Coupons rule and you need some rules to make them work.

1. Do not use a coupon if the item is something you don’t want or need. If you hate strawberry pop tarts don’t buy ten boxes, if you never bake don’t buy two for one bags of flour, and if you are dieting don’t stock up on chocolate chip cookies.

2. Do use coupons with store discounts for the best price possible.

3. Be careful with perishables. You might be making ten apple pies, eating broccoli every day for a week, or watching cheese turn moldy.

4. Do stock up on non perishables. This is a great way to make sure you have chicken broth, grains, and pasta for the next six months.

5. Loyalty programs bring you coupons and opportunities to save. Pick one and stick with it.

After the holidays, everyone is looking to save a little extra money, and also kick their healthy resolutions into full swing! On January 8th, you can help take care of American families everywhere – and your wallet! – simply by stocking up on your basics. Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials is a savings pack that will be in your Sunday paper on January 8th, and for each coupon redeemed through January 15th, Johnson & Johnson will donate one meal to FEEDING AMERICA®, up to one million meals!

The Johnson and Johnson Healthy Essentials savings pack includes $190 in coupons and rebates on your family’s favorite brands including: AVEENO®, NEUTROGENA® (still love their  inexpensive facial cleansers), LISTERINE®, Johnson’s®, Splenda®, BAND-AID®, OneTouch®, VIACTIV®, RoC®, REMBRANDT®, VISINE®, DESITIN®, NEOSPORIN®, LUBRIDERM®, BENGAY®, STAYFREE®, CAREFREE®, CORTAID®, and REACH®. Coupons can also be downloaded via www.healthyessentials.com. (link goes live January 6)

Putting a Band-Aid on it usually means superficially helping something. Now it means you can really help Feeding America provide emergency food assistance through local food banks to an estimated 37 million low-income people annually.

When another scarf is just not the answer.  As the holidays approach, here are some unique gifting ideas in the daily deals from 8coupons.com.

8coupons collects and organizes deals from every deal source (Groupon, Living Social, Eversave, KGB, BuyWithMe, Gilt, YourBestDeals, DoubleTakeDeals, Dealfind, Dealster, Goldstar, Restaurant.com, Zozi, Weforia, Juice in the City, Signpost, plus over 300 others).

Simply log on to 8coupons or sign up for their email and see ALL the deals near you ….or in the zip code of a loved one. Whether it’s a spa, a restaurant, or an adventure, there are tons of interesting gift ideas available every day.

If you haven’t yet heard, Coupon Sherpa just added an awesome new feature to their mega-popular Coupon Sherpa iPhone app – it now features GROCERY coupons you can add directly to your store loyalty card!  Just enter your zip code, find your favorite store and see what coupons are available in your area. Once you’ve saved the coupons you want, they’re ready to use. All the cashier has to do is swipe or scan your card.

Recent feedback from their users tells them that groceries are topping many of their wish lists for where to save money in the second half of 2011.  In a world where many of us are constantly on the go (and lacking that leisure time to peruse circulars and clip grocery coupons) their latest app update should go a long way towards realizing those goals!

Since  they had grocery coupons on the brain, this week they have also published a new list as an alternative to mobile shopping (i mean, sometimes you just gotta sit back and relax, right?): “34 Companies Offering Grocery Home Delivery.”  Prices and rules vary (make sure you try one that lets you use manufacture coupons!), but with this list + their new app, your shopping needs should be covered both when you’re out and about, or sticking close to home.

The Frugal Diva loves to buy online – better prices, no parking problems, product reviews- however there are ways to cut the price even further.  Here is a list of sites that give coupons, money back, or shipping reductions.

Fat Wallet gives you coupons and cash back.  Click through from their site and start seeing dividends for your shopping forays.

Coupon Cabin is a reliable site for both online and printable coupons. The $5 off at Target is for $50 which is usually the amount needed to get free shipping resulting in a double savings. 

Borders (with free membership) give you discounts with their partners.

Amazon has daily deals that might be just the ticket coupled with free shipping on some items.  

And always check with The Frugal Diva for the latest in deals.