The art of couponing has been cyclical, surging and sliding with the economy, ever since Asa Candler put out the first coupon - for his new fountain drink, Coca-Cola , in 1894.

But there’s also more output: To attract wallet-watchdogging shoppers, manufacturers distributed 311 billion coupons in 2009, a jump of roughly 11 percent over the 281 billion circulated in 2008.

There are even coupon parties, which are akin to sewing circles - only attendees gather with scissors and piles of circulars.

There’s a remarkably voracious coupon culture. Hundreds of websites and discussion boards advise about doubling, buzz with rumors of unadvertised store promotions, and dissect the practice of two-for-ones.

Price-conscious purchasers redeemed 3.2 billion coupons in 2009, a 23 percent increase over 2008, according to the Deerfield, Ill.-based NCH Marketing Services Inc. That’s the highest year-over-year growth rate ever recorded, according to Charles Brown, NCH’s vice president of marketing.

Not everyone is as dedicated - or quite so strategic. But overall, strung-out shoppers are getting more tactical with their scissors.

Here’s an example: At one of her favorite local chains, she used a combination of coupons, sales, and cats to drop her total from $118 to $9 (and change). Her best effort, she boasted, was when her methods zeroed out her initial $400 total, and, because of several rebates and promotions, she actually got paid $60.

By methodically blending all of these, Chase claims to have cut her family’s monthly bills for food, clothing, and toiletries by up to 80 to 90 percent, in part by making three or four grocery and drugstore trips a week.

Hers is a calculated system - sometimes even mathematically complex - that involves an amalgam of store and manufacturers’ coupons, sales, promotions, buy-one-get-ones, rebates and “cats’’ (yes, there’s actually a name for those discount slips that pop out along with your receipt at the register - it’s short for Catalina Marketing , the company that distributes them).

And it’s valuable - but it requires Chase to go far beyond just dicing through the inserts in the Sunday paper.

Well, then, you’re wasting money, according to this shrewd shopper, who asserts that it’s foolish and wasteful not to use them.

“I would shudder if I paid full price,’’ said the Amesbury stay-at-home mother of two boys, who is sharing the tips behind her clips in a series of noncredit classes this spring at Northern Essex Community College.

And when it comes to generic labels? Not for her - you’ll only find name brands in her cupboards.

But because this recession continues to hover, economists and other experts think frugality will become an ingrained survival tactic, much like it was for many Americans who lived through the Great Depression - which could spur even more devotion to the coupon.

“We think there’s going to be a permanent shift in behavior this time,’’ Brown said.

But some of those same experts note that there can be a negative consequence as more people rely on this expiration-dated form of currency. If people aren’t careful, for example, impossible-to-resist deals can entice them to purchase items they don’t need or normally wouldn’t buy, thus resulting in more money spent, said University of New Hampshire economics professor Bruce Elmslie.

Still, there is an unmistakable lure: Elmslie called couponing an “Easter egg hunt for adults.’’

Chase also said there is a game quality to it. And an addiction, too.

For her, it’s a thrifty lifestyle that morphed out of her previous profession in retail management. It was then, while experiencing the inside workings of retail at stores like Brooks Brothers and J. Jill, that she began to see patterns.

Now, “I can’t think of any area of life where coupons can’t be used,’’ Chase said. “It becomes the way.’’

When Chase shops, she refers to binders brimming with coupons collated to the various sections of the supermarket or drugstore. Her ample, uncut stash is meticulously organized in an accordion file folder rivaling the girth of most briefcases.

She employs a vast, acronym-laden lingo - SQs, MQs, OOP (that’s store coupons, manufacturer’s coupons, and out-of- pocket). And she’ll hardly ever pass up a coupon, even if it’s for something she doesn’t need or want. That’s because it can be used to reach, for example, a $25 minimum to get $5 off a store coupon, and then she’ll donate the item to a soup kitchen, church, or shelter.

Since Chase has developed her prowess with promotions, she says she spends only about two hours a week skimming websites, printing out coupons, and collecting newspaper inserts.

“I’m spending minutes,’’ she said. “I use couponing to simplify my life.’’

Her favorite stores have learned to simplify, too.

Because she has so many coupons and often splits up her order several times to maximize deals, it can sometimes take a half-hour or more for cashiers to ring her up.

So, many store managers - most of whom she knows by name - will open a register just for her.

It wasn’t such a novelty at first. Chase said retail workers were initially unfriendly, and she had to put up with some teasing from friends.

But then the economy took a tumble, and more people became inquisitive, even encouraging.

But why go so big? Why not clip just a few coupons and be done with it?

“Fortunately, or unfortunately, it becomes a lifestyle,’’ Chase said.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.