Couponing in Mexico

 

210 Laurel Granola Breakfast

 

So how does an extreme coupon-er survive in Mexico without coupons?  The secret is that you have to find other ways to save on your grocery budget.  Eating out in Mexico can be very affordable as I wrote a few days ago when I had  a granola breakfast at Horjarasco's.  It cost 30 pesos for a nice portion. (also had to add 19 pesos for the coffee)  So I decided to find  out how much it would cost me to duplicate that dish.  Off I went to MEGA purchasing bananas, strawberries, yogurt, and granola.  The grand total came to 81 pesos for 6 servings.....so about 13.5 pesos/serving. (less than a $1.00) Yes it's a lot more work than going out for breakfast, but if you need to pinch a few pesos, that's one way.

 

 

Two entrees at Wong Wong

 

Another way to stretch that peso is what I call the Tortilla Factor.  Take for example the Chinese carry out dish shown above.  Rice, noodles, and lots of orange chicken.  It cost only 55 pesos at the new place in Bucerias centro.  (that's less than $4.00)  I bought some tortillas, which are soooo cheap here in Mexico, and had a very filling meal of two tacos.  The tortillas stretched this meal into 3 meals and cost only $1.25/meal.  Hey, if you really want to stretch your budget, this works. 

 

Jamica

 

For those that know me, I drink a lot of milk (leche) and living in WI,  I am spoiled with the low cost of milk.  In Mexico, it costs 22 pesos for a litre of milk.  Or about $6.00/gallon....ouch.  Correction: 22 pesos for 2 liters is only $3/gallon.  My bad.  So I had to find a substitute.....the answer was Jamica. (pronounced ah-mike-ah)  It is sold in 10 peso bags all around town.  about 70 cents.  A bag will make at least 2 gallons.   So only 35 cents a gallon vs. $6.00.  No, you can't use in on your cereal or in your coffee.  The dried petals are from the Hibiscus plant and produces a very dark rich ruby colored drink.  A touch of honey or sugar greatly improves the flavor or this penny pincher. 

 

Ok, you read this far and all you got were some pics of my money saving ideas.  Not that exciting, so I will give you a nice photo for being patient......

 







 

Enjoy.

 

Juan Marcos