your hard work. You will learn how to use these little golden tickets to get items for pennies, and sometimes for free. The key is in combining coupons with sales, rebates, and special offers.

First, you need to understand the different kinds of coupons.

1. Manufacturer's Coupons

These are the coupons you find in the Sunday newspaper inserts. You need to cut out every coupon, even if you don't think you will ever use it. This saves you the trouble of reading each one and deciding which coupons are truly valuable. In this coupon craze, every coupon is important.

When you have coupons you will never use, you have several options. The best strategy is to start a coupon club with friends, family, or coworkers. Recommend this book to them so they can be part of the half-price lifestyle. Then start a coupon club to swap out coupons with each other. Another option is to sell you unused coupons online at sites like Ebay. You can turn that little piece of paper into money for your grocery budget.

2. Online Coupons

There are dozens of websites that allow you to print off thousands of coupons. You can find a coupon for almost anything on your list just by checking some important websites. I have included the best coupons websites in the "Tools for Your Trip" chapter. You will need to print these coupons off weekly. Don't worry. That is figured into your ten minute time frame!

3. Store Coupons

Almost every major grocery store will send out sales flyers during the week. These are probably in the pile of junk mail that you shove in the trash. Stop throwing away money and hang on to these circulars.

Each week, stores will advertise their current sales. Some will have "Buy One, Get One Free" on certain items. Some may just have reduced prices. Some may have "Spend $100 and get $15 off" sales. These are important to know to insure your savings.

Don't count on these sales being prominently displayed in the store. Sometimes you will need to take the coupon with you in order to receive the sale.

4. Customer Care Programs

Most grocery stores will offer some sort of incentive program. You will have to fill out a form to get a membership, but it's free and will save you thousands of dollars. You will get lower prices than non-members on everyday items.

You will also receive custom coupons

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