Briana Collier, 29, is a busy woman. She’s married, has two children, Ryan, 4, and Annabelle, almost 2. We can’t forget the puppy, Murphy, who’s one year old. She works as a graphic designer. Like many of us, she likes to save money and clipping coupons helps her do just that.

Q: How many years have you clipped coupons?
A: I’ve clipped coupons on and off for the past three years, but really got serious about it last summer.

Q: How do you organize your coupons? What type of filing system do you use? Do you have a special cabinet, drawer, shoe box? Do you group coupons by food type? by date?

A: I have a 4×6 index card organizer that I’ve split up by food section in the grocery store…. breakfast, dinner, baking, dairy/bread, frozen, kid, dog, meat/produce, home, health/beauty. It’s easier for me to remember what’s on sale that way.

Q: Do you use Internet coupons? from what sites?

A: Yes! www.thecouponclippers.com. I look at the Shaw’s sales flyer online on Thursday night and order the coupons that relate to what’s on sale.

Q: Do you stockpile items because you used a really good coupon deal that required you buy six of an item?

A: Yesterday, I bought 7 boxes of Cheerios becuase I got all 7 of them for $3 (coupons combined with the store sale). I know they won’t go bad and that my kids will eat them. I stockpile anything that doesn’t go bad, it really saves a lot of money.

Q: Can you give an example of recent savings?

A: On last week’s (September 8, 2009) grocery bill, I spent $104, and saved $120 (!) … the savings breakdown was:

$64 on weekly store savings
$35 on manufacturer’s coupons
$21 on store coupons (those you can find on shaws.com, on the weekly flyer and the ones that print out with your receipt).

My average savings is $80-90, but on a good week I can really do some damage!

Coupon clipping tips:

Look for coupons in the Sunday newspaper, coupon books, in magazines, in your mailbox, at the grocery store shelf, on the Internet and with your cash register receipts.
Keep those scissors nearby as you go through the newspaper, so you can clip as you go.
Visit manufacturers and retailers Web sites to download or register for coupons to be sent to you.
Use a coupon organizer to sort coupons and keep it with you at all times for those “unplanned” shopping trips.
Organize your coupons in the order that you shop the store for quicker savings trips.
Make coupon-clipping and clicking a family affair — it’s a great math, budgeting and savings lesson for the kids. You can involve them in the process and let them “earn” the coupon savings in lieu of an allowance.
Plan an evening out using coupons for restaurants, movies or special events.
Use coupons with shorter expiration dates first to stock up on necessary items.
Plan your families’ menu using coupons or, save money and gas by “ordering-in” for a meal and using a pizza or other delivery-style restaurant coupon.
Shop on double or triple coupon days and use manufacturers’ rebates to realize additional savings.
Plan your entire family vacation, including transportation, hotels, dining and entertainment using coupons.
Use coupons in conjunction with loyalty/frequent shopper cards from your local retailers.
Register on rewards and coupon program web sites to access exclusive “members-only” coupons.
Maximize savings by using retailer coupons during big event sales (i.e. Back-to-School, Holiday, and Seasonal).
Use coupons to purchase products as a charitable donation for your local food pantry or put the savings toward another favorite charity.

— Courtesy of the Coupon Council.

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