There is no such thing as free lunch

Yesterday, my officemate sent me this email about the National Grant Conference. They have this free seminar at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Wanting to get some free grants and with the hope of getting some idea on how to get them - off I drove to New Jersey this morning. The seminar started at 9:00am.

Here's how they advertised the seminar:

SPECIAL FREE BONUS FOR ATTENDING CONFERENCE
Make a reservation now and when you attend you will receive a FREE BONUS at the end of our free Introductory Conference. The bonus gift is a 4-volume mini-home study course that includes these valuable publications:
Making Money With Government Grants
Making Money With Government Auctions
Making Money With Government Foreclosures
Making Money With Government Tax Lien Certificates

The information in these FREE books could be worth thousands of dollars to you, your business and your family members. Check for an Introductory Conference in your area, seating is limited.

I registered with a fake name. A fake address. A phone number that I mangled. An office number interchanged. Now, seated comfortably, I was listening to this guy and instantly, I am reminded that this is nothing more than an infomercial.

Blah! Blah! Blah!
Blah! Blah! Blah! goes this guy!

Jokes!
HA! HA! HA! (yeap! i was one of them too! see? I was participating! ok?!)

I figured.... hmmmm... I'm sure the room in this hotel is not for free. But of course they are paying for this room. Are they gonna give us the hint and tell us exactly how to navigate the amazon of grants just like that? HELL NO! OK?! You got me!

And so, as I continue to listen - there goes the Catch 21!

It's a membership.

Cost? $1,299.00 (Wow!)
After 6 months, you have to renew for $24.95 (I see...)
With this membership... you get...
a.) 2 days workshop (I guess this is where you play anc act like Bill Gates...)
b.) Unlimited assistance via the 888-number (I'm sure it'll be unlimited. Remember when you need help and you call all these supposed to be 888 numbers and you get nothing but machines? But hey! Maybe it'll be a good opportunity to get connected to the call centers in Manila. But can they afford to outsource their services to Manila?!
c.) Brainstorm with you (bout what?!)
d.) Unlimited research (re...what?!0

Ugh!

My seatmate winked at me. She said "they all say that!"

I thought... my $1,299 is better off somewhere else. I can read, I can researched - true, I may not have all the time in the world. But if you have passion for what you do, you can do it for $1,299 less.

A ewan!