Do People Pay to Be Fooled?

You may not be aware of it at the present time. But you're probably wasting a whole lot of money each month, and not on "frivolous" things like movies or shopping. Indeed, the money that you're shoving down the drain is being done so in increments, over long periods of time, in hundreds of different ways, for some pretty absurd reasons. As a matter of fact, when you take a really hard look at consumer spending, you'll realize that humans are literally paying to be fooled. If you don't believe me, let's take a look at the logic behind some practical human expenses.

Paying To Lose

Consider the following set of circumstances: You decide to load about 40% of the groceries and food items that you have at home, into your vehicle. You take these goods to your local supermarket, and then pay the grocery personnel to take that food out back and burn it. If that sounds ridiculous, then consider that that is just about what you're doing when you sign up for expensive weight loss programs. Though many programs offer all sorts of services and products, including meals and counseling, the bottom line is that you are essentially paying someone else to get rid of a substance(fat) that no one else wants or will ever use.

Paying For "Imaginary" Events

Let's now pretend that once every month, a man shows up at your home demanding at least $100. He tells you that the $100 is going towards something that you will probably never actually receive. And in the event that you don't receive anything---you will not get your money back. This is pretty much what insurance companies are telling you when they provide coverage quotes. Oh sure, the companies are getting a bit creative with the perks they're offering. Some of them have even decided to start tossing a few of those hard-earned dollars back to you in the event that there is no event (like a car accident, fire, theft, etc...) But it all boils down to the fact that you're still paying thousands of dollars for a service that you hope you'll never need to use.

Paying to Have Money

For this scenario, let's say that you own a barrel of apples. You hire a man to guard that barrel of apples so that whenever you'd like to have one, you can. But instead of standing guard next to the barrel, the man dumps all of your apples into a huge vat with millions of others, leaving your barrel empty. However, the man promises that you can have as much of the fruit as you're entitled to, whenever you'd like. This may sound like an uncomplicated set of circumstances. And it is, actually. In fact, this is the exact philosophy which exists in the banking industry. Banks offer tons of services attributed to the "care" and growth of your money. But the fact still remains that consumers pay money every year, for the sake of entrusting their unseen dollars to people they've never personally met. And if the thought of paying just to have money is not very appealing to you, then join the ranks of millions who feel the same way.

Other Foolish Ventures...

Taxes aside, there are lots of other nooks and crannies that our money falls into when we're not looking. You pay to use your own money every time you visit an ATM machine for a bank of which you're not a member. And if you're a Metro PCS customer, then you'll be paying a fee just to pay your monthly bill---inside their stores. (Where does that extra $2 go each time?) Think that Bag, Borrow, or Steal is a great bargain? Sure, if you enjoy paying for the opportunity to pay more money [for the bag rentals]. The possibilities are virtually endless. Many goods and services are "justifiably reimburseable." But the laws of economics continue to prove that the world is full of harebrained practices...