With the escalating price of food and the apparent downturn in the economy, many smart shoppers are turning to coupons to save money on the things that they buy most.  You can achieve significant savings on groceries, cleaning products, beauty products and more with just a little bit of time and a few useful strategies. 

First off, consider where you will get your coupons.  The fact is that you can get them everywhere and you should.  The Sunday paper often has a good selection of coupons along with the weekly fliers that show up in your mail midweek.  But the best place to find grocery coupons on the things that you really use is to use the Internet.  There are various sites such as coupons.com available that require only a zip code to get the coupons that are available in your area.

There are other sites that may ask for an email address.  Check them all out as the selection is different on every site. Also make sure and bookmark your favorite sites as the selection changes and updates regularly. Another way to find some really great coupons is to visit manufacturers sites.  Occasionally the manufacturer will offer a valuable coupon that they only make available on their own site.  And don’t forget to check out your local grocery store fliers, advertisements and websites.  Combining store coupons with manufacturers coupons is an excellent way to double up on your savings. 

The next best tip that I can offer here is to plan and organize.  Plan and organize your shopping trips.  The best thing you can do is plan a menu for the week, make a strict shopping list that only includes the things that you need and use and most important of all, stick to it!  Of course, as you make your shopping list you will need to check the sales at the stores and the coupons that you have to maximize your savings.

If you can combine coupons, get double coupons or add your coupons to the sales price you will be able to save that much more.  Shopping is a strategic sport!  Maximize your savings by planning your meals around sales and coupons. You have to eat anyway you might as well save as much money as possible.

As you peruse the sales advertisements, take into consideration the items that are on sale at the different stores in your area.  It may be worthwhile to visit a couple of store to take advantage of the sales for the week. If you do that, though, make sure that you take into consideration the time it will take to visit more than one store and of course the price of gas.  When gas was hovering around $4.00 a gallon it may not have been worth it to travel to separate stores, however, when gas is priced as it is now, it may be worth the trip.

Overall, the goal is to save money.  If you can buy a generic or store brand for a lesser price than you can get it by using the coupon by all means buy the generic.  Unless, of course, you know that the quality is not what you want. 

Saving money on groceries is the goal so take advantage of these tips and techniques and remember, it all adds up!