We are starting to get to the time of the year in which teachers plunk down some major coin on school supplies and other stuff for starting the new school year. But even during the year, teachers have been known to spend quite a bit out of their own pockets.

One simple and fast way to try and save a little on your next purchase is to search the net for an online coupon code.

The process is simple:

1. Search for the product you are looking for using an online shopping search, such as Google Product Search or PriceGrabber.
2. Find the site that offers the best deal, while also having good ratings, good shipping and return policies, and appears reputable.
3. Add the items in your cart and begin to check out as you would normally do.
4. Before you complete your order, look for a box that will allow you to enter a promotional or coupon code.
5. Now go hunt for a code. One of the easiest ways to do this is to try a coupon code aggregator site, such as RetailMeNot.com. Enter in the name or address of the site you are shopping on, and they will list coupon codes, as well as how often the codes have worked for shoppers.
6. Scroll through the listings to see if they offer a coupon code that will apply to your order.
7. Once you find a coupon code, copy and paste it into the promotional code box back at your shopping cart. Be careful to type the code exactly (some codes are case sensitive).
8. If your code doesn’t work, try to find another one. Odds are, there is more than one coupon code floating around for your site.
9. If you don’t find anything using RetailMeNot or a similar site, try searching Google with the name of the website and the phrase “coupon code.” For example, type “Amazon.com coupon code” or “Amazon coupon code.” Try your search without quotation marks so that it’s the most inclusive. You might have to search a few sites in order to find something that applies.

This is a relatively painless way to shave a few bucks off of a purchase you were likely to make anyways. In my case, I’ve been able to find codes that allowed me to receive free shipping, or to discount the cost to cover shipping, if not more. And in most cases, this whole process takes less than five minutes.

It won’t work every time, and it’s especially hard to find codes for some of the larger shopping sites. But even if it works just a few times, you’ve saved some money. So while you still might spend out of pocket, here’s a quick way to spend a little bit less.