Lately I have seen an overflow of questioning the legitimacy of the “you have won” emails that seem to find their way in your inbox. Yes, I know you didn’t sign up or enter a competition but somehow you have won this AMAZING gift. Well at least that is what the representative told you, right? BUT! How amazing is this gift really and what do I have to do to get it? Well it is quite simple all I need is for you to call about 5 of your girlfriends and let’s have a party! “Remember it is absolutely free for you and don’t worry you won’t have to pay for anything,” have you heard this before?

Wait…there is more.

“Hi! Can I speak to Sarah?” Hi, this is Amy from so and so company and I have great news! “How would you like to receive a FREE vacation? I’m sure with all the pressure from planning your wedding you could use a little free relaxation, am I right?”

As you sit there and nod your head eagerly but still that little voice in the back of your head is saying there has to be more to this. There is no way I am getting all of this greatness for free. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that your little voice is a genius. Pure genius, I tell you! Often you will find your phones ringing off the hook or your email getting swarmed shortly after a bridal show or expo. And this is because you fell victim to the “Enter to Win” fish bowl sitting out on a table. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with these fish bowls, as I have won some pretty great prizes in my time. My all-time favorite was a trip to a local restaurant that I was eager to try. It saved me a few hundred bucks and the food was yummy, so that was a definite win win for me.

However, Stay. Away. From. The. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) fish bowls as they will advertise you’ve won these goodies. Only to lure you in and leave you with either a “makeover” from Mary Beth that has no idea about how to truly apply your makeup but swears up and down she knows what she is doing. Or you get sucked into a weight loss party that turns into a sales pitch. I mean there is nothing wrong with either of these but I rather know what I am getting into before I decided if I will turn off the lights when I get into bed. If you know what I mean. Then there are the time share hunters. What are time shares? Well that’s a question that can be answered a thousand different ways and still never get the real answer, but the gist is you have to purchase a vacation spot for an allotted amount of time or something like that. See even when you go to these fill-ins to learn more about the stuff you still leave with the deer in head lights stare. But hey you just walked away with a vacation. Well part of a vacation at least. You still have to pay for air fare and the taxes and fees associated with winning the so call vacation.

So, are you truly a winner? Is your time really worth this AMAZING prize? I can’t answer that question for you but I sure can play devil’s advocate and ruffle some feathers while doing so. Which I don’t mind because as if you don’t have enough on your plate trying to plan your perfect wedding that you’ve dreamed of for so long. Trust me when I say if you missed the “you’ve won” email or phone call you ain’t missing much! Lol.

Happy planning,
The Savy Girl