The 10 best ways to get free stuff
Filed under: Bargains, Extracurriculars, Shopping, Fantastic Freebies, Loose Change , Video
Hey, if the government is handing out free cash to basically anyone who asks for it, why shouldn't you get your fair share? Free stuff has become the buzzword of the moment, with everyone searching the web, twittering away, and lining up for hours to get pancakes, coffee, donuts or anything else offered for free. Walletpop's "Loose Change" video team recently visited downtown Manhattan where the art of scoring freebies actually has turned into art -- a store-front art installation called The Free Store, which has been doing a bustling business and has people on the street talking. After the jump, you'll get WalletPop's 10 tips for scoring freebies!
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- Visit WalletPop's Fantastic Freebie every day: Yes, it's a bit of shameless promotion, but we offer a great editor-selected freebie every day. Don't underestimate the power of a limited supply of freebies -- once you start looking on the Web, you can be easily overwhelmed, so it helps to have somebody you trust sorting through these offers. We have help from Coupon Cravings and Deal Seeking Mom and our regular team of bloggers in this endeavor.
- Follow these 20 moms on Twitter: If you haven't joined up for Twitter yet, this could be your enticement. There's a whole entourage of bloggers who have teamed up to provide deal news on a breaking basis. If you follow this group, you'll find out about all the best offers as soon as they are available.
- Ask for a freebie: You'll never know until you ask, and that's a lesson that our bloggers have learned over and over. You can get discounts galore these days just by asking, ranging from price-matching to simple hand-outs. Blogger Josh Smith even got free storage boxes, just by asking around.
- Get free drugs: The free antibiotic movement is growing, and now many drug stores and supermarket pharmacies are offering generic antibiotics for free. All you have to do is fill your RXs and you'll walk about feeling much better!
- Visit a museum: Many big companies sponsor free nights at museums, and the deals range from huge national ones, like Bank of America's first weekend of the month offer on a large selection, to smaller ones in your own town (like Target sponsoring the Brooklyn Museum of Art on the first Friday of the month in my neck of the woods). It's likely that any museum in your area has some free admission hours, so find out and plan ahead.There are also other free concerts and shows, like Jay Leno's upcoming event in Detroit.
- Free samples: If you're willing to try something new, you can get free samples by mail from many different manufacturers. You can wait until you see an offer on a deal site, or you can head to a site like walmart.com for a place to try a bunch at once.
- Shop wisely: With some store coupons and discounts, you can actually get the price of the item you want down to $0.00. DealSeekingMom explains it like this: For example, Cottonelle Toilet Paper is $0.99 for a 4-pack at Kroger. There are several $1 off and $0.50 off coupons that will make it free after coupons. (The $0.50 coupon doubles at many stores.) Often you can purchase the trial sizes at stores like Walmart and Target for free after a coupon as well.
- Barter: True, bartering is not truly free because you have to give something to get something, but there are a lot of sites out there where you can recycle your stuff and trade. At the Free Store, which we visited in our video segment, the artists encouraged people to bring items in order to shop, although it wasn't required. Check out Craigslist and Freecycle for other opportunities.
- Do good: Charity workers spend a lot of their time helping others, but sometimes they can also help themselves! One program in San Fransisco offers the use of Zip cars for free to people doing good works for others, like driving seniors to doctors appointments.
- Sign up for retraining: The sour economy has put a lot of people in the market for job retraining, and you're going to start to see a lot of offers to get retrained for free -- either sponsored by the government or by private corporations like Microsoft. So if you're feeling iffy in your job, do something about it by signing up for classes or seminars.
Money Clips
- HILARIOUS: Warren Buffet Plays Axl Rose in New Commercial - Huffington Post
- ON THE PLUS SIDE: Where Home Prices Are Rising - CNNMoney
- FRICTION: Could China Trade War Put Walmart Out of Business? - 24/7 Wall St.
- PROFILE: Opinionated Auto Industry Insider Dies - FORTUNE
- DON'T LAUGH: More Homeowners Turning to Fake Grass - SmartMoney
- HIT HARDEST: States Hurt Most From Rising Gas Prices - CNBC
- GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH: Best Cars to Buy Used - CBS MoneyWatch
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-11-2009 @ 9:43PM
Dorna said...
Great article!
Reply
3-12-2009 @ 10:59AM
A Cowboy's Wife said...
I often refer to Deal Seeking Mom's site for freebies and coupon deals! Great list!!
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 6:31AM
Todd said...
Free help for people victimized by car insurance: http://cloakedlink.com/fhcolcvlcl
Reply
4-16-2009 @ 12:42PM
brenda said...
I have been on lay off for some time now. I am new at trying to find things that I can get for free. I am trying to find things for fre and samples,as well. I am doing this to help my family get through this tough time. Any websites or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanyou,Brenda
3-18-2009 @ 9:00PM
FLLady said...
I get the best freebies from lists sent out by free sample sites. I click on the ones I want. Because the list is sent to my email, I don't have to spend the time looking for them.
Reply
4-16-2009 @ 12:41PM
brenda beeman said...
I have been laid off now for some time. I am in need of all of the help that you could give me. I am trying to get samples and free items as much as possible. I have to do this to help out my family right now. Any suggestions that you might have for websites or any ideas at all would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou,Brenda
3-18-2009 @ 7:32PM
Kathie said...
When I lived in Grand Rapids, MI, several years ago, The Baptist Churches ran a free store on the North Side. I believe you had to meet income guidelines and there were yearly limits, but it was fantastic. There was also at least one free food pantry as well. The food came with a chat with a wonderful pastor.
Reply
3-25-2009 @ 3:42PM
Bargain Hunter said...
In Northeast Ohio I get FREE coupons from www.iShopSummit.com and get a lot of stuff for FREE.
Frequently when I get a buy one/get one free coupon for breakfast, lunch or dinner I use it and give the free meal to someone I don't know. Of course I encourage them to PAY IT FORWARD.
I look for bargains, you can tell from my user name, but helping other people is what makes the world go 'round.
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4-15-2009 @ 7:45PM
Chelsea said...
These are great tips. For more free samples and coupons, visit us at:http://www.freemania.net
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