Imagine you need or want to buy something. It doesn’t really matter what it is. It could be anything. When you go to purchase it you discover there is a buy-two-get-one-free sale. Maybe you can easily afford to purchase two instead of one. Maybe you are going to need a second one of whatever this thing you are purchasing is sooner than later. But maybe not. Maybe you only need one. Or maybe you really don’t have the money to buy a second one right now. Maybe you think you’ll probably never use that third free one anyway. But it’s free. It doesn’t cost you anything. Wait, that’s not entirely accurate. First of all, you had to pay out twice as much money as you originally intended to spend. Yes, yes, I know, you are getting the second item for this unexpected outlay of money. It isn’t as if you’re actually paying any extra for the third item. The third item IS free. Again, not entirely accurate. Your choice to take advantage of this sale changed the amount of available cash you will have on hand. This might not be that big of deal to you. But here’s the thing, buying two to get one free when you only intended to get one is only a good thing if you really want three.

Don’t change your behavior because something seems to be free or seems to be something you should do based on what the prevailing view of a particular situation might be. Most people would tell you to go for the free item. But maybe, you should let your own wants, desires, and value system prevail no matter what offer is on the table. You get to make your own decisions. Don’t give your right to decide away. Not even to that little annoying voice in your head.