There’s really no such thing as free stuff – someone has to make a product and it costs to make it. The trick is that sometimes the cost of the goods is transferred to another person or paid for using an alternative method that is not obvious. How can you pay for free stuff? Over time, the stress and restriction of the opposite of what you would normally do.
wastage of time
Are you wasting time jumping through hoops to collect free stuff? The saying “time is money” applies to anyone, not just business people because time is something you can’t get back once you’ve lost or “used up” it. The way to know how much your time is worth is by comparing it to money. If I spend an hour a month getting “free stuff” and I can do something that pays me $20 an hour, then I’m making $20 a month. There are instances where you can save time, but are not necessarily getting paid for it. What would you rather do than chase free stuff? Maybe you’re learning something new, researching a deal that could save you money elsewhere, doing tasks you’d be paying someone else to do, or just a habit. which can save you money. This concept is very personal, and you have to look at where your time goes to understand where the trade-offs are. I often ask people: “Where does your money go?” There is a related question that is in many ways more important: Where does your time go?” Given all the complaints about not having enough time, this question deserves to be examined more closely.
personal information
Many sources of free content will only appear if you provide personal information. what’s wrong with that? You could argue that it doesn’t matter to you because all my information is out there anyway and I have nothing to hide. Whether this is true or not, it still leaves you vulnerable to filling out endless forms or sifting through telephone calls and emails that you are not interested in joining. Your information may be “shared” or sold to other vendors that you did not consent to. Deal directly and that will lead to annoyance and wasted time. In the age of computer hacks and identity theft, the more places personal information is available, the more likely it is to happen to you. In addition to the stress and time it takes to cancel credit cards, update anti-virus software, and chase down money taken from your accounts, fraud and theft are more likely to put a big dent in your life. Its effects can last for years after the event. The best security measure you can take is to never store information in a technology platform in the first place.
shopping ban
The old saying to save money when buying products is to “shop around” for the best deals. If you’ve ever done this, you’ll know that sometimes there is a wide variation in the prices of commodities in different places or at different times of the year. One of my most valuable ways to save money is to shop when/where other people don’t. If you’re collecting points, are you still going to compare to get the best deal even if you’re not collecting points? From the ones I’ve seen, I think the answer is no. It’s unlikely that one store or Web site will always have the best deals. Even stores that are known to be cheap may have expensive products.
get organized
Are you natural at organizing and doing administrative tasks? If so, then customizing tracking points and their usage will be second nature to you. I think many people are quite the opposite – filling out forms, handling paperwork, calculating rebates or accounting for taxes on purchases is not their forte. If you want proof, go out to dinner with a group of people and see how the tip is calculated. If people have any issues with this, computers or apps will be used to do it for them. No app or computer can make the decision for you when it comes to buying products with intangible elements like time, excitement and stress built into the equation.
pretzels
Are you forced to buy things or use services that you don’t really want or sometimes that are not convenient for you? Do these choices cost you in many other ways? A classic example is flying somewhere on points. Yes, the flight is free, but it’s at 3 am on a Monday. You may have been able to take transit to the airport, but at odd hours, you’ll need a limo or taxi cab. The flight could have been direct, but the free flight may have 1 or 2 layovers where you end up wasting hours at the airport. Because time is wasted at the airport, you’ll buy more expensive meals and use up more roaming charges unless you plan ahead. If you have to stay overnight to stay for a while.