Extreme Couponing

I don't get it.

Does anyone watch this show on TLC? Maybe it's just me, but I don't totally get how this works. How does someone have a $1900 bill and only end up paying $103??

I'm not even about to start stockpiling or spending hours cutting coupons and getting ready for my shopping trip, but I would love to learn more about how to save a few dollars on my weekly grocery store trips.

The most I ever saved was $33 at BJ's (one of the local wholesale clubs) and that was only because I happened to be buying a lot of items they had coupons for that week. I grocery shop weekly at Walmart (and I hate it... seriously, I try to get there at the crack of dawn just to avoid the crazies. What can I say, they have the best prices on most things). Then I supplement with a trip to Giant Eagle or Acme. Prices are more expensive at these places, but I just like their produce better than what Walmart has to offer. Once every month and a half or so I make a trip to BJ's to buy the stuff we can in bulk. M hates this, as our bill is not unlikely to be right around $300. The weekly trips cost us anywhere from $100-$150, depending on what we need. I think this is a bit ridiculous, considering it's just the two of us (and our pets... but they don't cost too much).

I do quickly skim through Sunday's ads while sipping my coffee in the morning and I clip the coupons that we can use. But honestly, I am finding, there's not many that we can benefit from. M and I eat pretty healthy for the most part and a lot of coupon's in Sunday's paper are for foods we don't buy. Here is where I will say that I can totally understand why there are so many overweight people in America. Parents simply cannot afford to feed their families with healthy foods... it adds up QUICK.

Do you use coupons? What are your tips/tricks for saving money?