Freebies No More

I found this article on MSN Money today called 29 things that used to be free. Here are a few the items on the list that I found interesting.

Butter. The article talks about how some east coast bagel shops are charging for butter. I personally prefer cream cheese, and I expect to pay a bit for it. But not butter - especially not when they normally give you margarine instead.

Soup and salad. Yes, it would be nice if mid-level restaurants like Sizzler included salad with your meal instead of frozen/defrosted/steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and crinkle-cut carrots.

Water. With the possible exception of the various varieties of aluminum oxide, this is the most plentiful chemical compound on the surface of this planet. If I have to pay for a glass of water, I'm leaving and somebody's not getting a tip.

Paper cups. Sadly, this one actually makes sense: the cups cost the restaurant more than the beverages they put in them.

Bags. Under no circumstances will I pay a grocery store for bags in which to take my groceries home. I'll take a bus across town to another store first.

Air for the tires. See "Water", above. Ridiculous.

Copies for college students. Yeah, copies run about 8¢ apiece at the U of U, but there are still a couple of places where you can print (albeit in small quantities) for free.

ATM use, Your balance, Talking to a teller, Free checking accounts. Banks that charge for these services don't get my business. I'll take a local credit union over a monolithic bank any day.

Thank heaven for the things that are still free. If this Blog service ever starts charging for its use (like Blue Mountain and Yahoo! did for e-greeting cards), I'll be gone like a wild goose in winter.