I like Groupons. I really do. Groupon already saved me lots of money.It introduced me to lots of new places. It can bring a real value to me, the consumer. Groupon does it perfectly when there is a match between what I need and what’s offered. This happened to me twice so far, and saved me hundreds of dollars. But more often Groupon offers something that looks lucrative, but I don’t need this thingy, really. But it looks good though. But will I use this offer by its expiration date? I might, but it’s going to put some pressure on me.

Here’s a typical situation. We are planning to go out for dinner with friends. While deciding on the place we learned that our friends have an expiring groupon for so-and-so restaurant. Let’s go there. Driving for 10 miles eats up half of the savings. Was it really worth the hassle?

Here’s the today’s Groupon’s offer I’m debating. The one that resulted in this blog. It’s about Macarons, the French pastries.

Here’s the deal. For $10 I can get a box of 6 macarons, which normally goes for $15. Or even better. For $20 I can get a dozen, which otherwise would’ve cost me $30. Looks like a no brainer. I should go for it, right? Not so sure.

This place is located in Greenwich Village in 1.6 miles from where I live. According to Google Maps I can get there in 14 min by bike. This means that I’d need to allocate about a hour for utilizing this Groupon offer. To save $5. On the other hand, there is a place in 7 min walk from my house, where I can buy macarons for $2.50 a piece, and I don’t even have to commit to the box of 6. So, if I’ll buy 4 macarons in my neighborhood bakery, I’ll spend the same $10 saving a half an hour on this ordeal. Besides, by doing this I’ll support the business in my neighbourhood, which will make my area flourish. Why would I need to support the bakeries located in the Village? Well, there are great bars with live jazz, which (during the last 6 months) I’m planning to visit. Need to support them too…

But are these Groupon’s macarons even good? The fact that the name of that bakery consists of two French words may be a trap. Actually, the deal’s description mentions the name of their pastry chef: Oliver. He must be French. They are the best in cooking.

But what bothers me the most, some time ago I had bad experience with pastries that looked like macarons, where marked as such, but were not as fluffy and tasty like the real ones. I mean the original ones from Laduree, Maison de Macarons. We tried them in Paris first, but now they have a store here in Manhattan on the Upper East side. It’s far from me, and each costs $3. But they are real. On the other hand, Laduree is about to open a new store in Soho, which is pretty close to where I live. But $3*6 = $18. Man, it’s not an easy decision to make.

When I woke up this morning, the last thing on mine mind (after the yesterday’s Super Bowl’s party) was French macarons. But here I am, spending already 30 min on writing this blog, and I haven’t even make a decision regarding that Groupon offer. What should I do? Please help!