By Lynn Haehl 
If you do a search online for 'coupon codes' or 'printable coupons', you will see that there are literally hundreds of websites that have organized the process of finding coupons for you.
Get To Know Who Has The Coupons - The trick to really saving money with coupons and coupon codes is find a legitimate, continuously updated coupon site that you can trust. Get to know what kind of stores offer discounts frequently and what kind of discounts they offer.
Make a List of The Items You Routinely Need & Want - Most of the time doing research will be spent up front, organizing your plan. Make your list on the computer, on a spreadsheet or word doc.
List The Discounts That Interest You - If you routinely shop at Safeway, Albertsons or Target, list the discount coupons you can find for them. Start with 10 or 15 store discounts that interest you. Look for discounts or even heavily discounted merchandise.
Find a Discounted Gift Card - Many classified sites have listings from people who want to sell their gift card for cash. People will often take 20-50% or more of a discount on the card. If the store is a place that you could buy your necessities through and you can combine the use of the gift card with the store sale or discount (or both!). You could achieve huge discounts on merchandise that you otherwise might have paid full price for.
Don't Forget Luxuries - Sometimes the largest discounts can be found with luxury items like restaurants, hotels, spas and more. If you don't feel you can justify spending any money on luxury items, even at a deep discount, consider using those items for things that are necessities like gifts. Or, if you are able to put together a deep enough discount on the item, you might be able to turn around and resell the item you bought for a profit.
