You might think I am being a bit extreme by suggesting that resisting sampling while shopping will save you money, but it can! Think about it, the last time you were in the grocery store, you or your children likely sampled a juicy piece of fruit, a freshly baked cookie, a buttery cracker with aged cheddar or a new breakfast cereal sure to help you lose weight. While you may not have bought that particular product, you have been distracted enough by the experience to buy something else. Believe it or not, grocery stores (and other stores too) are carefully set up to distract you through your senses becasue this is just what it may take to get you to buy MORE.

So, the key is know your own strategy going into any store. If your strategy is to stay on budget while buying your necessary items, then perhaps if you really do enjoy the samples, go back to them after you have checked out!

Printing coupons off the internet is a quick and easy way to acquire more coupons for the products you use most frequently and can be fast and simple depending on your Internet service, computer and printer used. However, since this handy method of securing all your favorite coupons was introduced in the late 1990's, it has run into it's share of problems.

Starting 2004, the Internet coupon world came to a screeching halt due to a rapid increase in fraud. Basically, the very thing that made getting coupons so easy was the very thing that brought it down. Using the Internet and with home printers, legitimate coupons can be manipulated to create offers that are fraudulent and thus creating huge losses for grocery stores and food companies. So many stores will not accept them in an effort to avoid further losses.

The good news is Internet coupons are coming back. Advances in Internet security and coupon design have enabled many food companies to once again offer Internet coupons and the grocery store industry to once again accept them. Most all major manufacturers such as P&G, General Mills, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson (and the list goes on) do now offer lots of coupons through their websites and subscriber newsletters. The most you will give up in exchange for the coupons is your e-mail address.

So for now, until the current layers of protection against Internet coupon fraud are cracked, it looks like they are back and the savings are handy again. If the store nearset you does not accept Internet coupons again yet, most likely they will very soon. When the laws around coupon creation and redemption are observed by all, it's good for business!!

Great product! I just wanted to let you know that this is a great idea. So many times I forgot to use my coupons and it was a waste of money and the time I spent clipping them.

I have one suggestion. Instead of prelabeling each coupon section, maybe you can make a peel and stick list of coupon categories. This way you use the ones that suit you. For example: I do not need to purchase baby items anymore and a section for rainchecks would be nice. The Couponizer could be customized. A further idea would be to include a small calculator or at least have a pocket for one. Also, here is a tip - Just use a return address label for the name and address area.

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Thanks all the great suggestions Noreen! We are currently testing the custom stickers and hope to make them available very soon.

If you are interested in testing stickers to "customize" your Couponizer, please e-mail me at abergin@thecouponizer.com and we will send you a set. All we ask is you fill out a brief questionnaire telling us about your experience in using them.

Send us your story of savings with The Couponizer and if selected, you could be The Couponizer of the Month!