Free gifts often arrive with invisible strings. Accept too many and you become owned by obligation, gratitude, or quiet control.
Despise the free lunch. Pay when you can so you stay independent. When someone offers something “for nothing,” ask what they gain: access, influence, future claims, leverage. Nothing is free when power is involved.
Give generously only by choice, not by pressure. Spending with intention signals strength because it shows you can afford to be independent. Bargains that make you indebted are expensive later.
Clear exchange prevents rewrites. It keeps relationships clean. It keeps favors measurable. It keeps you out of moral traps where someone claims you “owe” them.
Also avoid looking hungry for freebies. Hunger lowers status and invites manipulation. If you want power, protect your autonomy. Autonomy is worth more than a discount. The cheapest thing can cost you the most if it changes who controls you.