It’s Not Free If You Have to Work for It
Posted: Monday, May 10, 2010
by Terry Mitchell
http://commenterry.blogs.com
I saw a news story on TV the other day about a woman who averages about $200 a week in "free" groceries by clipping coupons. I use the quotation marks because I wonder how many hours a week she spends gathering, clipping, and organizing those coupons she uses.
Suppose she spends 30 hours a week doing this. Let's see, $200 divided by 30 hours comes out to approximately $6.67 an hour. I'm not sure, but I don't think that's much above the minimum wage. I wonder if she would be willing to work for me for that hourly rate. Somehow I doubt it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)I have to say that at the very least this lady is TRYING to do the right thing by taking care of herself. Trying to stretch her dollar.Some people would choose to stand in a line for a free hand out. How much does it cost to have the same lady stand in line for food stamps? How much would it cost us in tax payer money for her to stand in?I think that even at a small dollar amount per hour, she as a novel idea, you know, taking care of ones self. Not waiting on a government hand out.Matthew, that's an excellent point. And that's what distinguishes her from those who actually are getting something for free. The media says she's getting "free" groceries. They are wrong. Those who are on food stamps and welfare are the ones who are getting the free groceries.
I understand what you're saying Terry. I find it funny too when people will drive across town serveral times to purchase something on sale, rather than do all their shopping in one spot. The money they save doesn't always add up to the time they've spent or the gas they've used.Yeah, Brianna, people will do some silly things when they think they can save a little bit of money.
It might seem free to her since she's using her spare time. The grocer actually makes money on coupons, something many don't know: typically 6 to 8 cents per coupon, plus the value (selling price) of the product. So, she might think it's free, but it's one of those rare win-win situations for company and consumer alike. Good job.Michael, if someone wants to think something is free even though they've have to work for it, that's fine with me. But I could never think of it that way. Maybe I analyze things a little too much.
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