Stealing is wrong. You may go to jail, pay a fine or you may not. Frankly, stealing is all about balancing risk vs. reward. Ask yourself honestly, what are the chances I can get away with taking this object (or these objects if you’re feeling particularly spry) and is this really something that will enhance my life. In most cases, stealing probably isn’t the best way to save money, ultimately resulting in additional costs of both the time and money (i.e. court fees, community service and checks to lawyers). Still, for the better part of a decade, pretty much every individual under the age of 30 pirated libraries full of illegally downloaded music and material, bringing into question whether or not it’s truly wrong if A) tons of people are doing it or B) it’s legitimately difficult to get caught doing it. Similarly, a few special situations still exist by which many people still take advantage of such a litmus test. What items are traditionally taken at a self-applied discount?

  • wireless internet Assuming you live in an apartment, condo or reasonably tightly-packed neighborhood, it’s more than likely your neighbor’s internet signal is strong enough to suffice for your place of residence as well. Whether or not that network is password protected determines your own good or poor fortune. Hacking into your neighbor’s internet connection, however, is much more likely to result in negative consequences.
  • newspapers (machine not doorstep copies) Granted, not as much now as when people actually used to read newspapers, but any street machine that opens by virtue of a couple quarters and stays open until you shut it is probably not going to turn a profit at its full potential. Would a vending machine by which you paid up front to open a refrigerator and grab your own Coke ever stay stocked? Doubtful.
  • parking spots A little flasher action can go a long way. Putting on your flashers implies subtly you’ll be right back, even if you plan on taking your sweet time. In so-called 15 minute parking spaces, there is rarely a set of eyes on your automobile for the specific period of time. Obviously, this isn’t one you’ll want to abuse blatantly, as leaving your flashers on for hours at a time will run down your car battery just like leaving your headlights on overnight.