There is definitely something in our formation that teaches us if something is free, we should take it. Years ago, if I walked by someone handing out flyers, key chains, booklets – whatever it is that they used to promote their product or message – I would stick my hand out and accept whatever they were offering. Then I noticed that none of these things I brought home interested me. I never read the booklets and flyers. Never attended the sales or concerts they were advertising. And I already had a key chain. Why would I put my keys on a piece of swag that promoted a product or company I’d never before heard of? Now, when the lime green and hot pink pieces of paper are waved in my face, or someone holds out a plastic-wrapped trinket of sorts, I just say “No thanks,” and keep on walking.
Another way we accumulate our freebies is with the
ever-loved gift with purchase. The
cosmetic companies have this one all wrapped up. Admittedly, when I was in my twenties, I
thought this was the best thing ever. I
could buy high-end cosmetic products, and walk away with a bag of free, also
high-end cosmetic products. Perfect!!
Whenever I saw the ad, I would plan to purchase a new mascara, new facial
scrub, and whatever was needed to meet the minimum purchase requirements. It’s all good; these were products I used. But
when I got home to check out my six sample products, I was usually only interested
in two of them. I’d tuck the rest away; I was sure to use them sometime.
A couple years after moving in to the house I now live in
with my family I was baffled. What was all that stuff in my bathroom drawer? I swear
I only use four things out of that drawer. I started to dig. Ah . . . the
unopened eye shadow I’d gotten five years earlier. The nail buffer I will never use in this
lifetime. That shimmery powder that I’m
not even sure how to use. It was all there.
All the gifts with purchase that I was so excited to get, wasted. There were
also a couple new mascaras and an extra facial scrub. The stuff I really wanted
was buried beneath the stuff I didn’t care about. I felt kind of foolish, but I
had learned something. Just because something is free, doesn’t mean that I will
like it, use it, or even want it. Now when the cosmetician reminds me that spending
an additional $4 means that I walk away with a free gift, it’s really easy to
say, “This is all I need, thanks.”
There are a lot of freebies out there; some in the form of information,
some in the form of product. But do you want them? Are they adding value? And
if not, just say “no”. You’re not offending anyone, and more importantly, you
are putting some thought into what you let into your own life, home and hidden
away nooks and crannies.
