In my senior year of undergrad, I was reviewing my professor's notes on microprocessor design the night before a final exam. I found a slide that had this one phrase on it: TANSTAAFL. Confused and slightly embarrassed, I visited the professor's office and asked about TANSTAAFL. He laughed and said, "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"!
Now I bring this up because I fall for the free lunch over and over again. The coffee shop I recently wrote about finally opened. As I buzzed into the parking lot Monday I saw the sign above. I was excited because I read it as Free Donut + Med Coffee. Notice the strategic placement of "with purchase of." I promptly went across the street and said to the guy at the counter, "I hear you're giving away free coffee and donuts." He responded with, "No, you get a free donut with the purchase of a coffee." This time I was shocked and slightly embarrassed because I fell for the "Free Lunch." I want you to know I'm not upset at all that I was fooled, and actually think it's kinda clever.
Remember as you navigate through life, there are no free lunches and "If It Seems Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is." You will save yourself some time, money, heartache and embarrassment.
PS. I got my free donut. It only cost me the price of a medium coffee!
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Greg Teal is an investment advisor representative of Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc.
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