CU student wants to live off Groupons for a year

Each day, Groupon.com features an incredible deal on things to do, see and eat in your city and other cities around the country. CU student Philip Thurner is attempting to live off only Groupons for 365 days.

Thousands of consumers are saving big with a new bargain Web site called Groupon.com. Groupon is the combination of the words group and coupon and is sent to you everyday via e-mail.

What's unique about Groupon is that they use the phenomenon of collective buying power. By guaranteeing businesses a minimum amount of customers, Groupon gets you discounts that are almost too good to believe. CU student Philip Thurner says, "some of the deals on Groupon are ridiculous. They're like coupons on 'roids. 90 percent off some yoga, 50 percent off your next dinner. Whatever it is, some of the deals are just flat out sweet."

Here's how it works: a business offers a product or service at a big discount and as long as enough people sign up to buy it, the deal is on, and the Groupon is e-mailed to you to print out.

Groupon is featuring a contest where a contestant must live off only Groupons for an entire year. CU student Philip Thurner hopes to be that contestant. “I could live off Groupons for a whole year because I know how to tell a story,” the student said in his audition tape.

Thurner said, "As a college student Groupon really helps out with budget problems. If you’re on a really strict budget like I am, having Groupons that offer percentages of 40-90 percent off whatever you’re looking for whether it’s food, exercise, or just fun things to do, is just really helpful.”

According to Groupon.com, as of today, over 2-million Groupons have been sold saving consumers over 1-million dollars. Philip will find out if he made it through the first round on March 8.