Couponing 101 (A series for beginning couponers)

I am trying to get the hang of couponing.  I have to admit it is very intimidating to me.  I hear stories of people who save globs of money and I want to be one of them but then I get my coupons and my scissors and I just have no idea how to make coupons work in my favor.  Maybe there is at least one other person out there that has thought, "I need some help with all these coupons."  Well I have found just the lady to help us out.  Her name is Christine and she is a family friend of mine.  She is also one of those women who has figured out how to save globs of money.  I have asked her if she would do a couponing 101 series for me and hopefully some of you.  I hope you enjoy!!! If you have questions make sure and leave comments and I am sure she will be able to help you out. 
Take it away Christine.

I know the question most people ask first is, "How do I start?!"

I am here to help you out!!

Step 1 - Get coupons.

There are many different sources out there for coupons, and I use most of them.

• Newspapers: I do not purchase the Sunday paper. The paper is $3 and I would want at least 2 of them. That is crazy in price, and I am not willing to pay it. In my local area, there are 2 FREE papers that are delivered to my house on Saturdays that carry most of the coupon inserts. They are called The Briefing(section of the Dallas Morning News), and Al Dia (spanish paper). You can call your local paper and see if there are any free Saturday papers that can be delivered.
• Online: I print a good amount of coupons. I use Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, and redplum.com the most. Target.com also had coupons for in-store deals as well as manufacturer coupons.
• Inside actual stores: Manufacturers place coupons all over your local grocery store for your pleasure. Peelies, tearpads, blinkies, pamphlets, etc. They are EVERYWHERE. For pictures, go HERE and check it out.
• In the mail: If you take a couple minutes and email a manufacturer (my latest one is Kashi) they will more often than not mail you coupons for being a good customer. Ditto complaints that you email. I sent Huggies a blistering email because a pack of diapers I was using had tabs that kept falling off. Resulting in diaperless kid. Not good. They mailed me 3 free diaper pack coupons (valid up to $18!) and 5 or so $2 off any Huggies product coupons. Not bad for 3 minutes of my time.
• Buy them!! I have only done this once or twice on a rocking coupon that I wanted 65 of. You can purchase whole inserts at Dede's coupons here. Or, you can search them out on ebay or a specific one, use the couponclippers.com, or trade at hotcouponworld.com(you need to be registered for this one). EXAMPLE: There was a .35/1 Birds-Eye Steamfresh veggies coupon. I know from experience that these frequently go on sale for $1/bag. I traded on hotcouponworld.com for 66 of the same coupon. I gave her like, $2.30 or something and a stamp. Sure enough, 2 weeks later they went on sale at Albertsons for $1/bag. With the coupon tripling to $1.05, all 66 bags were free. So even after what I "paid" for my coupons, I still got 66 bags of frozen veggies for $2.30 and a stamp. In situations like this, it's totally worth it!