Cutting coupons can be cost-saving and profiting

Cut coupons, cut costs all around. They're not just for groceries anymore.Hard times call for action! Your income may be the same, or even shrinking, but food, gas, and goods and services prices continue to rise. What can you do? You gotta eat, you gotta go to work (hopefully) and you gotta look good doing it, right?

Don't stress. Get the scissors, and. get on the computer. Coupons aren't just in the Sunday paper or your favorite magazines anymore. You can find them online and print them out right there at home. We'll get back to that in a minute.

For years, many folks have gone to the Sunday paper for coupons. In fact, there are inserts now that contain nothing but pages and pages of coupons.

And these coupon inserts, often valued at hundreds of dollars in savings, reach far beyond groceries. There are now coupons for everything from food (of course) to hair products, health care items (such as aspirin, cough syrup, vitamins, etc.,) and toiletries. And, more and more these days, you can find money-savings for car care, such as oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotation, brake service - all thingswe need to have to keep our cars in good shape and runn ing smoothly.

Think about it. You are going to have to get your oil changed anyway, why not save five to 10 bucks!

And that's the key to using coupons. use them for things you are going to buy anyway. Otherwise you are not really saving money.

As mentioned, the Sunday newspaper is a big source for coupons. Everyday magazines you read or browse are also ripe with money-saving opportunities. And most neighborhoods have monthly or even weekly "penny saver" types of publications that are free in racks outside grocery stores, retailers or restaurants, or many of them are delivered in your mailbox.

For example, metro-Atlanta area residents receive what's called "Savvy Shopper." It is made up of coupons and special offers, and most of the offers are non-grocery. They include savings at your local fitness center, discounts on home and car repairs, restaurant coupons, reduced tickets to professional hockey and basketball games, and other entertainment events such as theme parks,museums and shows. Again, many of these items are things you would be purchasing anyway, so why not save a few bucks. You will be surprised how these savings can add up. And you can make it fun by challenging yourself and your family to see who can find the most coupons with the most value each week.

Another key to shopping with coupons is to watch for specials that complement your coupons. Watch the store flyers that you receive in the mail or are available at the stores. For example, if your kids like Totino's Pizza Rolls, buy them with a coupon while they are on sale.

I was with a friend recently while she was grocery shopping. She had perused over a certain grocery chain's flyer and saw the pizza rolls her kids love were on sale for $1 a box (a box normally ranges from $1.23 to $1.99), and she had a coupon for 40 cents off if she bought two.

Now, how about this! That particular grocery chain doubles coupons for up to $1, so she received 80 cents off, and since they were on sale, she basically got the boxes for about 60 cents each.

Use your computer. In fact, you may even find it easier and more fun, and it will certainly challenge and be fun for your kids. There are a lot of free coupon sites, but be wary of the ones that want you to sign up for something to get to the coupons. You don't have to do that. A favorite and free coupon site is www.coolsavings.com. Peruse the coupons and print out the ones you want. They change each week and you can even go back and get the ones you like again.

Also, go to the product web sites. For example, Pillsbury, Land O' Lakes and Kraft are just a few whose web sites are free and that offer coupons on their products as well as free recipes.

By the way, did you know that restaurant revenue has declined recently, while the sale of recipe books has increased? Hmmm.... or should we say Mmmmm!

Farrah Gray is the author of ''The Truth Shall Make You Rich: The New Road Map to Radical Prosperity'', ''Get Real, Get Rich: Conquer the 7 Lies Blocking You from Success'' and the international best-seller ''Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out''. He is chairman of the Farrah Gray Foundation. Dr. Gray can be reached via email at fg@drfarrahgray.com or his web site at www.drfarrahgray.com