Michael Stevane of Bovey, Minn., recently sent me a question that I receive from readers quite often. Michael asks, "My wife and I work to stay within our budget. Is there a coupon book on the market that we could purchase that isn't a scam? We have been looking on the Internet and saw a couple places that sell them for $29.95."

Michael provided a link to the specific Web site he had seen with this offer, which I will not reprint here. However, there are actually several Web sites with similar offers, and the overall theme is the same. First, you pay a fee to belong to their "coupon club." In exchange for the fee, you will be sent a grocery coupon certificate book. These are not actual grocery coupons, but vouchers for specific grocery coupons that you can order. You then mail in the vouchers for coupons you like and they mail the specific coupons to you. Their Web site lists examples of their coupon inventory, and I couldn't help but notice that several of the specific products they listed have not had coupons issued in years.

Additionally, some of the site's claims were outlandish - which makes me think the offer is a scam. For example, the site claims to have 94 million members. Folks, that's a very big number - a little too big to believe. I measured the site's traffic with a Web site traffic tool and saw that only a handful of people visit the site each day. Where are all those members? I don't think I'd send in $29.95 to be one.

Incidentally, selling coupons is fraudulent. The bottom of each grocery coupon has fine print that clearly states that coupons cannot be sold. Although there are several popular Web sites these days that sell coupons, they claim they are not actually "selling" coupons, but simply charging customers for their time in cutting out and mailing the coupons. However, when you take a closer look at their coupon inventory and price list, I find it interesting that coupons with more attractive values have a higher price than coupons with lower values. Wouldn't it take the same amount of time to cut out and mail coupons, regardless of their value? I think they are selling coupons.

However, I appreciate Michael's desire to save more money on his groceries with coupons. Having multiple coupons for your grocery items will clearly help you save more money. When your favorite items hit their lowest sale prices, you should buy as many as you can with the coupons that you have. Therefore, finding additional sources of grocery coupons makes sense to stock up on bargains.

In a recent column I shared the story of a reader who traded coupons at his workplace with other coupon shoppers. That's an excellent free source of coupons with no mailing costs involved. You can also buy additional copies of the newspaper during great coupon weeks or ask friends and neighbors for their unused coupon circulars (particularly if you buy extra bargains for charity). Try setting up a coupon collection box in public places like your place of worship, school, health club, workplace or club meeting.

I have also heard from shoppers who work with their local grocery stores to set up a coupon exchange box in the store. Shoppers donate unused coupons to the box and stop by the box before shopping to see if there are any coupons for items on their list. Suggest this idea to your store manager and offer to spread the word of the coupon box to other coupon shoppers you know. The store may get more business!

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABC News' "Good Morning America." You can find more of her savings tips in her book "The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" and on her website at www.couponmom.com. She can be reached at shoppingmom@unitedmedia.com.