Couponing Is Still a Great Way to Save Money. 3 Experts Tips You Can Use Now

When's the last time you went out of your way to find a coupon for something you wanted to buy?

Classic paper coupons can still save you money, but now you can also use free browser extensions and smartphone apps to make getting discounts easier.

Every day, CNET's team of shopping experts scours the internet looking for the best ways for you to save. Our experts know how to spot a great discount, and they can also tell if something claims to be a great deal when it's really not. With these three expert tips, you can be more efficient with coupon management and score discounts every time you shop.

Use a browser extension for automatic discounts

Using coupons while shopping online can occasionally be a bit of a minefield. There are some decent sites which gather up coupons from all around the web, but those codes frequently expire shortly after the general public has been made aware of them. The CNET Deals team not only actively verifies every coupon we share is live before we write about it, but we also regularly check back to confirm it's still working.

There are a few services out there offering the ability to apply an online coupon for you directly, the most popular of these being app Honey. The PayPal-owned browser extension regularly tracks the price history of products and updates with the latest coupons, and will apply coupons for you when you check out at a lot of different retailers. Honey also has a better reputation than most when it comes to data privacy, so you can shop without worrying that your habits will be sold to advertisers.

That makes this is both a short-term and long-term game for savings. While you can find the best price or apply coupons to purchase immediately, the key to the best savings on big-ticket items is to track them consistently and capitalize on major price drops when they happen. Your extension does the heavy lifting for you, all you have to do is keep an eye on the alerts and decide when to buy. 

Smartphone apps can save and clip coupons

Using your phone to save coupons is a great cross between the binder method and a shopping extension. Not only is everything online, but you can keep everything in one place that's within your reach.

There are a few methods to track your coupons. You can obviously use notes to track things, but it's even better if you use an app that tracks and stores your coupons instead. 

For example, you can use apps such as Ibotta. You can sign up with your email and immediately get access to the retailers you know and love. And with the ability to add offers to your shopping list, you'll get cash back on groceries.

There are also coupon apps for popular extensions online that will also give you access to more than grocery, so you can shop for clothing, home essentials and more. Trying RetailMeNot for example, will not only do that, but you will see coupons for:

• In-store deals
• Diversity and inclusive brands
• Seasonal clearance deals
• Feature deals
• Best cash-back deals

You can also join the CNET Deals Text Group, and have a new deal every day sent right to your Inbox for free.

Organize your paper coupons and thank yourself later

I could not begin to tell you how many great coupons I have lost due to good old fashioned organization failures. If you're old school and still love print coupons, using a binder is one of the best ways to manage them. Without organization, all you'll have is a pile of expired or overlooked coupons.

That said, organizing your coupons is not just as simple as getting a binder. There's an additional step needed to make sure everything is in order. When using the binder method, you need to divide your coupons by type, date and if you shop at multiple places, also by retailer. 

Here are a few steps to manage print coupons:

• Separate each section with clear categories to distinguish what you're looking at
• Use plastic protective inserts to protect the coupons from any damage 
• Take time to review your coupons to remove old coupons, but also to add new ones 
• Take out the coupons you'll use immediately for space and store them where they're easy to grab

With the opportunity to save each time you go shopping, mismanaging your coupons will always risk your chance for savings. But now that you know how to organize your coupons physically and digitally, you can shop confidently.

Check out more of our shopping tips:

• Learn about Amazon's Subscribe and Save
• Improve your next Target spree
• Cut shipping costs from major retailers
• Discover Amazon Echo perks for Prime members
• Find out how to save money on your next flight
• Learn about must-have Amazon membership perks