The truth is, there are many different F words, but the one I want to shine a light on today is false value, specifically, the kind that keeps you stuck in a spending loop, chasing deals, and justifying purchases you never needed in the first place.
This isn’t about being scammed in the traditional sense.
No one’s pretending to be the IRS or hacking your bank account.
This is about the manipulation we’ve learned to live with.
The kind we scroll past. The kind that lives in our inboxes, retail carts, and emotional decision-making.
The kind that makes us feel smart for spending more, and quietly chips away at our freedom.
🍀 The $5 Lucky Carebear Sweatshirt
The reason I own a one-size-too-small, bright green Care Bear St. Patrick’s Day sweatshirt isn’t because I love Care Bears.
It’s because shipping was $8.95, and the sweatshirt was $5.
It was just enough to bump me over the free shipping threshold, and less than the shipping cost itself, so into the cart it went.
At that moment, I wasn’t spending $5.
I was saving $3.95.
Never mind the 30+ minutes I spent scrolling the clearance graveyard, trying to find something that wasn’t too expensive, ugly, or pointless.
(Spoiler: it was all three.)
That time? Gone forever.
That logic? Shaky at best.
Those savings? Pure emotional math.
💬 Have a story like this?
A deal that cost you more than money?
📩 Send it to [email protected]
Your story might just be the one that helps someone else step out of the loop.
📣 And share this with someone who needs to see the system for what it is.
Because the more we recognize these everyday manipulations, the harder it becomes to be manipulated by anyone.
Because the only F word we’re not saying around here?
Fooled.