The word 'free' and its attendant concept and meaning present an interesting definitional problem. When we say we get something for free what exactly does this mean? Most of the time the implication is that we received something beneficial without having to give up anything valuable in return. We wouldn't say we go a bruise for free (no one values bruises) or that America won the Afghanistan war for free (it cost us valuable lives). But free can be deceptive.

In a new book called free, author Chris Anderson describes different ways companies brand their products as free and the different meanings the word can take. In todays economy something may be free if you make a qualifying purchase such as 'buy one soup get the second one free.' In this situation free is being used when it would be more accurate to call the deal, 'buy one get one half off.' Another common tactic corporations use is to not charge for a product but then to require users to sit through advertisements. Hulu streams tv for free to computer users but incorporates its shows with commercials which cannot be fast forwarded through. Another example is facebook which has millions of die-hard users who rely on it every day for their social networking needs. Despite its popularity, facebook if absolutely free, but its loaded with advertistements. We are still paying for these services, not with money but with our time. The time we use to look through these advertisements is not free time. In addition, advertisement is subtle in its deployment and manipulation and may cause us to buy products we have no need for simply because we were swayed by a pretty face on a commercial.

Free products or discounted products can end up costing us more than we expected. It's a feature of human psychology that we appreciate a deal. When we think we are getting something for less than its normal price we are pleased. This causes us to buy things which are discounted which we might not have bought at all in another situation. for example, imagine the baskin robbins across the street is having a 39 cent scoop deal on ice cream which is lasting one day. Now, you have a big dinner and aren't hungry but the deal seems too good to pass up so you buy the ice cream. Was this really a 'deal?' Take another situation, you are out for drinks with people you don't really care for. The conversation is awkward and stilted. You think to be polite you should stay for a few minutes but you are looking for an excuse to make an early exit. Then, the person next to you offers to buy you a beer. Do you take it? It's free so its hard to pass up, but again its not really free. the price of the drink is that you have to stay at the bar for the time it takes to drink it. Depending on your feelings on ettiquette you might even be obliged to buy a round of drinks in return.

There's nothing wrong with being frugal but, finding a good deal is more complicated then it first appears. When making a purchase we should look at all the hidden prices that come with that product whether that price be monetary, social, caloric, or temporal.