REGARDLESS OF WHETHER

you have the patience to clip coupons out of your Sunday paper, you

pay attention to the wealth of coupons you can find online. A quick visit to a coupon-collecting web site could easily shave 20% or more off your online purchases and should add no more than a few minutes to your shopping experience.

But not all e-coupon sites are worth your time. Some have posts that haven't been valid since the dot-com bubble burst. Others torture you with junk mail, lousy deals and spyware programs.

The Good and the Bad

The best sites are those, like

and

, which are mined by coupon addicts, since consumers can often write in (be sure to check those message boards) with little known tips on pricing mistakes or insider deals.

Skip sites like Coolsavings.com and CouponSurfer.com that ask you to download what is called an ActiveX control program. The program allows you to print the barcodes on Internet coupons, but some also include components that track your web activity. Some spyware-removal programs target ActiveX control downloads let that be your cue as to how useful they are. Plus, many brick-and-mortar stores are reluctant to accept these printed out manufacturer's coupons because it can be hard to tell if they are real.

Also be wary of sites that:

Make you go through a complex registration process. Usually, the end result is that you get a lot of spam mail and costly "free offers" (bad credit auto loans, diet ads and the like). And the coupons? They're the same fodder you could have found elsewhere without the hassle.

List most of the coupon expiration dates as "unknown." You could end up wasting a lot of time trying coupon codes for one that works.

If you're a fan of print-out e-coupons that you can use in brick-and-mortar stores, a smarter (and easier) way to save is by signing up for e-newsletters of the retailers you shop with. Retailers often send exclusive coupons and deals to consumers on the list. For more details, see our "I Love Spam" column.

Here are a few of the sites that take the hassle out of searching for e-coupons and yield great deals:

What it offers:

Online codes and deals for retailers.

Site review: This site is so easy to use you can tell it was designed by an organized mom. You can search by category, store, or type of deal (sales, free shipping, exclusives). There's no registration required, though you can subscribe to get weekly emails from CleverMoms, as well as the partner sites, CleverDads and CleverBabies. You can also submit deals for publication.

What it offers:

Coupon codes, sales and markdowns for online retailers and manufacturers.

Site review: Excellent selection of deals, in an easy-to-browse format. Search by store, category, or posting date. The newest deals are posted on the home page, alongside the most popular online deals. You can also read consumer comments on advertised deals, for, say, restrictions or to see whether they thought the coupon was worth it. Really like a deal? Email it to a friend.

(from Yahoo)

What it offers:

Online coupon codes and links to other online offers.

Site review: You can browse by category, merchant, free shipping or special offers. You can also do a site search, if the item you're looking for isn't easily categorized. Coupon codes are displayed when the deal calls for them, and you can also link directly to the retailer (and reap the discounts) through Savester. You can save a deal or email it to friends.

What it offers:

Printable retail, restaurant and grocery coupons, plus codes for online deals.

Site review: A simple site, but substantial savings. The site offers a great way to access exclusive e-newsletter coupons without signing up for the newsletters yourself. Choose your category print-out retail, grocery, etc. and skim down the list of coupons, organized alphabetically by retailer. You'll be able to read details about the deal and check the expiration dates before printing anything out. No software required to print the coupons, and no registration.