I love to save a buck as much as the next person — but I’m admittedly lazy when it comes to using coupons.

Even if I clip them out of Sunday’s newspapers, I inevitably forget to take them with me into the store. Or worse yet, I have them with me but neglect to dig them out until the cashier is not-so-patiently waiting and the line behind me is growing.

That’s my typical experience with coupons. By the time I beat myself up for forgetting them or have impatient customers muttering under their breath about wanting to beat me up for the delay, I’m over it. I figure the self-induced stress is not worth the $2 I might save.

But I might have to rethink my stance.

Yes, I might have to become a savvy shopper, one who is up to date with the digital apps so that you don’t need scissors or advertisements or to haul around a binder full of mostly-expired coupons.

A couple of the best apps suggested by friends who coupon regularly are Ibotta.com and Snap.com. Both let you scan receipts and barcodes to get rebates within a certain time after shopping; the money can then be transferred to a PayPal account. I’m sure there are plenty of other apps out there.

For people who prefer old-fashioned couponing, know that paper — like cash — still works well. Make sure to get your Sunday Suffolk News-Herald, read it and then clip your coupons. Make your list and check your store policies when it comes to using coupons.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen people do amazing things by using coupons, and I will be sharing one of their stories with you soon. At first, I questioned the need for such extreme couponing — after all, who’s going to use 10 boxes of pasta or six bottles of dish detergent, even if it’s a good deal? Is a bargain really a bargain if you are buying stuff you don’t need and will probably expire before you use it all?

Let’s just say I’ve expanded my horizons when it comes to coupons over the past week. I would answer those questions a little differently now than I once would have.

And while I will never be an extreme couponer, I might clip a few out of the paper and download a few apps. I realize now that coupons — done correctly — can save me more than a couple of bucks.