FREE, remember when the word free use to mean just that? While there are still a few things that fall into that category, free just doesn’t necessary mean free any more. The dictionary definition for the word free is obtainable without payment. It would seem marketing firms have redefined the word to mean it’s free as long as you buy something else. US News recently published an article entitled “15 Things You Shouldn't Be Paying For”. If we were to look at some of those items you would find free is just not what it use to be.
Computer software was one of the first items on the list with free software that can be downloaded to your computer. The internet is a fantastic resource for all kinds of free software to improve the performance of your computer, productivity and communication with friends and family. It is still important to do your homework because in a number of cases with a specific example being free virus protection software , while the basis package maybe free the full protection and version that actually cleans up your computer and removes the virus may come at a cost, so read the fine print as they say.
Annual credit reports are free upon request for anyone that has an established credit history in the US at
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, but be sure it is this site because others that say free maybe attempting to sign you up at a cost for ongoing credit reports and your credit score at a minimum. Sounds great right a state of the art cell phone with a retail value of $xxx offered to you free with the purchase of a service contract, so compare the cost of the 2 year service contract, minimum service required for the phone to function as you want (smart/data phone usually require an additional monthly fee) and other phone service providers that don't promote a free phone, because then and only then can you be somewhat sure the free phone you are getting is actually free. The library has become our primary source for our teenage readers for books, videos, games and the like, however speaking from experience this is area where parents have to teach their kids responsibility, because if the items are returned late or lost (the library will suspend the use of your cards until late fees and items like DVD's are paid for) believe me in those cases they don't end up being free. Remember when we use to consider water to be free and the thought of someone charging for water or air for the matter was unthinkable. Well welcome to the 21th century where bottled water has become a fad and can cost as much as $2.00-$3.00 dollars or more a bottle. While you can still get fountain and tap water free at most places, what gets me here is the fact that many will drink fountain soda from a soda dispenser that has dispenser for water and yet they will purchase a bottle of water at the same place huh? Is there anything free about credit cards, debatable at best but you can get free amenities and no annual fee so shop around. The most recent freebies attached to credit/debit cards is annual fee that allows you to collect reward points with each purchase and in some cases depending on your use of the cards you can come out ahead but again it is important to do the math. It depends on how often and how much you spend when using the cards but if these are needed items and expenses, why not get some of it back in the form of a rebates or rewards? There are loads of free tools on the internet from budgeting, business plan development, tax preparation, legal forms, local/national and world news to mention a few. The trick here is spending a little time getting to know your way around the internet and you will be surprised of the number of free resources available. There are even sites that are specifically for researching freebies in every area you might imagine. However as was mentioned earlier many of the freebies come with a price and if the end fits the means then it might be for you? Almost everyday I receive advertisements offering free gift cards, computers and memberships of some kind. Almost all of these are quote free as long as you participate (silver, gold and platium purchase levels) in the purchase of promotional items like credit cards, netflix and free credit card reports. When you consider the possibility of paying 250.00 for participation items for a thousand dollar gift card at a store you shop on a regular basis it might just be worth it? So do the math and if you can actually come out ahead then why not? It all comes down to there is no better time than now to take advantage of every available freebie out there, and in most cases it just take a bit of your time to do the research and go fo it!
Computer software was one of the first items on the list with free software that can be downloaded to your computer. The internet is a fantastic resource for all kinds of free software to improve the performance of your computer, productivity and communication with friends and family. It is still important to do your homework because in a number of cases with a specific example being free virus protection software , while the basis package maybe free the full protection and version that actually cleans up your computer and removes the virus may come at a cost, so read the fine print as they say.
Annual credit reports are free upon request for anyone that has an established credit history in the US at
http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, but be sure it is this site because others that say free maybe attempting to sign you up at a cost for ongoing credit reports and your credit score at a minimum. Sounds great right a state of the art cell phone with a retail value of $xxx offered to you free with the purchase of a service contract, so compare the cost of the 2 year service contract, minimum service required for the phone to function as you want (smart/data phone usually require an additional monthly fee) and other phone service providers that don't promote a free phone, because then and only then can you be somewhat sure the free phone you are getting is actually free. The library has become our primary source for our teenage readers for books, videos, games and the like, however speaking from experience this is area where parents have to teach their kids responsibility, because if the items are returned late or lost (the library will suspend the use of your cards until late fees and items like DVD's are paid for) believe me in those cases they don't end up being free. Remember when we use to consider water to be free and the thought of someone charging for water or air for the matter was unthinkable. Well welcome to the 21th century where bottled water has become a fad and can cost as much as $2.00-$3.00 dollars or more a bottle. While you can still get fountain and tap water free at most places, what gets me here is the fact that many will drink fountain soda from a soda dispenser that has dispenser for water and yet they will purchase a bottle of water at the same place huh? Is there anything free about credit cards, debatable at best but you can get free amenities and no annual fee so shop around. The most recent freebies attached to credit/debit cards is annual fee that allows you to collect reward points with each purchase and in some cases depending on your use of the cards you can come out ahead but again it is important to do the math. It depends on how often and how much you spend when using the cards but if these are needed items and expenses, why not get some of it back in the form of a rebates or rewards? There are loads of free tools on the internet from budgeting, business plan development, tax preparation, legal forms, local/national and world news to mention a few. The trick here is spending a little time getting to know your way around the internet and you will be surprised of the number of free resources available. There are even sites that are specifically for researching freebies in every area you might imagine. However as was mentioned earlier many of the freebies come with a price and if the end fits the means then it might be for you? Almost everyday I receive advertisements offering free gift cards, computers and memberships of some kind. Almost all of these are quote free as long as you participate (silver, gold and platium purchase levels) in the purchase of promotional items like credit cards, netflix and free credit card reports. When you consider the possibility of paying 250.00 for participation items for a thousand dollar gift card at a store you shop on a regular basis it might just be worth it? So do the math and if you can actually come out ahead then why not? It all comes down to there is no better time than now to take advantage of every available freebie out there, and in most cases it just take a bit of your time to do the research and go fo it!
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