Of course, I hate to pay full price for anything. But it seems retailers are questioning whether anyone will ever pay full price again following this year's record discounts. Check out this Washington Post story and share your thoughts. How much of a discount do you need to approve a purchase?

I heard today from reader Jane, who was lamenting the loss of the If It's Paper store in Raleigh recently.

Jane is now looking for a new place to buy paper products, ranging from deli trays, table cloths, napkins and utensils to cake boxes and wedding supplies. I had a few ideas but I thought I'd offer the question here to see if you all have any suggestions for Jane.

Fire away.

Betty Crocker has issued new printable coupons on its Web site here for everything from Betty Crocker potatoes to Hamburger Helper to Yoplait kids' yogurt. If you have not signed up for the site, you will probably have to register before you can print them.

Also, Betty Crocker is running a recipe contest asking folks to create a recipe using Betty Crocker cookie mix. You could win $5,000. Check it out here. 

Well the first week of 2009 is a totally decent deals week! There are plenty of items that are free after coupons and mail-in rebates. Not surprisingly, weight-loss type items are on sale this week, but if you are a fan of Special K cereal, Slim Fast or a particular multivitamin, this is the week to stock up.

Lowes Foods has issued a special set of store coupons with this morning’s flier that you want to be sure to grab, and there are STILL deals to be had on Procter & Gamble products if you are trying to qualify for that $120 coupon booklet before the offer ends at the end of this month.

DEAL OF THE WEEK: In honor of all of you who are trying to lose weight, let’s go to Walgreens this week, where there’s a great deal on Special K cereal. Buy four boxes for $10 and get $3 back in an instant Register Rewards rebate. Then if you have four of the $1 coupons from Dec. 14 or two of the $1 off two coupons from Sunday, that would be a pretty spectacular deal. It will work out to a final cost of four boxes for $3 or $5, depending on which coupons you use.

Click “Read more” to see the list! And remember, if the store has a loyalty card, you’ll need it to get the sale price.

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I was at CVS waiting to check out this weekend, and the man in front of me told the cashier he didn't want his receipt. When the cashier pointed out that he had two Extra Bucks printed on the bottom of his receipt, he again declined and left the store. I wanted to yell after him, "Hey! It's like you just threw $2 in the trash! Buy some gum or something!!" Fortunately, I restrained myself. But I would encourage you all to check your receipts at CVS.

The chain has a rewards program that gives you "Extra Bucks" that print at the bottom of your receipt. There are special deals each week that qualify for Extra Bucks, but there are also Exta Bucks that are handed out quarterly. You get 2 percent back on all your purchases and $1 for every two prescriptions filled. I am told by CVS that last quarter, shoppers earned a whopping $69 million in Extra Bucks! Those bucks are being distribuetd now, so make sure you check your receipts for them! And if you would like to read my little explanation of the Extra Bucks program and how it works, click here.

If you participate in the Procter & Gamble eSaver online coupon program at Kroger, there are new coupons up now!

You can find them or sign up here. And if you want to know more about the program, read my description here.

Are you a consignment sale shopper?

If you are, you may want to read this post from Sarah over on our Mom2Mom site about new federal guidelines that could shut down consignment sales selling children's products as early as next month.

Sarah's post has all the info and also a link you can use to e-mail her. If this change would affect you and you'd be willing to speak with her about it today, she would love to hear from you. Please include the phone number where you can be reached in your e-mail.

One of our local Dunkin Donuts franchisees is launching a weeky e-newsletter that will contain coupons. Sounds like a good enough reason to sign up! The coupons will only be good at the three locations owned by Cary Quick Serve Restaurants: High House Road and NC 55 in Cary, Davis Drive at Morrisville Market in Morrisville and Capital Boulevard, just above the Beltline in Raleigh. If you want to be included, send an e-mail to ncdunkinbaskin@aol.com.

If your New Year's resolution was to learn how to play the guitar, here's a deal for you.

The Raleigh Music Academy, is now offering a four-session beginners group class (your choice of Monday night, Wednesday night or Saturday) for $59. That's four 45-minute lessons and a lesson book for $59. The regular price is $90 for four 30-minute lessons. The max enrollment is 10 people per class, so move quickly if you want to take advantage of the offer. You can check it out here. 

This weekend, I went through my pantry and my closet to get organized and make sure I was not holding onto any food that was about to expire. But when I got to work today, I was one-upped by a reader. Kim wrote:

About a month ago I realized that I had accumulated quite a stockpile of frozen foods (in both my regular freezer and my outdoor storage freezer), but I didn't know exactly what I had. It's so difficult to sort through everything every time I'm looking for something (not to mention the risk of frostbite!) that I decided to prepare an inventory spreadsheet of what I have on hand. It's great -- I just subtract an item I use and add any additional purchases. It prevents overstocking (how did I end up with 8 boxes of Green Giant lima beans?) and reduces the amount of time rooting around in the freezer (saving electricity and preserving the quality of the items).

That is a great idea for staying organized and making sure you don't waste food. Anyone else do this? Or do you do something else to stay on top of what you've got?

If you're a member of the Borders Rewards club, there's a new coupon for 40 percent off any one book when you make a $20 purchase. Even for Borders, which issues coupons all the time, 40 percent is pretty steep. And, if you are a Rewards member, you may have Rewards dollars to use, too. Remember you earn Rewards all year long and then are able to redeem them in the month of January. With the coupon and your Rewards, you could get a good deal on a new book... 

Mission has issued a $1 Internet printable coupon on its Better for You Mission healthy tortillas. You can register for the Web site and access the coupon here.

It's a new year, and I know there are lots of people who are new to coupons and trying to learn more about how to save.

First of all, I commend your effort and thank you for reading my blog!

Second, I need your help! I was thinking it would be fun to try to keep up with some new savers as they enter this crazy world of deals, coupons and saving money. I want to know about the questions you have, the things you learn and (of course) how much you save! Specifically, I'm looking for shoppers who are brand new to coupons (have been couponing for two months or less and have not done it before) and people who are willing to share their journey with me and possibly with the readers of The News & Observer.

If you'd be willing to be a part of my little experiment for the new year, e-mail me!

If you've ever been confused by the numbers on letters that come on food packages, there is actually a method to the madness.

Thanks to the Consumerist for this really interesting post that breaks down the expiration codes used by several major food manufacturers. I'm not going to lie... it's confusing. But if you stare at this thing long enough, it actually makes some sense. And it might help you clean out your pantry for the new year...

If you are a parent who uses Johnson's baby products, the company has several printable coupons available on its Web site. I didn't look too closely, but I would assume you have to register with the site to access the coupons. Click here to check it out...