Coupons don't look like they save you a lot of money at face value, but added to other coupons and savings you can receive at the store, your savings can really add up. You ask, "How can I save this money?" Well, there are lots of ways! There are many places to find coupons; some are easy to stumble on because they arrive in your mailbox by default and other places may require a bit of digging. These are some likely places you'll see ways to find a bargain purchase:

*Newspapers. Weekend (and some weekday) newspapers have tons of manufacturers coupons sandwiched in between sections of the newspaper. If you clip your coupons carefully, you can find a small gold mine of savings.

*"Junk" advertisements in your mailbox. Granted, many of the flyers you receive in your mailbox are truly garbage ads that you likely have no interest in, but if you flip through it, often there are some gems inserted within. It's not uncommon to find "buy one dinner, get one free" or save 30% off < insert product or service >. If your favorite restaurant or another service you need done happens to be in there, you can save significant amounts of money.

*Weekly store circulars. In addition to manufacturer's coupons, many supermarkets offer additional coupon savings in their weekly flyers that you can clip out. The great thing about these coupons are you can combine them with manufacturer's coupons for additional savings.

*Online. Many stores and manufacturers offer savings online. This takes a little work on your part because you may have to do some digging to find coupons for products you want. For example, you can do a search on baby food manufacturer websites and find coupons to print out. Sometimes you'll even come across coupons to get a free product to try (can't save anymore than that!). Many companies are beginning to use this marketing technique because it's cheap for them to produce and it's an easy way to distribute savings to the consumer and reach a larger customer base.

*Reward cards. Ok, not technically traditional "coupons", but they are electronic savings. Without these bonus cards, you won't get the savings at check-out. The downside to this is you have to share personal information (that businesses find very valuable), but if you play your cards right, you can offer minimal information if you want to keep your privacy intact and you'll still get the savings.

*Get on mailing lists. Visit the websites of products you like and sign up for newsletters and mailing lists. Companies love to distribute targeted coupons in the mail to customers they know will use their products. They also frequently offer coupons for "free" products, or "buy two, get one free".

The key to saving with coupons is to avoid clipping and printing coupons for products you don't normally use, because you aren't really saving money if you buy additional products just to get savings. However, if you match your coupons with products you do use and take the opportunity to couple with other savings offered, you'll see those small change coupons quickly add up!

Learn more about this author, Leigh Goessl.
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