I used to avoid coupons. Figured they were a marketing ploy to get me to buy things I didn't need. When money got tight, however, I listened to a friend who had a different perspective.

I am not an 'extreme' couponer. I don't have a closet full of razors and toothpaste and I don't clear shelves. I have a simple philosophy that I follow:

Most items go on sale at one point or another. Grocery stores run weekly 'sales' and most items that are on sale now will be on sale again in 6-8 weeks. The key to saving on groceries is to buy items when they are at a low/sale price - enough so that you won't need to buy them when they're not on sale. If you can use a coupon, then that is even better. I buy enough of an item to make 2-3 meals with it, because we're not going to eat the same thing more than 2-3 times before it goes on sale again.

Easy things to stock up on at low prices: canned veggies, frozen veggies, pasta, pasta sauce, condiments, cereal, peanut butter, personal care items. I put ground beef and chicken breast in this category - but to 'stock up' on meat you'll need some freezer space. If you don't have much freezer space, ask for a rain check!

Some of my recent examples:
I paid $.70 + sales tax for 4 sticks of name brand deoderant, using sale prices & coupons.
I paid $1.96 + sales tax for 4 boxes of name brand cereal + a gallon milk, using sale prices & coupons.
I paid sale tax only for dog food, that we didn't need, which I then donated to a shelter, using sale prices & coupons.

I use store/generic prices to help me determine if a sale (with or without coupon) is a good price. For many things, we have given up 'brand loyalties'. I go for the best deal. I make a weekly menu plan, considering what items I have on hand and what items are presently on sale. I think fill in the gaps. Some things (fresh produce, for example) rarely have real sales and you just buy as you need to. I buy 2 newspapers each week, print some out online, and sometimes trade with others if I'd like more of a particular coupon. I sometimes get a 'rain check' so that I can use a deal later, when the item is no longer on sale. Rain checks help in 2 situations. First, if the store is sold out of an item, you can get it later when its in stock. Many stores will issue rain checks upon request, even if they are not out of stock. Say you don't have room in your freezer right now but chicken breast is on sale for $.99 a pound. Get a rain check, and go back in 2-3 weeks for it.

How do you get started? Start buying 1-2 newspapers and keeping the coupons. I clip coupons that I'm likely to use, and file the rest by date of the paper they appeared in. Search for a coupon/grocery saving website that caters to your geographic area. Chances are someone already does the work of listing the best deals each week and matching it up with what items have coupons available. I use SouthernSavers Dot Com and IHeartPublix Dot Com. Both sites are targeted for the southeast.

If you're just getting started, budget a little money each week for stocking. Perhaps 10-20% of your grocery budget to buy items to use in later weeks. Build your menu plans from what you have in your pantry, or what you can buy for a good price. As each week goes on, you'll have more in your pantry and need to buy less for immediate use. By week 10-12, you should see a reduction in your grocery bill. (Up til then, money you're saving is going toward buying staple items for later.)