OK, call me cheap. I like deals. I love bargains. Give me a 30 percent off Kohl’s coupon, and I am oozing Croft and Barrow. Toss me a 25 percent Sports Authority offer, and I got game. Just say “2 for 1” and I am all over it like melted cheese on top of Chipotle steak inside two foot-long slices of hearty Italian bread. And don’t forget those jalapeño peppers.

But there’s something a lot better than coupons and deals and bargains. It’s called “free.”

There are not too many things in life that are free anymore. Take water, for instance. Most of us pay around $0.003 per gallon for municipal tap water, which computes to be 3/10 of a cent per gallon. That’s about as close to free as you can get. You’d think we’d all stick with that sure thing.