Ok, so first things first.  What does triples actually mean?  Well, I will start by saying that every store is different and the first thing you want to do when planning out your shopping trip is to get a copy of your store's coupon policy.  You will generally find it on their website, or just do a google search for "'insert store name here' coupon policy" and it should come up.

Now, for Harris Teeter, triples week means that they will triple all coupons with a face value up to $.99.  So, for instance, if I have a coupon (I will refer to coupons as Qs from here on out) for $.75, it will triple in value to $2.25 ($.75 + $.75 + $.75 = $2.25)!  $.55 will triple to $1.65, $.50 will triple to $1.50, etc.

If you have a Q for a $1 or more, though, it will not double and it definitely won't triple... You will just get $1 off.

This is how it will look on your receipt (for my store, HT):  Manufacturer's coupon $.75
                                                                                                Multiplied coupon $1.50
You will not see three separate $.75, you will see the one line for your Q and the second for the multiplied amount.  Usually it just says $.75 but for triples they have programmed the computers to triple the Q, thus the $1.50 amount.

I will also give another tip to you newbies - look for a store that doubles regularly.  You will usually find this information on their weekly circular.  These are found in the Sunday and Wednesday newspapers, as well as at the front of the store.  For instance, my HT doubles to $.99 every day!

If you are new to a store the first thing you are going to want to do is get a membership card.  Some stores don't carry them, but for the ones that do (Rite Aid, CVS, Harris Teeter, etc.) you will not get the sale prices and you will not be able to double, triple, whatever, without a card.  Also, the faster you get your card the faster you get in the system so that you can load e-coupons onto your card.  These are coupons you will find on the stores website.  These are coupons that you can stack with paper manufacturer's coupons.  As you will see, I used several of these e-coupons (called eVIC or ZVRs for my store) to get the sweetest deals in this purchase.

This is my breakdown of the purchase:

Brach's Candy Corn on sale for $2.50 - $.50 Q from Aug. All You magazine (This is a magazine that can only be found at Wal Mart, be sure to pick one up whenever you're there!) = $1 after tripling (This was supposed to be free.  I believe the sign said $1.19 when I picked it up... Uuugh, now I have to go to customer service!!)

Fiber One 90 calorie brownie bars on sale for $2.50 - $.75 Q 8/7 GM, 9/11 GM (There is a note on how to read these to know which circulars the Q is in and where to get them at the bottom) - $.50 ZVR (this is the e-coupon, remember?) = 2 free

Notice that I had to use 2 paper Qs for this...  This is the breakdown of the math:
$2.50 - $.75 - $.75 - $.75 - $.50 = $.25 Money Maker (MM)
Now, I had to make a decision here.  Should I just take the $.25 or use the overage to get another box free?  As you can see, I chose the latter.
$2.50 - $.75 - $.75 - $.75 = $.25 - $.25 from previous = FREE

I hope this makes sense.  You should know that a lot of stores will round down the amount of a paper coupon to match the sale price.  So, if you have a Q that exceeds the price of an item, you will not get cashback, overage, or anything for it, you will just get the item free.  This does NOT apply to the ecoupons, though.  That is why I was able to get the overage.

(Note - This is simply how my store works.  YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) depending on your store and how your cash registers are set up.  I suggest choosing a store and sticking to learning it for a while until you learn all of its little intricacies.)  A good resource for this is afullcup.com.  These are discussion boards full of people who have been doing it for a while and chances are they have your store.  Check it out!

Now that you get the basics, we're going to go a little faster:

(2) Dole Mandarin Oranges jar $2.89 - $.75 (tripling is understood) = $.64 each

Haribo gummy bears $.99 - $.30 = $.09

Cliff Bar black cherry almond $1.00 - $1.00 (I had a free Q for this) = FREE

(2) Pure Protein bar $1.50 - $.50 = FREE

(2) GoGo Squeeze Applesauce $2.79 - $.75 = $.54 each

(2) Edge Shaving Gel $2.50 - $.75 = $.25 each

Skintimate Shaving Gel $2.50 - $.75 = $.25

Land O Lakes Cinnamon Sugar Butter Spread  $2.45 - $.75 = $.20

(2) Yoplait Greek yogurt 6 oz. $1 - $.50/2 - $.50/2 ZVR = 2 FREE

Silk Almond milk half gal. $3.69 - $.75 = $1.44 (<-- probably the most expensive thing I bought, but we needed milk!)


What do the 'codes' mean?!
Ok, if you are wondering what '7/31 SS' means, have no fear!  I'm going to walk you through it right now.
There are three different inserts that come either in the newspaper or mail, they are:
Smart Source
Red Plum
P&G Brand Saver

The Smart Source and Red Plum come out on a weekly basis, and the P&G Brand Saver comes out once a month.  You should sign up for one newspaper per member of your household.  This will ensure that you have enough Q's to get the amount of goods you need when the deals come around.  Keep an eye out for Groupons for newspaper subscriptions (I have seen them!) or good deals from your local newspaper at grocery stores.  If you can't wait, head on over to discountednewspapers.com.  This is what I did when I was first getting started.
Once you get your inserts, look at the outside spine in the very small print and you will find the date of the insert.  It will be the Sunday of that week.  So, when you see someone put a coupon is from the 7/31 SS you now know that that means it was in the July 31st edition of the Smart Source insert!  8/28 RP would be the August 28th edition of the Red Plum insert, etc.
I noted a GM insert in my breakdown.  This was a special insert that General Mills put out on 9/11.  If you want a preview of what Q's you have to look forward to, or if you want to decide ahead of time how many newspapers to buy, go to sundaycouponpreview.com for an idea of what to expect!  You should know that coupons vary by region, so some regions may get different value coupons or different coups altogether!  If you need a coupon but can't find it, eBay is a great resource as well as clipping services like thecouponclippers.com.  Just be sure that you get them with enough time to ensure that they get to you before the sale ends/coupons expire!