ain -- assuming you're the winner. In time, however, they'll make more than enough money off of the meals you pay for to compensate for the free refills they offer.

You're likely to spend $100 on your cell phone bill each month

Everywhere we go we see or hear the word 'free' attached to every label of every product or service. Yet, time has taught us that everything comes at a price and our minds are subconsciously programmed to steer-clear of the sinister that is called 'free'.

Your email account is free online, your cell phone is free with your phone line subscription, your soft drink refills are free at any fast food restaurant, and even your wireless Internet access is free in most public places. But how much does 'free' really cost you?

Considering that at least half of us wouldn't even bother purchasing many of these products if it weren't for the free added bonuses we receive, there would be a whole lot spent on 'free'. You may buy a $3 meal to get free refills with your soft drink, but there's only so much one person can drink at a time. So you end up returning to that place of business -- time and time again -- assuming you're the winner. In time, however, they'll make more than enough money off of the meals you pay for to compensate for the free refills they offer.

You're likely to spend $100 on your cell phone bill each month

sinister that is called 'free'.

Your email account is free online, your cell phone is free with your phone line subscription, your soft drink refills are free at any fast food restaurant, and even your wireless Internet access is free in most public places. But how much does 'free' really cost you?

Considering that at least half of us wouldn't even bother purchasing many of these products if it weren't for the free added bonuses we receive, there would be a whole lot spent on 'free'. You may buy a $3 meal to get free refills with your soft drink, but there's only so much one person can drink at a time. So you end up returning to that place of business -- time and time again -- assuming you're the winner. In time, however, they'll make more than enough money off of the meals you pay for to compensate for the free refills they offer.

You're likely to spend $100 on your cell phone bill each month

is free in most public places. But how much does 'free' really cost you?

Considering that at least half of us wouldn't even bother purchasing many of these products if it weren't for the free added bonuses we receive, there would be a whole lot spent on 'free'. You may buy a $3 meal to get free refills with your soft drink, but there's only so much one person can drink at a time. So you end up returning to that place of business -- time and time again -- assuming you're the winner. In time, however, they'll make more than enough money off of the meals you pay for to compensate for the free refills they offer.

You're likely to spend $100 on your cell phone bill each month

here would be a whole lot spent on 'free'. You may buy a $3 meal to get free refills with your soft drink, but there's only so much one person can drink at a time. So you end up returning to that place of business -- time and time again -- assuming you're the winner. In time, however, they'll make more than enough money off of the meals you pay for to compensate for the free refills they offer.

You're likely to spend $100 on your cell phone bill each month

ain -- assuming you're the winner. In time, however, they'll make more than enough money off of the meals you pay for to compensate for the free refills they offer.

You're likely to spend $100 on your cell phone bill each month in order to get 100's of 'free' minutes that you probably don't even need, when you could have spent half that and still satisfied your needs. Sitting at your local Starbucks with the added privilege of wireless Internet access is great and it won't cost you anything. But it is when you order $35 of caramel lattes, as you surf the pages of cyberspace, that Starbucks has successfully achieved its long-term marketing objective.

The lack of consumer awareness on the dangers of 'free' marketing strategies is incredibly common. It's easy to get sucked into the whorl pool of free offers, because, well, they're everywhere. It is important to understand that free can sometimes cost a lot more than it's worth.