Shopping With Coupon Books: Are They Worth The Price?

You have probably seen coupon books sold for various large cities and may have wondered if they are worth the price. That of course depends on how much you use them. They usually have several thousands of dollars worth of discounts in the coupons inside, and prices range from around $25 to $45, but if you don’t use them, obviously they aren’t worth very much to you. Sometimes they are sold as fundraisers by different groups and you get the added benefit of helping out a worthy cause. Here are some tips to make sure your book isn’t wasted.

First, be realistic about how often you will be in the area. Entertainment publishes editions for 159 localities in the US and Canada. If the one nearest you is a couple of hours away, you may not use it very much and end up wasting your money. On the other hand, if you are planning a vacation to one of the destinations that has an Entertainment coupon book, you will probably be hitting a lot of restaurants, hotels, attractions, rental cars, etc. and these are exactly the type of items that these coupon books have the most savings for. In addition, if you are taking your trip in the summer or fall, wait to order your book until a few weeks before your trip, since prices on the books usually drop as the year progresses because you will have a shorter window of time to use them.

If you are considering buying a book for your local area, look through it before you purchase it and ask yourself the same questions you would if you were looking through your Sunday circulars or packs of coupons you get in the mail for free. Are these places and products you use anyway, or ones you want to try? If so, the book is probably a good value. But if you wouldn’t have considered going to the attractions, restaurants, or other coupon items, it isn’t really a savings for you to pay for the book and then pay for half of an event you wouldn’t have paid anything for because you wouldn’t have gone if you didn’t have the coupon.

Consider sharing a book with a neighbor or with family and guests that come to town frequently. This way you can still benefit from the book but at a reduced cost and everyone gets things that they will use.