NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Clipping coupons can be a real drag. Not only do you lose some of your savings to the time it takes to find them, it's also decidedly last century. But you don't have to cut coupons to start getting big savings today. In fact, most mommy blogs and savings communities these days are focused on other ways you can save money without breaking out your scissors. So how can your family start saving big bucks when it comes to your regular shopping?

How Much Do Coupons Really Save You?

Ellie Kay, author of Lean Body, Fat Wallet (Thomas Nelson, 2013) and mother of seven, estimates that her family has saved $161,000 over the course of 20 years by using coupons. There was a downside to coupons, however.

"It was basically like I had a part-time job," she says. While this eventually led to her career calling, it also underscores a simple truth about clipping coupons -- it can be very time consuming and ultimately not worth the money you're saving incrementally. So you want to find ways you can save money with less time.

Sia Hills, who runs ThriftyNorthwestMom.com, looked into alternatives for couponing, because coupon blogs just didn't match up with her experience. The family house went into foreclosure when her husband's construction business fell on hard times. She had to learn new and innovative ways to save money while feeding her family. "You'd turn on the morning news and see people getting all their groceries for $10," she says. "I just didn't see how that was possible." What's more, she was concerned with how much packaged and processed food the coupon experts were buying.

Go Into the Grocery Store With a Plan

Kay points out that she never goes into a grocery store without a list. That's going to cut down on the amount of impulse purchases made. What's more, she lays her list out in the order she walks through the store.

"The longer you spend in the store, the more money you're going to spend," she says. In fact, many grocery store chains have this down to a very exact science: they know precisely how much money you’re going to spend for every minute that you're inside of a store.

"If at all possible do not shop with your children," says Kay. This is because kids are the ultimate impulse shoppers -- and grocery store merchandisers know it. They can also distract you from finding the really good deals. She suggests you tag team with other moms and swap babysitting services. Kay notes that this can also apply to shopping with your mate.

Plan Your Meals Around Your Stockpile

Hills thinks that to save big you need to start thinking differently about how you shop. For the most part, people make a meal plan, then shop around that plan. She started doing that. "I noticed it wasn't making much of an impact on our budget," she said. So she had to come up with something new.

"I would find out what was on sale, especially meat products," she says. "Rather than figuring out five or six recipes to cook, I'd cook whatever was on sale."

She now buys enough meat for two or three months, then freezes it.

"My personal experience is that the bulk of our savings come from the stockpile," Hills says. She admits that people who buy packaged and processed foods will still see bigger savings. But thinks that even people who prefer organic will see savings of 20%. What's more, she thinks she even spends less time in the grocery store since implementing this system.

Cook for Your Freezer

One thing both of our experts recommended was cooking for the freezer. Kay consistently recommends that people double portions of savable food like casseroles, freezing the second portion for a quick and easy meal later. "You'd be surprised how good they are," says Hills. "You're not going to lose a lot in the way of quality."

Finally, don’t forget apps. Kay notes that in the 21st Century, a lot of times an app can do all the coupon clipping for you. She recommends Coupon Sherpa. Ibotta and Checkout 51 are favorites of Hills when it comes to getting rebates -- money back on purchases you've already made. Food on the Table is an app that helps you get the most out of what you already have in your kitchen.

--Written by Nicholas Pell for Main Street