Lynn Weaver (left) and Debbie Moore playfully tussle over a choice coupon at their club's monthly meeting. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

``My grocery bill was $56 at Bi-Lo this week, and I paid $19,'' Mrs. Moore said. ``The girl at the counter said, `I've never seen anybody's bill go down that much.'''

Mrs. Moore saves money by using coupons and by shopping around for the best deal. She and more than a dozen other money-conscious women meet once a month. They swap coupons and tell each other about great sales, Internet deals and rebate forms. They share stories of success and, occasionally, disappointment.

Finding an item on sale, having an unexpired coupon for it and getting to the store before it sells out might sound as difficult as getting the planets to align. But it just takes time and patience.

The coupon group began about a year ago with three people - Mrs. Moore, Tori Rowland and Kendra Crawford. The club, which doesn't have a formal name, has grown by word of mouth to about 14 people.

Most of the group's members clip all the coupons they can find in Sunday editions of The Augusta Chronicle and other newspapers, buying several copies to get more coupons. They also scrutinize each store's weekly sales insert and compare those advertisements with the coupons.

To get the best deals, they shop not just at grocery stores but also at drugstores such as CVS and Eckerd's and discount stores such as Target and Wal-Mart.

All the women say the time spent preparing pays off with the money they save.

``You have to look at the paper and figure out what's going on where,'' Noele Lang said. ``You can't just go unprepared.''

Coupon club member Tori Rowland's grocery total was knocked down from about $166 to $93 with coupons and store specials. JONATHAN ERNST/STAFF

Running into the store to grab a few things every few days costs more in the long run. You have to get out of that kind of thinking, Mrs. Rowland said. She suggests identifying what you will need a week, even a month, in advance and then watching for good deals. Stockpiling when an item is on sale is the key.

``Shop for the future, not for today,'' Mrs. Moore said. ``I'm doing it, and it's incredible.''

You can't expect to be in the store for 20 minutes and get everything, Mrs. Lang said. These things take time, but the savings are worth it.

Coupons are their most common savings tool Members don't just cut out the coupons they personally need; they cut out all they find. Each person at the meeting makes a wish list of coupons, and others donate their coupons to that list. The rest are shared around the table.

Using coupons takes some know-how. Here are some of the women's tips:

Check a coupon to see if it can be used with another offer. Do not assume it cannot. You can double your savings by using a coupon on a sale item or an item with a rebate.

Take advantage of stores that double coupons. You can save even more at stores such as Bi-Lo and Kroger, which double coupons up to 50 cents.

Pay attention to coupon expiration dates. Mrs. Moore sends expired coupons to military personnel oversees, who can use them up to six months past the expiration date.

Know what coupons you have and take them with you everywhere. ``Invariably, if you leave home without your coupons, you'll hit up on a deal,'' club member Lynn Weaver said. ``It's awful to have to turn around and go all the way back home to get them.''

Take advantage of rebates. Coupons and sales are the most common ways to save. But there's a lot more money-conscious shoppers can do. The next level of money-saver utilizes rebates. Rebate forms can be found at the shelf near the product or at the front bulletin board in most stores, where the sale ads are posted. Fill them out and send them in with the required proof of purchase and cash register tape and the manufacturer will send you a check for part of the purchase price.

The members of the group also hunt for free-bates, deals in which rebates make the item free. A shelf in Mrs. Rowland's home displays free-bates she received, including toys, CDs and even a telephone with a built-in answering machine.

Go to saving sites on the Internet. Shoppers also can get money back for things they purchase with the help of Web sites such as ValuPage.com and Esave.com. ValuPage gives a weekly list of offers. Print the ValuPage and have the store clerk scan it at the beginning of checkout. Any items you buy on the list will give you Web Bucks, credit toward your next shopping order.

Esave provides rebates on weekly listed items. Mail your cash-register receipt, showing you bought the item, to the listed address and Esave will send you a stated rebate amount.

Use store-discount cards. If you shop Food Lion, Kroger or Bi-Lo, apply for and use their discount cards. If you forget the card, return with your receipt and card for cash or credit on the amount you would have saved with the card.

Take advantage of rainchecks. Most stores will give you a raincheck for a sale item that has sold out. You can pick up the item when it is restocked for the sale price. Rainchecks are given at the register or customer-service counter.

Ask stores to match competitors' prices. If a sale item is sold out at one store, you may still be able to get that price somewhere else. Eckerd's, Wal-Mart and CVS Pharmacy will match competitors' prices on the same item with an advertisement circular or a cash-register receipt.

Call the manufacturer if you like the product. Often, it will send you free products or coupons. A toll-free customer-service number is usually on the package.

If you don't need an item, resist the urge to purchase it just because you have a coupon for it or it is on sale.

Be aware of the cost of the items you normally use so you can recognize a good deal when you see one.

Most of the group will not pay for an item full price. ``The deal is you have got to buy it on sale and you've got to have a coupon,'' Mrs. Moore said.

She examines the sale ads and coupons and arranges her meals for the week around what she can afford. Sometimes, coupons will not be used until just before the expiration date.

``For someone who is just starting, it is kind of overwhelming trying to do it all at once,'' Alison Kalbskof said. ``You have to start slow.''

All levels of money-savers attend the meetings. First-timers usually sit back, trade coupons and absorb it all.

But once you get the hang of it, watch out. Money-saving can be addictive. Mrs. Kalbskof admits she lies awake some nights thinking about different deals.

``You can have withdrawals,'' Mrs. Weaver said.

Anyone is free to attend the savings group's meetings, which are held in the third week of the month on a day convenient to most of the attendants. For more information, contact Tori Rowland at torirowland@knology.net or Debbie Moore at 863-5794.

Reach: Valerie Rowell at (706) 823-3351 or valmac007@hotmail.com.