Saving Private Cash

How do you save a few dollars? I have no idea how I thought of it, maybe it was a link, but I had to get a bunch of things from Staples online, and I felt like I was getting ripped off. Pens, paper, toner, staples, and more went over $100. I know this stuff costs nearly nothing to make, and the plastic wrap and labels costs more than the goods. It's less about the amount, but more about the feeling that you're getting ripped off. What to do? I bought a coupon off ebay. Who knew? $20 off $100 and it cost me $1.40. Watch out for the "shipping charges" even though there's no shipping. There's tons of crap like this out there and it just goes unused till it expires.