With the cost of eating at home costing over $1,000 a month for a typical family, it’s no surprise that many families are getting into the couponing game to save money on their grocery bill. If you’re looking to keep a few extra bucks in your pocket after your next visit to the grocery store, check out these five great places to start saving with coupons.

Saving big with coupons is easier than ever with multiple sources to find the best coupons that fit your lifestyle.

Facebook, Social Media and Email

Social media and email coupons are a great way to find great specials that don’t require any clipping. “Like” or follow the pages of the stores you shop at most often and they will keep you updated with the best deals each day. If you’re hesitant to give out your email and have your inbox flooded, consider opening a new email solely for signing up with stores so it’s easier to organize.

If you aren’t getting deals you’re interested in, there’s usually an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each message.

Newspaper

Although it may seem a little old school for 2013, you can still find a majority of the best coupons from stores in your local area in your newspaper. The Sunday paper can be your jackpot to saving big on your grocery bill no matter what day of the week you go. For extra savings, check the limit on the coupon and buy multiple of items you can freeze or keep for use later.

Couponing at the commissary can really maximize the already lower prices.

Commissary Couponing

Commissaries already boast they save military families a bundle, but couponing maximizes every dollar. There are some great resources online that offer military exclusive coupons that only work at the commissary. Remember that last year the Department of Defense made some slight changes to what is accepted at a commissary to help reduce abuse of low commissary prices. For more information on what is accepted check out their website for official guidelines.

Websites

Like most things, couponing is moving to the Internet, so don’t expect all of your couponing to be sifting through booklets with scissors. Websites make it easier than ever to search for coupons with the most value and easily print your favorites. Coupons.com, Live Better America and A Full Cup are just a few of the most popular coupon clipping sites out there.

SmartSource

Since the late 1990s, SmartSource has become one of the biggest companies built solely on helping people save big with coupons. Whether you’re checking out their website, their weekly mailers or even the coupon machines in the cereal aisle, SmartSource is there to help you coupon in the way that’s easiest for you.

Remember that couponing is really all about getting the most for every dollar, so don’t get caught up in thinking that you’ll have to spend hours clipping out tiny squares to save. Use your computer, smartphone or simply look around the store to find great coupons that save you time and money.

Images courtesy StockMonkeys.com and campdarby

And that’s where a unique piece of legislation can help: the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

Financial Safeguards

The SCRA provides a range of financial safeguards for active duty U.S. service members and their families. The act, which President Bush signed into law in December 2003, is basically an update and expansion of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act passed in 1940.

Military spouses often have to handle the finances and any problems that come along with it!

The newer, wide-ranging SCRA covers a host of civil and fiscal obligations, such as mortgage payments, credit card debt and apartment leases.

Active duty members and Reservists and National Guard members on active duty are eligible to receive SCRA benefits from the start of their active duty to about 30 to 90 days after. This includes their dependents.

How the SCRA Can Help

Here’s a look at some of the key ways military spouses can utilize the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act:

• Mortgage and Foreclosure

Lenders in most cases can’t foreclose upon or take a property because of mortgage debt while service members are on active duty and for up to nine months after discharge. The SCRA also provides caps interest rates at 6 percent for active duty service members and their families, no matter the loan type.

• Leases and Eviction

The SCRA prevents service members and their families from being evicted because of failure to pay rent, so long as the monthly rent doesn’t exceed $2,932.21. The property must be considered the residential home of the member and dependents as opposed to an extra property. If an eviction notice is issued, spouses can submit an SCRA request to the court. Petitioners must show that the inability to pay is because of the service member’s military duties. If approved, the court can postpone the eviction for three months.
Service members can also terminate a lease if they receive deployment orders within 30 days of signing.

It can be overwhelming, but there is help available.

• Credit Card Interest Rates

The SCRA provides a 6-percent cap on credit card interest rates. Once applied for, monthly payments are reduced by the interest saved for the time of active duty. Beyond that, any debt interest beyond the 6 percent is forgiven.

• Special Deposit Program

The SCRA can offer financial opportunities along with financial relief.

Service members deployed to a combat zone or a qualified hazardous zone can take advantage of a Special Deposit Program that allows a 10-percent interest rate on any money deposited while deployed.

With a power of attorney, a spouse can start allotment payments up to $10,000 and receive a rate that is one to 10 times higher than banks and credit unions. The money will remain in the high interest account until the deployment ends, but can be withdrawn if hard times arise.

Photos thanks to meddygarnet and Casey Serin via Flickr Creative Commons

Military couples may find it even tougher to stick it out seeing as deployments, trainings and permanent changes of station are constantly changing circumstances. But with some thoughtful planning and communication married couples can merge money matters without hassle and keep the financial honeymoon going.

When you are planning to get married make sure you and your spouse discuss these topics:

Budgeting and finances are major issues in marriage so start off on the right foot.

Budget

You both have expenses, fixed and flexible. The first step is to list them all separately to determine the costs you and your spouse are facing together. This is also the time to discuss overall attitudes towards finances. Things like how much money should be spent on different non-essential items should be outlined.

There are free websites such as Mint.com that provide various budgeting forms and tools to can help get you started when you are organizing your finances together for the first time.  Check out this post by Smart Military Money on how to use these online tools to make budgeting easier. Once you have a projected budget, you and your spouse can use it to compare your actual spending tracked over time.

Deciding to Combine Accounts

• Bank Account: Some couples combine bank accounts, some keep them split and some create a new joint account in addition to their own. It really depends on preference. Combining accounts allows couples to use the same bank source and have a common location. Also, if anything were to happen to you or your spouse, the right of survivorship will transfer ownership to the surviving member. Having multiple people on an account increases the need for constant communication because misunderstanding could lead to incorrect balances and/or overdrawn accounts. As long as there is ample communication and delegated balancing times, couples can easily overcome these obstacles.
• Insurance: Many couples compare their health care benefits and decide which would provide the most benefit if combined into a family plan. With the military, service members and family are offered TRICARE to cover health, dental and pharmaceutical benefits for active and retired members. Auto and homeowners insurance may also offer discounts if combined.
• Cell Phone: You and your spouse can save some money by switching to a family plan for your cell phone providers. In fact if you use your military discount on certain providers, you can save even more.

Delegating Responsibility

Now that pool expenses is under one roof, you’ll have to determine who will be responsible for making payments and performing tasks like grocery shopping. The tasks can be split evenly, given to one person or rotated throughout the year. Couples have found success with each method, so again it’s left to you and your spouse’s preference.

How will the bills get paid?

A specific note for military couples is to discuss having shared access to the responsibility. Spouses of military members should obtain a power of attorney, which will allow them to make financial decisions on behalf of their spouse if deployed or unable to access accounts. Finances are a very important thing to talk about before any deployment. Be sure to share account numbers, passwords and due dates.

For those couples who may face or are facing a deployment, check out Smart Military Money’s financial checklist for the soon-to-be-deployed

Tackling Debt

Debt is a problem for marriage, no matter who it originates with, since both credit scores can play into major purchases. The first step is disclosing the amount of debt each other is facing as well as the interest rates.

Set goals together for when you want each loan paid off and evaluate the plan with each other as months go by. Some couples choose to combine debts by paying the most toward the principal with the highest interest rate. That way, it can be paid off first and you two can tackle the less burdensome debts.

Stash Cash

A good habit for couples to get into is contributing extra cash or dedicating a certain percentage of pay to a savings account. It’s recommended that couples have three to six times their monthly expenses in savings for any emergencies or unexpected loss of income. Newlyweds probably don’t have such a stash on hand after a wedding, honeymoon and home purchase, but with commitment and patience, they can get there.

Photo thanks to RambergMediaImages and Brad_Chaffee via Flickr Creative Commons