[CoveredinGrace]

LadyMac...
I see you've joined itrader-that's my FAVORITE resource for finding awesome coupons. I always check here first, then head off to other sites if no one has what I need here, but 99% of the time, I find the great coupons either in my Sunday paper or on here.
Watch the auctions on here, and you'll see what the "hot" coupons are, b/c they'll be the ones that people are seriously in a bidding war on. Read the forums for the stores near you and people will post their deals and you'll get some great hints there. Another major key to saving so much is to create a "stockpile". This means that when you find that bacon for .09/package after coupons, you buy TONS, enough to get you and your family through till the next free or almost free sale.

Then what happens is that when you are making out your grocery list the next few weeks/months, you won't be adding bacon to the list b/c you got it at a rock-bottom price already! So now you have lowered your out-of-pocket for that week, b/c you aren't paying $2.50 for a pkg of bacon anymore! You keep doing this with any product that your family regularly uses and pretty soon, your "gotta haves" for the week are pretty much nothing. Then your only shopping for that week are the frees/almost frees and maybe some milk or something. So once your grocery list looks like this:
24 Free X
10 Free Y
40 Free Z
Milk $2.89= $2.89 out of pocket and 75 items!

Then you are getting the deals most of these people are getting. The key really is 1. Getting LOTS of the same coupons so that you can trade and/or use them on a great sale to stock up and 2.Stocking up so you are never, ever, ever at the mercy of the store's prices that week to buy something you need.

Once you get those two under control, you too can be a super-shopper getting great deals! Just keep reading around here and you'll get it!