BUFFALO, N.Y. - Who wouldn't love free groceries?
Western New York wife and mother of two, Melissa Zambito, says she often leaves the store without paying a dime. At the very least, she saves 50-percent off her bill and typically spends no more than $50 each week.
She's twice appeared on the hit show "Extreme Couponing," and she teaches couponing classes to share her skills.
Melissa also has her own website, where she shares coupons and tips on how to combine them to maximize your savings.
Melissa shared some of her couponing tips with Daybreak's Heather Ly. Check out the big savings during their shopping trip by clicking on the video player above.
She said rule number one is checking your store's coupon policy before you check out. They're often posted at customer service and can also be found on a retailer's website.
Many stores "double" coupons, up to 99 cents, but be sure to pay attention to the bar code in addition to the amount on the coupon.
"If it starts with a five it will double. If it starts with a nine it will not double," says Melissa. That's even if the top of the coupon says "do not double."
You can also combine buy one get one free coupons with buy one get one free offers in store to get both items for free.
Coupon clipping isn't just the Sunday paper and a pair of scissors. High value coupons can be found on Facebook and manufacturer websites.
Melissa says take advantage of price matching and "overages" and shop at stores that allow both. An overage is where a store will give you the money if a coupon exceeds the value of the item.
"For example, if grapes are 99 cents at one store, and they might be $1.99 at Walmart, I'm going to bring the flyer from my competitor. I'm going to use my overage that I got from these razors that were maybe two dollars and I got a three dollar coupon. I'm going to use this dollar overage to get everything for free."
Melissa also links her store loyalty cards to Saving Star, a free e-coupon site that keeps track of your purchases. Your savings add up, and instead of getting money off at the register, you get a cash rebate at the end of each month. It can be paid directly to you via PayPal.
, a free e-coupon site that keeps track of your purchases. Your savings add up, and instead of getting money off at the register, you get a cash rebate at the end of each month. It can be paid directly to you via PayPal.