Put down the scissors: Coupons are increasingly available by phone, by e-mail, online and in other digital forms. Here are hints on how to stretch your budget with the latest generation of an old standby.

- SEEK: Deals are everywhere. Rather than waiting for a coupon for your favorite cereal or toilet cleaner to show up, you can find deals when you want them online.

Dozens of Web sites that are searchable by retailer and product category do some leg work for you. At http://www.coupons.com, http://www.retailmenot.com and many others, you just go on the coupon you want and print it out. Yahoo’s recently revamped http://deals.yahoo.com/ is similar but covers such a broad range it can be daunting to search. You can even search and buy coupons on eBay.

Services like http://www.cellfire.com deliver the deals you choose to your cell phone or let you upload them to your grocery store loyalty card. additionally check the Web sites of companies that produce your favorite products for direct offers, and check your favorite retailers’ and grocers’ sites, particularly for deals on delivery or shipping.

- STUDY: Numerous Web sites and blogs are committed to the art of couponing, finding the best deals and learning new ways to employ them. For example, http://www.Krazycouponlady.blogspot.com, which focuses on low-cost food shopping, outlines the policies of specific stores, highlights the best deals of the week, offers tips to beginners and encourages comments and questions from visitors.

New ways of using coupons can yield new results. For instance, whether your neighborhood store is having a promotion on your favorite type of yogurt, don’t stop there. Search online for store or manufacturer coupons (remembering to look by sort and maker as well as retailer) to combine with the promotion, thereupon check your store’s policies to maximize your savings.

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[Source] dhiram