Two-fer

In honour of my friend's recent visit, thought I'd share one of her pet peeves about being single - the two for one coupon.  What good is a two-fer for a single person, she asks.  I'm a one-fer!  Agreed!  What good is a free hamburger if you won't eat it? (Let's face it, the majority of the two-fer coupons come from fast food restaurants - DB, if you ever see a two-fer on something healthy and/or useful, let me know and I'll share it with you.)  Two-fers are probably great for couples or families on a limited budget, but they tend to be pretty useless for the singles I know. (This may be gender specific - there may be guys out there who love the two-fer fast food coupons.)

Now for some of my own, more recent thoughts on the two-fer.  Some people might look at the "two-fer" scheme as simply a marketing gimmick, a way to get people to buy more, or at least to try more of a company's product so they will get sucked in and want to keep buying when the product is no longer on sale.  But what if the two-fer is not really a product of our consumeristic society?  What if it's actually some sort of diabolical scheme to get us to talk to other people?  Or even worse, spend time with them?  What if, when I saw a two-fer coupon, instead of immediately throwing it out, I saved it and found a friend to share the deal with  me?  I'm feeling sick already, thinking about the number of fast food meals I'd end up having to eat.  Which may be why I've never invited anyone to join me in taking advantage of the many two-fer coupons that magically appear in my mailbox - I can't stand fast food.

But maybe I can try this whole 'talking to people' and 'spending time with them' without a two-fer.  Maybe I can just call someone up and say, hey, I'm going for a walk, would you like to join me?  It's a risky plan, but I might just try it.  Because really, the two-fer coupons are just a marketing gimmick, trying to get me to buy more of a product that I didn't need in the first place. Companionship, on the other hand, is something I do need, and lucky for me, I can get it without a coupon.  Even if I have to make two or three (or more) calls before finding someone who can join me for that walk.