There are some things that the trim down method makes my life easier - almost anything involving triangles comes to mind.
With strips, I try to make it come out fairly close just with the cutting and sewing.
I appreciate this board because I've learned different ways of doing things - I still tend to go back to the way I learned first, but it's nice to have alternatives.
I'm also learning that there are times that I can "fudge" by trimming components or making skimpy seams without wrecking the integrity of the block.