In Praise of Groupon.

Since moving to the D.C. area, LeeLee and I have been spoiled by the amount of nearby free museums, art galleries, and national parks just waiting to be visited. In fact, we’ve gotten so used to everything being free that we have a hard time paying for the privilege of visiting ANY of the area’s attractions – even ones we’ve really, really wanted to see.

So when, a little more than a year ago, I received word from a friend of mine that I could get Newseum admission passes for half price, I jumped at the chance. All I had to do, she said, was go to a site called Groupon and buy them – no muss, no fuss.

Turns out, she was right! I got $20 tickets for $10, which made the whole Newseum trip seem so much more feasible. Following that purchase, we’ve bought passes to take his parents to the Corcoran Gallery of Art while they were in town, as well as coupons for boat tours, restaurants, and other museums as opportunities pique our interest. All for right around half price.

Now, first of all, let me just say: I recognize we don’t need all – or any – of this stuff. I know that the most hard-core Frugal Freddies out there would scoff that we are purchasing these Groupons at all. We’re in a recession, for crying out loud! But LeeLee and I like a good date night now and again, and as far as I’m concerned, $7 per ticket for a three-hour boat ride down the Potomac isn’t so much of a splurge.

This week, we found two of our Groupons coming near to their deadline for use, so we got hoppin’. On Tuesday we found ourselves at a nearby watering hole with a couple of friends (who had also bought the Groupon) and enjoyed a nice happy hour — $20 worth of beverages for $10:

And tonight, I met LeeLee after work and we visited a restaurant we’d never tried before but quite enjoyed! ($30 worth of food for $15, if you must know.) We left stuffed, and just barely over our $30 limit … with leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. :)

So no, Groupon isn’t as frugal as, say, not going anywhere. Or cooking at home rather than eating out. I’ll definitely concede that. But if you’re looking to get out and see some new sights while trying to stay on a budget (as my mother would say: Never pay full price!), this service is a mighty fine way to do it. At least it is for us.

(And to be clear: Groupon is not paying for this, and they’ve not reached out to this blog in any way – I just wanted to offer my experiences for y’all to do with what you will! And I wanted to explain why I’ve been eating out more than usual this week. :))

:)