Finding bargains: Coupon-clippers and bargain shopping experts Nichole Smith and Kara Altman operate a shopping Web site called alaskacoupondiva.com. (BOB HALLINEN / Anchorage Daily News)

In front of the dairy case at Fred Meyer last week came the question that nags coupon-clippers from coast to coast: Is it really a deal if you take something home you don't really want or need, just because it's on sale?

Nichole Smith and Kara Altman, 20-something mothers, bloggers, and gurus in the local clip-and-save scene, are known online as "The Coupon Divas." They preach against buying things you don't need, but this was a stumper.

The issue was a bottle of International Delights non-dairy creamer. With a coupon, it was free. The only thing was that Smith doesn't drink coffee. She'd heard online that maybe she could use it in a dinner recipe. But the only flavors available were Dulce de Leche, Irish Cream and Vanilla. It seemed hard to imagine them as dinner. Smith plopped one into the cart anyway. Altman raised an eyebrow.

"Sometimes it's such good deal," Smith told me, "I just can't not."

The divas started their recession-friendly Web site,
www.alaskacoupondiva.com, six months ago, and now have between 800 and 1,000 unique visitors every day. They send e-mail updates to a list of 650 and teach classes. When I met them at the Fred Meyer last week, Smith was carrying a tackle box full of coupons, organized alphabetically by category.

The women met at the Maplewood LDS church two years ago. They first connected over kids -- Smith has two girls, and Altman has a boy and a set of twins -- and then they clicked over bargain hunting. They estimate since this fall, when they got very serious about coupons, they've cut their weekly grocery bill in half.

Self-reliance and thrift are tenets of Mormonism, which makes couponing popular in church circles. Back in Utah, where Smith is from, items with coupons go lightning-fast. She calls it "competitive shopping."

Coupon people have their own lingo. A "Catalina" is the coupon that scrolls out with your receipt at the register. "WYB2" means "when you buy two." "B3G1" means "buy three, get one."

The diva coupon approach is a three-layer method, with a coupon from the manufacturer, picked up online or in a newspaper insert, and one from the store, picked up by the register, along with another in-store discount. Smith and Altman are masters at doing math in their heads.

We wheeled through the housewares department. You have to know how to wait and should have a good-sized pantry for stocking up, they explained. Altman has a business degree with a focus on e-commerce. Sales come in cycles, she told me. For example, bread goes on sale every six weeks. Hot dogs go in the summer. Right now spices and baking goods are a good deal.

"Most staples run in a three-month cycle, and so when it goes on sale we buy a three-month supply," she said.

Grocery store deals can often be better than warehouse stores like Costco, if you combine coupons, they said.

Three items divas never pay retail for: toiletries, cereal and soup.

Walgreens is a toiletry deal bonanza, Altman said. There's almost always a manufacturer's coupon for cereal and, with store coupons, the price can sink under a buck a box. If you end up with too much, make rice treats or corn-flake chicken. Soup sales and coupons are regular as well. Altman and Smith like casseroles and crock-pot dishes that call for cream soups. Their site has a recipe section to help readers go through stockpiled discounts.

Altman has 70 cans of cream-based soup in her pantry right now.

"To be fair," she said, "eight people are living in the house right now. I'm not going to be ashamed of my soup."

Another way to get a deal: Watch for new products, and shop different brands. Just be careful buying too much of something you haven't tried. Things got out-of-hand for Altman recently with a new brand of nut clusters. They ended up at the Food Bank. Smith had a similar situation with nearly free "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter." She gave them to all her friends.

We wandered over to the toy section to check out a number of specials for children's gifts. Divas best toy triumph: Classic board games at Toys-R-Us for under a dollar. Those go in the present closet for birthday parties, Smith said.

Smith pointed out a My Little Pony, calculating the savings ($11) in her head. Mr. Potato Head was also a good buy, though she'd picked it up cheaper during a B1G1 (buy one get one).

For Christmas, Smith's girls are getting Leapfrog learning toys (don't worry, they're too young to read). She estimated she spent about $40 for $200 worth of toys by starting 11 months ago. Altman is going for last-minute deals on Amazon.com, which has free shipping and daily toy discounts of up to 70 percent.

We strolled into the holiday aisle, surrounded in the garish colors of Christmas candy bags. Smith paused, considering at a sale box of chocolate-covered cherries. Altman gave the red and green M&Ms a hard look before rolling on. They both knew they could get a better deal

VIDEO: Meet the Coupon Divas