Briana Carter wheels her grocery cart, full to overflowing, to the check out at Meijer.

She warns the people behind her this could take a few minutes.

“I have lots of coupons,” she says.

Those lined up behind her watch as her groceries are scanned and bagged, and she’s given her total of $98.

Then the fun part begins.

The numbers begin to go down as the cashier scans her coupons, one at a time, emitting a beep as each one crosses the scanner. When the last one has been scanned, he announces Carter’s new total – $55.38.

With a little advance planning and coupon clipping, Carter has knocked $43 off her bill, and she says anyone can do it.

In fact, she’ll teach you to do it, on her Web site, www.bargainbriana.com.

What began as a hobby and a way to knock a bit off her grocery bill has grown into Carter’s second job. In the evenings, after working all day, this Tipton mother of four works on her Web site, helping her readers find the best deals and coupons in central Indiana, for free.

She wants people to know they do not have to be what she calls “professional couponers” to save substantial money on food, cleaning or hygiene items and many other daily necessities.

Carter started couponing three years ago, and stumbled upon a site called grocerygame.com, which, for $5 per week, helps users find and use the best coupons. Soon, she was confident in her ability to find those deals without the Web site — though she said she saved more than the subscription fee. She enjoyed sharing with friends about her new hobby, but thought she was boring them with her stories.

“It’s kind of become my obsession. It’s hard to pay full price after you get great deals.”

That’s when she began blogging on what eventually became bargainbriana.com.

Her site includes updates of grocery deals at local grocery stores, including Kroger, Meijer and Marsh, and includes what coupons are available to use in addition to the sale prices, deals at local drug stores, including CVS and Walgreens, reviews of products, links to other coupon Web sites, and tips for saving money at each of the stores she reviews.

Carter also has a coupon tutorial, 15 Days of Couponing, designed to teach people how to maximize their savings using coupons, and “Freebie Friday,” with coupons and tips on things to get or do for free. Examples of those have included tips on free admission days at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, or a free light bulb giveaway at Home Depot.

Carter said her site has come to the attention of several manufacturers, who send her updates and coupons, and from networking with other bloggers.

She said grocery store companies are anxious for people to know what they’re offering on sale.

“Right now stores are trying to get people in with the freebies, hoping they will buy more.”

She’s finding her site is becoming more popular, with people more conscious of saving money in this tough economy.

Carter walks the walk on coupons, regularly saving substantial money on her grocery bill. In 2008, she saved about $6,000 on groceries.

At CVS, she recently spent $1.32 for $31 worth of product, and her purchase generated Extracare bucks, which she can use on a future purchase.

Carter said the key to saving with coupons is “to buy things before you need them, while they are on sale.”

For example, on her trip to Meijer, she bought pasta on sale for her pantry, anticipating the sauce would be on sale the next week. Also, she stocked up on bread when she had coupons that made it 35 cents per loaf, putting several in her freezer, and she buys toothpaste when it is on sale and her coupons would make it about 25 cents per tube.

“We just go shopping on our pantry” when items are needed, she said.

She added that it can take a while to start saving the kind of money she saves, because you have to build up your coupon file.

“It takes probably about three months to get into it and get your stockpile built up,” she said.

The majority of Carter’s coupons come from the Sunday Kokomo Tribune and Indianapolis Star, though she also finds some online. She files them in a square file box, organized by insert, such as Red Plum or Brandsaver, and by date. She does not clip individual coupons until she needs them.

She also uses shortcuts.com and cellfire.com, which load coupons onto a Kroger loyalty card and are automatically updated when the card is scanned at the register.

Carter estimates she spends four to five hours every two weeks deciding what she needs, making a list, shopping the stores with the best deals and bringing everything home.

“For what I save, it’s worth it,” she said.

Carter said her family supports her couponing, though her husband thought it was “kind of crazy at first.” She said he’s had to learn not to fix on one brand, but to enjoy what brand is the best deal with sales and coupons.

“Now he loves it, and he tells all his friends.”

Her kids also have learned, she said, that “if it’s not on sale, and we don’t have a coupon, we’re probably not going to get it.”



WEB WONDER:

At bargainbriana.com, Tipton’s Briana Carter offers online visitors:

• Updates on deals at groceries, including Kroger, Meijer and Marsh.

• Information on coupons to use in addition to sale prices.

• Deals at drug stores, including CVS and Walgreens.

• Product reviews.

• Web links to coupon sites.

• Saving tips at specific stores.

• “15 Days of Couponing,” a tutorial on maximizing coupon savings.

• “Freebie Friday,” tips on things to do or get for free