Becoming a Money-Saver: FREE is my Favorite

The economy is bad, and people are lovin on couponing.  I majored in advertising in college which means I know a lot of tricks to get people to buy stuff, but use those tricks to your advantage and everyone wins!  Some of my friends have gotten UNREAL DEALS couponing, but it’s a lot of work.  I save money without excessive clipping. 

Here’s how I roll.

-Look at the ads of the grocery store you usually shop at.  If something you usually buy is on sale, buy it in bulk.  You’ll build up food storage and get what you actually want.
-Companies put their best deals on the front page to lure you into the store.  Make it work for you!  Focus on that front page and get what you want-in bulk!  Our grocery store adventures always have milk, eggs, fruit, and bread.  Whatever else we need we only buy on sale and in bulk. 
-Create a junk e-mail address.  When you're checking out at stores, they always ask for your e-mail.  Give this one to them so all your coupons will be in one place and you won't feel spammed.  PS These e-mails usually let you know when sales are happening and have special e-mail customer only deals, so use it!
-Sign up for cheapcheapcheap.com and ilovefreethings.com newsletters and send it to your junk e-mail address.  Getting the mail is always depressing for me, because it’s usually just a bunch of bills.  Sign up for free samples (Not coupons and not junk), samples of things you’ll actually use and enjoy, and it will brighten your mail-getting experience and save you money.  We get a lot of shampoos and perfumes and even some breakfast bars.  It's fun to try new products and they usually include coupons!
-Check a coupon blog daily.  I check freebies4mom.com everyday and find good ones.  Also, they have links to great birthday clubs for adults. My friend and I spend a few days every year around our birthday just redeeming free (Not discounted, FREE) coupons for our birthday each year.  We're talking ice cream from Cold Stone and burgers from Red Robin, people!  Sign up!
-READ THE ADS-especially direct mailers that give you coupons in your area.  Keep those coupons in a specific place, so when you want a date night, you can look through and enjoy.  Plan your dates based on the coupons you have!  We wanted to go to dinner and found three coupons for a restaurant we hadn’t tried.  With them, we got a FREE italian soda and FREE chocolate cake dessert and discovered great food.  Free is my favorite!
-Don’t buy something just because you have a coupon.  If you usually don’t buy a cookie but buy it because there’s a coupon, you didn’t save money.  You spent money you wouldn’t have spent otherwise.  Don’t get suckered!
-Also, don't let the "You saved X amount of dollars" on the bottom of your receipt fool you.  Focus on the number you spent.  I know it doesn't make you feel as good, but no money is ever truly SAVED when you're shopping. :)

What tips do you have?  Sharing is caring...it can be fun!  (Name that song).