How Cherrypicking Like a Coin Collector Can Slash Your Cloud Bill: The FinOps Strategy No One Talks About

I still remember the day I found a rare 1916-D Mercury dime in my grandfather’s old collection. That “aha” moment taught me a lesson that’s saved me thousands in cloud costs: the real treasure is usually right under your nose.

The Unexpected Parallels Between Coin Cherrypicking and Cloud Cost Optimization

After auditing cloud environments for years, I’ve noticed a pattern. The same patience, attention to detail, and systematic approach that makes great coin collectors also makes for exceptional cloud cost optimization.

Think about it: A numismatist doesn’t buy new coins to find value. They carefully examine what they already own. Your cloud environment is no different.

The secret isn’t buying fancy tools. It’s looking closer at what you already have.

Why Current Cloud Cost Optimization Falls Short

The “Set It and Forget It” Problem

Most teams set up cloud infrastructure and then… nothing. Just like that coin collector who inherited a box of “ordinary” coins but never checked for rare varieties, you’re probably sitting on hidden waste because:

• Daily firefighting leaves no time for audits
• Nobody owns the “review” process
• We trust automation too much
• Usage data is buried in dashboards

The Myth of “Good Enough” Performance

Remember when your buddy said his “slightly bent” penny wasn’t valuable? That’s exactly what teams do with cloud resources. I’ve found:

• EC2 instances running at 15% capacity
• Lambda functions that cost $50/month for 3 minutes of actual work
• Storage volumes from long-dead projects
• Kubernetes nodes that never get used

The Cherrypick Framework: A Systematic Approach to Cloud Audits

Step 1: The “Second Pass” Review

My first coin show taught me this: The good stuff never comes from a quick glance. It comes from that second, slower pass with focused eyes.

Try this quarterly:

• Pull up your entire resource list (yes, all of it)
• Look for the ghosts: abandoned disks, old snapshots, forgotten security groups
• Check if your storage classes match actual usage

Code Example: AWS CLI for Finding Orphaned Snapshots

aws ec2 describe-snapshots --owner-ids self \n--query 'Snapshots[?!not_null(Description) && !starts_with(Description, `Created by CreateImage`)].{ID:SnapshotId,Date:StartTime,Size:VolumeSize}' \n--output table

Step 2: The “Fine Tooth Comb” Analysis

That 1916-D dime? I found it because I stopped and really looked. Same approach for your cloud:

• Check if each Lambda actually needs that much memory
• See if your RDS instance sits idle most of the day
• Find out if CloudFront is caching what matters

Quick win: Build a simple dashboard flagging anything under 30% usage for a month straight.

Step 3: The “Face Value” Trap

Here’s what coin collectors know: Sometimes the best deals look ordinary. For your cloud, that means checking:

• Are you actually using all your reserved instances?
• Do your savings plans match your real usage patterns?
• How often do spot instances actually save you money?

Code Example: GCP Billing Export Analysis

SELECT
  sku.description,
  SUM(cost) as total_cost,
  SUM(resource_count) as resources
FROM `project.dataset.gcp_billing_export`
WHERE DATE(usage_start_time) >= DATE_SUB(CURRENT_DATE(), INTERVAL 30 DAY)
GROUP BY sku.description
HAVING resources < 5 AND total_cost > 100
ORDER BY total_cost DESC

Serverless Cost Optimization: Finding the “Double Die” of Cloud

Lambda Function “Doubling” (Inefficiency)

Ever seen a coin where the date looks blurry? That’s a double strike. Your Lambda functions have the same issues:

• Same function firing multiple times for one event
• Deployment packages loaded with unused dependencies
• Memory set way higher than needed

Real story: Last month I found a Lambda that:

• Handled 1MB files but had a 10MB package
• Had 3GB memory but used under 512MB
• Needed 200ms but got 800ms

The fix: 92% cheaper with three small changes.

Step Functions and EventBridge Patterns

Those pesky coin flaws collectors love? Your workflows have them too. Use X-Ray to find:

• Unnecessary steps in your state machines
• Events that trigger multiple times
• Event bus usage that could be simpler

Cross-Cloud “Piedfort” Opportunities (Extra Value)

What is a “Piedfort” in Cloud Terms?

Piedfort coins are thicker – more metal, more value. Some cloud resources work the same way:

• Azure Hybrid Benefit: Use your existing Windows licenses
• GCP Sustained Use: Automatic savings kick in without effort
• AWS RI Recommendations: Sometimes buying reserved capacity for low-use services makes sense

Multi-Cloud “Type B Reverse” Opportunities

Just like that rare coin with the different back design, some workloads work better (and cost less) elsewhere:

• Batch jobs love GCP’s preemptible VMs
• Kubernetes on Azure if you’re already in Microsoft land
• AI training? AWS vs GCP can be a $10k/month difference

Building Your Cloud Cherrypick Checklist

After fixing 50+ cloud environments, here’s my proven checklist:

• List everything: Terraform state, ARM templates – mine them like coin rolls
• Check actual usage: CPU, memory, disk, network – the basics
• Tag everything: Know who owns what
• Right-size: Match instance types to real needs
• Storage tiers: Move cold data to cheaper storage
• Auto-scaling: Make sure it’s actually working

The “Grading” Phase: Measuring Your Cherrypick Success

Coin collectors grade each coin. You should grade your cloud:

• Cost per transaction: Track it monthly
• Utilization: 50-80% is the sweet spot
• Reservation coverage: 70%+ if you can swing it
• Storage mix: Balance standard vs infrequent access

Conclusion: The FinOps Collector’s Mindset

You don’t need a new $50k tool. You need a collector’s patience and eye for detail. The cherrypick method works because:

• It starts with what you have, not what you need to buy
• It values slow, careful work over quick fixes
• It rewards knowing your environment deeply
• It adds up small wins into real savings

Here’s your assignment: This week, spend one hour with your cloud. Check three resources you haven’t touched in months. Look for the little inefficiencies – the “double strikes” and “extra metal” hiding in plain sight.

Like that 1916-D dime in my grandfather’s collection, your biggest savings might already be in your environment. You just need to look like a collector, not an operator.

And hey – if you find something cool, let me know. I’ve got a few coin albums I need to organize.

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