{"id":1228,"date":"2024-12-16T04:15:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T12:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2024-12-23T08:15:08","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T16:15:08","slug":"18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html","title":{"rendered":"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"things<\/a>Who doesn’t love a free lunch? I know I’ve never turned one down. If you believe everything you read on the Internet, then there are lots<\/em><\/strong> of products and services you should never pay for.<\/p>\n

The problem is “never” is such a strong word, isn’t it? So is “free.”<\/p>\n

And while I’ve never turned down a free lunch, in reality they’re usually hard to come by.<\/p>\n

So, with that in mind, here’s my<\/em><\/strong> take on some recommended products and services that we’re constantly being told we should never ever pay for:<\/p>\n

1. Pets<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Why pay a pet store or a breeder big bucks when you can go to a shelter and adopt one?
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> That dog don’t hunt.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Most shelters require you to pay pet adoption fees to cover their cost of doing business.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Pet adoption can still be up to two orders of magnitude cheaper than buying a pet from a reputable breeder.<\/p>\n

2. Cell Phones<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Everybody knows you can get a free cell phone by signing a contract with your carrier.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Zero (bars).
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Many companies that offer free-phone plans charge a monthly premium.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> If said plan has a $10 monthly premium over the life of a two-year contract, that “free” phone is actually $240.<\/p>\n

3. Exercise<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> You can get all the exercise you need without ponying up for expensive gym memberships.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Atlas shrugged.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> That depends on factors such as whether you have room for the equipment, and can take advantage of the outdoors all year long.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Good arguments on both sides. It really depends on how you prefer to keep yourself in shape.<\/p>\n

4. Water<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> On a cost per gallon basis, tap water is essentially free. So is rain water.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Well, it makes sense to me. (Pun intended.)
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> It depends. I pay less than a penny for every 20 gallons of tap water I use. Then again, if you live in the middle of the Sahara desert …
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> If you hate the taste of your local tap water<\/a>, buy a filter. It’s a cheaper alternative than the bottled stuff.<\/p>\n

5. Newspapers<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Newspapers publish the same content in their paper as they do on the Internet.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> So this is news?
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Some newspapers charge for online content, many don’t.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> If you’re concerned about missing out on the coupons, limit your subscription to the Sunday edition.<\/p>\n

6. Credit Reports<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Why pay for an annual credit report when there are websites that offer them for free<\/a>?
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> 800 (On a scale from 300-850.)
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> See the conventional wisdom.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> You can get a free update every four months by rotating your report requests between the different reporting agencies.<\/p>\n

7. Real Estate Commissions<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> When it comes to real estate agents, you rarely get what you pay for<\/a>.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> The premise has a strong foundation.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Many people are unwilling to put in the effort required to sell their own home.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Millions of people have saved thousands in commissions by going for-sale-by-owner (FSBO).<\/p>\n

8. Doula Services<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> You can save money by using an unlicensed doula in-training. For free! (Or at least for a small donation.)
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> What’s a doula?
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> From what I can tell, a doula<\/a> is basically a midwife.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> When it comes to matters of life and death, I refuse to use an unlicensed anything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

9. Baby Formula<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Why use baby formula when you can get breast milk for free?
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> It’s an uplifting thought.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Some women are unable or unwilling to breast feed.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Breast milk is free — at least until Congress figures out a way to tax it.<\/p>\n

10. Diapers<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> By teaching your baby something called Elimination Communication<\/a>, you can avoid paying for diapers.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Um, okay.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Are there any doulas out there that could give us the real poop on this?
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Woe to the parent who has a baby that happens to be a slow learner — and white carpet.<\/p>\n

11. Books<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> You can always check out your favorite books at the local library.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Word up.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Unless your hometown library is the Library of Congress, there’s no guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Borrowing them for free is infinitely cheaper than buying them.<\/p>\n

12. Credit Counseling Services<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> The first stop for anybody looking for credit counseling services should be the National Foundation for Credit Counseling<\/a> (NFCC).
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Definitely good advice.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> See the conventional wisdom.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> The NFCC provides free financial advice at over 850 offices located across the United States.<\/p>\n

13. Tax Preparation Fees<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Most taxpayers qualify for free e-filling and\/or have taxes simple enough to do themselves.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> It depends — so audit your particular situation.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> The IRS says more than 50 million taxpayers have used their Free File<\/a> service since 2003.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> For folks with complicated tax returns, tax professionals typically find more than enough additional deductions to offset their fee.<\/p>\n

14. Banking Services<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Why would anybody ever pay for a checking account when there are plenty of places offering free ones?
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Take it to the bank.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> See the conventional wisdom.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> Just be sure that you maintain any minimum balance requirements to avoid penalties.<\/p>\n

15. Credit Cards<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Unless you’re completely clueless, there’s no reason to ever get a credit card that charges an annual fee.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Sorry, but that charge has been declined.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Some rewards cards charge an annual fee in exchange for extended rewards and special benefits.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> The perks offered by rewards cards usually more than pay for themselves.<\/p>\n

16. Microsoft Office<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Why pay for Microsoft Office when there’s the open source alternative, OpenOffice<\/a>?
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> An Unexpected Error Has Occurred.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> It depends<\/a> on a lot variables.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> OpenOffice lacks some features that some users may find essential.<\/p>\n

17. Moving Boxes<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> You can almost always pick up free cardboard boxes on Craigslist; but there are many other places too.
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> Sometimes you really can<\/em> get a free lunch.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> See the conventional wisdom.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> There’s always a ready supply of free cardboard boxes — you just need to look.<\/p>\n

18. Shipping<\/h3>\n

The Conventional Wisdom:<\/strong> Why pay for shipping when there are websites like Freeshipping.com<\/a>\u00a0out there?
\nFree Lunch Meter:<\/strong> (Incomplete) stamp of approval.
\n(Reality) Check, Please:<\/strong> Many places depend on shipping charges to boost their bottom line.
\nThe Bottom Line:<\/strong> If only somebody could figure out a way to get rid of those mysterious handling fees. Freehandling.org, anyone?<\/p>\n

Photo Credit: andrew steinmetz<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who doesn’t love a free lunch? I know I’ve never turned one down. If you believe everything you read on the Internet, then there are lots of products and services you should never pay for. The problem is “never” is such a strong word, isn’t it? So is “free.” And while I’ve never turned down […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[465,467],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1228","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ripoffs","8":"category-shopping","9":"pmpro-has-access","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\n18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who doesn't love a free lunch? Here are 18 products & services that we're constantly being told we should never ever pay for, but do anyway.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who doesn't love a free lunch? Here are 18 products & services that we're constantly being told we should never ever pay for, but do anyway.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Len Penzo dot Com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LenPenzo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-16T12:15:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-23T16:15:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/free.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"535\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Len Penzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LenPenzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LenPenzo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Len Penzo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Len Penzo\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3968bb46693d14b2ae2ab4958aa41dfd\"},\"headline\":\"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-16T12:15:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-23T16:15:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\"},\"wordCount\":1217,\"commentCount\":75,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/08\\\/free.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Ripoffs\",\"Shopping\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\",\"name\":\"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/08\\\/free.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-16T12:15:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-23T16:15:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"Who doesn't love a free lunch? Here are 18 products & services that we're constantly being told we should never ever pay for, but do anyway.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/08\\\/free.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/08\\\/free.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":535},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Len Penzo dot Com\",\"description\":\"The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Len Penzo dot Com\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Block_L.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/06\\\/Block_L.png\",\"width\":359,\"height\":360,\"caption\":\"Len Penzo dot Com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LenPenzo\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/LenPenzo\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lenpenzo.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3968bb46693d14b2ae2ab4958aa41dfd\",\"name\":\"Len Penzo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/779ff799a8fbdf9cd0cb6f9b1cd7ff58e9726e79c4df9213b22471192452c500?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/779ff799a8fbdf9cd0cb6f9b1cd7ff58e9726e79c4df9213b22471192452c500?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/779ff799a8fbdf9cd0cb6f9b1cd7ff58e9726e79c4df9213b22471192452c500?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Len Penzo\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)","description":"Who doesn't love a free lunch? Here are 18 products & services that we're constantly being told we should never ever pay for, but do anyway.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)","og_description":"Who doesn't love a free lunch? Here are 18 products & services that we're constantly being told we should never ever pay for, but do anyway.","og_url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html","og_site_name":"Len Penzo dot Com","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LenPenzo","article_published_time":"2024-12-16T12:15:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-12-23T16:15:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":400,"height":535,"url":"http:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/free.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Len Penzo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@LenPenzo","twitter_site":"@LenPenzo","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Len Penzo","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html"},"author":{"name":"Len Penzo","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3968bb46693d14b2ae2ab4958aa41dfd"},"headline":"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)","datePublished":"2024-12-16T12:15:54+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-23T16:15:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html"},"wordCount":1217,"commentCount":75,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/free.png","articleSection":["Ripoffs","Shopping"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html","name":"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/free.png","datePublished":"2024-12-16T12:15:54+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-23T16:15:08+00:00","description":"Who doesn't love a free lunch? Here are 18 products & services that we're constantly being told we should never ever pay for, but do anyway.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/free.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/free.png","width":400,"height":535},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id1228-18-things-you-supposedly-should-never-pay-for-ever-3.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"18 Things You Should Never Pay For (Or So They Say)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/","name":"Len Penzo dot Com","description":"The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Len Penzo dot Com","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Block_L.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Block_L.png","width":359,"height":360,"caption":"Len Penzo dot Com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LenPenzo","https:\/\/x.com\/LenPenzo"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/3968bb46693d14b2ae2ab4958aa41dfd","name":"Len Penzo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/779ff799a8fbdf9cd0cb6f9b1cd7ff58e9726e79c4df9213b22471192452c500?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/779ff799a8fbdf9cd0cb6f9b1cd7ff58e9726e79c4df9213b22471192452c500?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/779ff799a8fbdf9cd0cb6f9b1cd7ff58e9726e79c4df9213b22471192452c500?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Len Penzo"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1228"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85621,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions\/85621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}