Grocery Coupons - Your Ticket to saving money!

I've been clipping coupons for over 20 years now and sometimes I'm asked if the effort is worth the prize.
Granted, sometimes it can be time consuming and sometimes the coupons released aren't worth the paper they're printed on. But more often than not, you can really cut your grocery bill down when you use those clipped pieces of paper - especially if your store doubles and/or triples coupons.

Coupon clipping also gives you and your family an opportunity to try foods, beverages etc. that you've never had before as a lot of times the newly released coupons are for new products and the mfr. wants you to try their product so they're willing to let you do it at a discount cause if you end up liking the product you will come back for more.

There are times I've had my grocery bill cut down more than 75% because I use coupons and now with the internet, the ability to gather up coupons is a breeze! Many company sites offer coupons right off their home pages while other coupons are readily available through sites such as Coupons.com and Red Plum amongst others.

Now, you might look at a coupon for .35 off a jar of jelly and say to yourself, this isn't worth the paper it's printed on, but think of it this way - you just saved .35 on that jar of jelly that would have cost you full price without the coupon. So any savings is better than no savings!

Another key to saving is making sure you take those coupons with you when you shop. I know this sounds simplistic,  but I know more than one person that clips coupons and when it comes to going to the grocery store - where are their coupons? They left them at home....

One thing you can do to ensure that you always have your coupons is to leave them in the car in your coupon binder or whatever means you use to store and keep track of  your paper money.  (Yes, in a certain context, they are money!) This way you'll always have them in any event that you make an unexpected/unplanned store visit.

Now another tip while in the checkout, is to have your coupons for the products you are about to purchase organized and make sure that you've purchased the right items for the coupons you possess. This will save you some time during checkout and the cashier will appreciate your effort.
In my opinion, the time it takes to look for and clip those coupons  is worth the end result which is saving money. Why pay retail for something when you have every opportunity to get that item for less!

What do you all think - Do you clip coupons? What is the most you ever saved in one shopping trip?