Many of us have been affected by the recession because of layoffs, pay cuts and rising prices.

According to the California Energy Almanac website, gas prices have increased 52 cents since Feb. 13.

To save money in this economy, people look for special deals that will give them more for their dollar.

The newest money-saving trend is couponing. You can still use name brand products without paying outrageous prices.

It is easy to get started; check your email. You could have an inbox full of savings without even knowing it.

If you are a frequent shopper or a registered user, department stores, restaurants and websites send emails with sale announcements and coupons.

Coupons are everywhere; they appear in the Sunday newspaper, in magazines, on store shelves, on products and on the back of your receipts.

Online Shopping: Surf the web; there are many websites that offer free coupons or promotional codes.

Promotional Codes (http://promotionalcodes.com) offers online deals, including free shipping or discounts on your order.

Another useful site that can give instant savings to your online purchase is Retail Me Not (http://retailmenot.com). It offers a search engine to locate all promotional discount codes available for online shopping.

Retail: The website that has launched thousands of couponers is Krazy Coupon Lady (http://thekrazycouponlady.com).

The extreme couponing website does all the research for you.  It offers printable coupons and shows you which coupons you should look for in the Sunday paper.

It does a price comparison of a sale item so you can locate which retail store has it at the lowest price.

Grocery: Another great website with printable coupons and a savings guide is Coupon Mom (http://couponmom.com).  The website is focused on grocery savings and promises to cut your grocery bill in half.

Social: Discover the best in your city. Living Social (http://livingsocial.com) offers discounts on local spas, restaurants, shops and travel.  It gives you an opportunity to plan fun family outings and vacations.

Applications: With more than five million downloads, the most popular money saving mobile application is Groupon.

Groupon works with popular businesses to negotiate discounts of 50 to 90 percent. The daily deals are sent to all of its subscribers through emails and social networking.

It is time to eliminate those last minute trips to the store where you purchase everything at whole price.

Be smart, think ahead and coupon.