They’re just small slips of paper.

Some are the size of an index card, others are the size of a credit card.

But these little slips, more commonly referred to as coupons, are causing quite a buzz these days.

You find them everywhere — in newspaper inserts, magazine ads, in credit-card statements and in the aisles of your favorite store. Cable television stations even promote shows about people who practice “extreme couponing.”

Now, seminars are cropping up everywhere on how to save not just cents, but hundreds of dollars with coupons.

About 30 women recently attended a couponing seminar conducted by Heather McIngvale, of Huntsville, at Cold Water Books in Tuscumbia.

McIngvale is the author of “Heather’s Hints,” a guide to couponing, and the mastermind behind the website, heathershints.com.

For McIngvale, couponing is lifestyle, but she said everyone approaches it differently.

“Do what is advantageous to you and your family,” she advised.

While she devotes a lot of time to couponing and sharing her knowledge with others, the stay-at-home mom said she doesn’t go to extremes as they do on the TV shows.

“I don’t have tons of stuff stockpiled in my house,” she said. “I only have two closets for those items.”

And even then, McIngvale said she keeps a close eye on her inventory.

“Check expiration dates when buying for your stockpile,” she said. “Ten bottles of salad dressing at a good deal does you no good if they will expire before you can use them all.”

McIngvale uses the FIFO system — first in, first out.

“Keep your stockpile rotated,” she said. “Put the items that are about to expire in the front and use those items first.”

Working as an accountant for 12 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom, McIngvale insists meal planning is instrumental in saving money and using coupons.

“Not meal planning is like shopping for clothes without knowing what size you wear,” she said.

In her seminars, McIngvale advises attendees to scour advertisements and match the items they need with coupons to get them even cheaper.

When it comes to using all those cents-off coupons, McIngvale said it is up to the consumer to be aware of the policy of the store in which he or she shops.

Several of the couponing etiquette hints McIngvale stresses include: be organized; use coupons for only the merchandise you have; take it easy on the competitor coupons; remain pleasant throughout the transaction; and don’t clear the shelves of a store’s inventory.

“I won’t take the last two cans of anything,” she said. “I will ask for a rain check.”

In addition to shopping for bargains, McIngvale also shops for her checkout clerk.

“Go to the cashier who looks like they are happy to be there,” she advised. “Don’t go to the person who looks like they’ve been there all day and are ready to clock out.”

A group of Shoals couponers gather occasionally at Willingham Hall on the University of North Alabama campus to share their experiences in the world of couponing.

“I don’t do extreme couponing, but I would like to,” said Dana Burbank, administrative assistant in the UNA English Department. “It’s such an adrenaline rush.”

The informal group of mostly women gather to chat about coupon websites and to exchange coupons.

“You can find all kinds of coupons online,” Burbank said. “I will clip or print every coupon I can find. If I can’t use it, maybe someone else can.”

Most attendees bring an envelope or two containing coupons they are willing to pass along to others. Several group members proudly showed their binders filled with coupons. Some members had more than one binder.

Most use clear plastic sheets originally meant for use by baseball card collectors to organize their coupons.

Burbank’s sister-in-law, Leslie Hammell, told the group she recently purchased the protective sheets at a local store.

“I should have bought all they had,” she said.

Hammell is a couponing newbie and hadn’t realized the protective sheets were becoming hard to find.

Burbank uses tabs to separate her coupons.

“I have one for cleaning products I use all the time,” she said. “I also have a tab for PB&J.”

McIngvale agrees that the binder system is one of the most convenient ways she has found for organizing her coupons. According to “Heather’s Hints,” a pro of the binder system is that McIngvale always has her coupons with her and never misses a deal.

The con?

“It takes time and sometimes more work,” she said.

Other methods of organizing coupons include the insert filing method or expanding envelopes.

No matter what method used for organizing coupons, both women agree that couponing saves on their grocery bill.

“I am proud of the 50-percent savings,” Burbank said, “but I would like to exceed 72 percent. And it’s for things I use all the time.”

McIngvale summed couponing up this way: “It’s the savvy way to shop these days.”

Teri Thornton can be reached at 256-740-5742 or teri.thornton@timesdaily.com.

At a glance
For details on the couponing club that meets at UNA, email dmburbank@una.edu.

On the Net
heathershints.com