Tinstaafl Theory.
Don’t you just love the word free? It’s certainly a word that is often used in marketing phrases like:
| Buy one, get one free Free trial Free download |
Free shipping Free sample Free estimate |
Free gift with purchase Free demonstration Free consultation |
Another simple but powerful word is save. Have you ever had the experience when you are in the checkout lane at your local grocery store and after they have zapped your credit card for a couple of hundred bucks while handing you the receipt, you are informed of how much money you have saved? Really? After a quick search, I discovered a few more familiar marketing phrases that basically lead the consumer to believe they can save you money:
| “reduce spending on…..” “Lower the payments on…..” “Get discounts on…..” |
“Cut the costs of…..” “Lesson the…..” “reduce debt…..” |
“Trim the fat from…..” “find the best prices for…..” |
And if the free offer or being able to save you money won’t do the trick, then how about a few of these humdingers?
| No obligation Special offer Limited supply Offer expires Call right now |
Cancel anytime Pay nothing Before they’re gone Award-winning |
Money back guarantee No minimum Offer ends soon Not sold in stores Same day delivery |
Lowest price Guaranteed overnight delivery Act now Call anytime Same day service |
Based on the marketing messages, the only way it appears possible to save any money today is by acting now on that special offer for the limited supply before they’re gone. Remember, the offer ends soon and with all of the savings, we can continue to spend less and save more. Really?
When I was a teenager back in the seventies and without sounding too cynical, my family had one telephone called a land line that hung on the wall, a T.V. antenna, and one 25” console T.V. that sat on the floor with three to four channels, depending on the reception. That was it! And we didn’t spend a whole lot of time or money on it, either.
But today with the average cable package with internet at $165 per month and cell phones at $100 per month, the total monthly cost to watch T.V., surf the internet, and talk or text is $265 per month. This doesn’t include the amount of time and energy we spend watching these devices so they can continue to compete with pop-up ads and slick commercials that tell us what to eat, what to drink, and how to lose weight as well as pitching the benefits of prescription drugs. Really?
So what if you saved $265 per month from the age of thirty-five to the age of sixty-five and earned a net after-tax rate of return of 6%? You would have over $266,000! Oh well, you only live once.
I love my country, and am very grateful to have been born in the U.S.A, but when it comes to money in America, I believe in the Tinstaafl Theory. There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!
