Want to know a simple way I save an average of $3 to $5 off my grocery bill every week? I sign up for freebies!
Now, I have to tell you, I used to think signing up for freebies was a waste of time. I knew this one girl who was all into freebies and she spent what seemed like enormous amounts of time finding and signing up for freebies online. She’d post pictures on her blog of what she got in the mail and it pretty much looked like junk to me.
It seemed like signing up for freebies meant spending lots of time searching online and filling out forms all just to get tiny little samples of stuff I didn’t need and wouldn’t use in the first place. Needless to say, I was unimpressed.
However, this friend kept raving about her free samples and I finally decided, “Okay, what’s it going to hurt me just to try it for a few months?”
So I did… and, ahem, now I’m hooked. And I’ve quickly realized that signing up for freebies doesn’t have to be a waste of time. In fact, it is fun — and it can save you a nice little amount on your grocery bill.
After all, when you get a coupon for free Tropicana Orange Juice, a free Gillette razor and coupons for 2 free packages of yogurt in just one day’s mail, it’s hard to conclude that it’s a waste of time to sign up for freebies!
Not only can you get full-sized products and free product coupons, but the sample sized products can help decrease how often you have to buy shampoo, deodorant, laundry detergent and body wash, and they also often have high-value coupons in them which can net you a full-sized product for a great deal!
How To Fill Your Mailbox With Great Freebies in Less Than 15 Minutes Per Week
1. Set Up A Separate Email Account
Do NOT sign up for freebies with your main email account. I promise you’ll be inundated with advertisement emails. Instead, set up a separate account through GMail or Juno or some other free service and only give out that email address when signing up.
2. Download An Automatic Form Filler
You don’t have to re-type the same information every time you fill out a form. Just download RoboForm or FormFiller and they do almost all the work for you at the touch of a button. Saves you a great deal of time and makes it so much faster to sign up for freebies!
3. Check MoneySavingMom.com Often
I do my best to keep you updated on the best freebies which are available — from samples to free coupons to full-sized products. Often, the really hot freebies only last for a few hours, so if you’re able to, I’d recommend checking in at least one to three times per day in order not to miss out. You can also follow me on Facebook or Twitter to be notified when something new has been posted.
4. Sign Up for Freebies Which Interest You
When you see a freebie I’ve posted that you’re interested in, I’d recommend signing up immediately so you don’t miss out in case supplies are exhausted. However, I recommend that you don’t sign up for every freebie posted — only those you know you’ll use. If you won’t use it, there’s no point in having it clutter up your home, right?
5. Be Patient
It usually takes around 4-6 weeks for freebies to start arriving. It’s easy to be discouraged if you sign up for freebies faithfully for a few weeks and see nothing in return. Don’t be disheartened. Just keep plugging away at signing up for those you’re interested and by week four or six, you should start to see a real return on your effort.
Do you think it’s worth it to sign up for freebies? Why or why not?
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for graduation presents, i order expensive make up bags for girls that have their initials on them, but then i fill them with samples or cheap after coupons of shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, band-aids, tylenol, body wash, etc. It makes a very nice grad. gift. i collect things all year to do this. i also send the samples to soldiers overseas…especially razors.
Some sites I use for freebies (other than this one, of course!) are shop4freebies.com and walmart.com. I have also gotten some crazy looks when I get so excited about freebies, but c’mon… They’re FREE!!
I admit — I’m a freebie freak!! I love getting freebies in the mail and give most of them away to others — especially kids. I work in a high school and place the freebies in baskets/bags in the student restrooms. Sample size items are great to pack when traveling and also when kids are away at camp. A friend reminded me that it is also good to pack sample size items when traveling abroad because you can toss out the empty containers as you use them and it leaves more space in your suitcase for the souvenirs.
Freebies are fun in my book!
I got a P&G Sampler today with a sample of Bounce, Tide, Cascade (4 gelpacs) and Pantene shampoo/conditioner. I met the mailman at the mailbox earlier this week and he said, “here’s your daily sample!” Then he asked me how I find out about them, and I said, “www.moneysavingmom.com”! 🙂
I AGREE! It is totally worth it! I have scored sooo many AWESOME freebies since following your blog! You are the sole reason I started using all the coupons I do! Also you have led me to a huge amount of freebies! Soooo worth my time! I have a large family, and you have helped me tremendously!
Does anyone knows how much this RoboForm costs? It says in the agreement that you will have to buy it after 30 day trial.
I love getting the freebies — it kind of makes it exciting to look for the mailperson again! I reuse or recycle whatever I can as well — even the boxes I take to the recycle bin as they take corrugated cardboard — paper — plastics — they take just about anything.
This is the first post I’ve read here, and I have to say I’m hooked. I think it is definitely worth it to sign up for freebies. The freebies may only be worth a dollar or two, but that is a couple dollars that didn’t come out of my pocket 🙂 Thanks for posting info about how to get started.
What an awesome post! I love freebies and do a take two filling out the form. One for my house and one for my Mom. She loves getting mail. I take care of her household stuff & bills online and so hardly anyone sends snail mail to her – the freebies are a big treat. Free magazine subscriptions and small bottles of product are perfect for her. As someone that lived through the real Depression, she always repurposes packaging.
I love freebies! Just this week I received coupons for 10 freed food items! AND in the 7 years DH and I have been together we have never had to buy shampoo or toothpaste! I haven’t bought coffee in 2 years!
Um, hi my name is alaine and i’m a free sample-aholic… lol… I started requesting free samples waay before I started couponing. It’s just so much fun to get stuff in the mail – especially now that most of my bills are automated, everything that comes in the mailbox is fun! I’m packing for a trip as we speak, and I didn’t have to go out and buy any travel sized toiletries – definitely a money saver!
I still send for stuff I don’t use, like diapers, because I give them away to others who can use them. Love getting freebies in the mail.
My favorite are the ones from Walmart and Sam’s. Oh, and I got some John Freida freebies in the mail, and they were really good so I bought the shampoo at CVS this week (I did have coupons and it was on sale for ECB’s, but I didn’t really ‘need’ the shampoo, but after trying it I was so glad to see it on sale so I could get some!).
Thank you SOOOO much for the form filler – I hadn’t thought of that! Since my computer time is when I’m nursing my baby… wow, will that make it easier. 😉
I may have to start signing up again. I quit after receiving ONE paper towel. Not one roll . . . one towel.
I love opening my mailbox everyday. My neighbors think I’m crazy! I haven’t been ordering a lot of freebies lately, but I used to and enjoyed the surprise of finding a freebie I forgot I ordered in the mail. Plus my family sends me their left over coupons (sometimes whole inserts)!
Thank you so much for the tip on the form filler down load
If you loves free samples and coupons you should sign up for Vocalpoint. They often send high value coupons and great samples- sometimes even full sized “samples”.
I love the samples too.
My sister is currently collecting sample sized items to donate to a women’s shelter so a lot of my samples went to her when we moved.
Got the free razor today!
I do think it’s worth my time, but I usually only sign up for freebies I really want. My favorite freebie of all time was a one-year subscription to Martha Stewart living.
I’m going to try Roboform – that’s the biggest pet peeve I have with freebies, along with the excessive packaging and materials used in mailing a teeny tiny sample.
Has anyone ever gotten this message below? I get it every single time I fill out a Walmart freebie, in addition to others. It’s so frustrating because I honestly haven’t registered for the items I get the message for! For example, I just attempted to register for the Nivea Freebie a few posts prior to this one and I got…….
“Our records indicate that you have
already registered for this product
or are ineligible to receive it.”
Any advice or input would be appreciated! Thanks!!
Emily
@Emily, Some of the freebie offers have a quarterly limit to the number of things you can request from the company. Even though you might not have received the specific item, if you’ve already requested items from that company, they might refuse the request.
@Emily, Are you using a PO Box address? Do you share a home/address with someone that may have already requested the item (most are one per household address)? Some ideas.
Signing up for free samples is definitely worth the time. It gets us fun things to try. I also set up boxes so the ones we won’t use right away or for ourselves go in a designated area right away. I have one box for stocking stuffers/gifts for family. Another box is for the food pantry (I also add stuff I was able to get for free or almost free with coupons at the store). The third box is for the homeless shelter, where I put sample size soaps, diaper samples, and any health/beauty items I get for free or almost free with coupons while shopping. When a box is full, it gets donated.
What holds me back is handing out my mailing address to everyone under the sun. Has this been a problem for anyone?
@Molly, I haven’t noticed an increase in our junk mail at all despite the freebies I receive in the mail.
Where did you get the FREE yogurt coupons, Crystal?
@Christine Lauren Walker, I signed up for them on a blog that was doing a promotion. I got two of the freebies and another for $1.00 off.
I love getting freebies! Not only is it fun to see what the mail brings each day, I’m lowering my family’s shopping expenditures because of the high-value or free coupons! My husband was extremely skeptical at first and couldn’t for the life of him figure out why I was keeping something as useless as an orange juice cap, but when we got our coupon for free OJ the other day, he wasn’t complaining! He also benefits from the freebies, like that Old Spice body wash!
I saw you have a Kohl’s $10 card in your pic. I am on the mailing list for this and get one periodically, my sister asked me how I got on the list and I have no idea. Do you know how one gets on that list?
YES! I KNOW signing-up for freebies is worth it because of the amazing coupons and free products I’ve gotten in the mail! I love running to my mailbox everyday! Thanks for such great posts on deals and freebies.
Another place that can use excess freebies is your local family/social services department. Many times when children are removed from their homes or changing placement, it is a few days before the funding can catch up so having freebies for overnight bags for the children is really helpful. Also, they can provide the receiving family with things that they might need but don’t have time to run out and get like diaper cream, baby wash, etc.
I’m on the hunt for new deodorant but they can be expensive and aren’t always a right fit. I’ve gotten 3 deodorant freebies this month. It’s FANTASTIC! I haven’t bought them but I can find something that’s right for me. I can’t think of a better way to spend a few seconds of my time.
I sign up for freebies I know I can use OR donate. Shelters love to have shampoo, soap, deodorant, etc. donated–and often times a travel sized package is perfect for them to slip into the bags they give away.
Holy cow, I didn’t know about a form filler!! I’m new to all this coupon-ing… I’ve been doing it less than a month. I just downloaded the form filler and WOW. Thank you SO MUCH!!!!
Google toolbar also has an autofill button you can add many profiles to so if you are like me and send the freebies to other family members too you can make this task lots easier by having multiple profiles at a touch of a button! I have family that have no online access or are handicapped and I try to help them too.
@Debbie, @Debbie – THANK YOU, THANK YOU for mentioning the Google AutoFill. Never even realized it was there. Just made my “profile” and found a freebie to try it on – IT WORKED and sooooo easy!!! THANK YOU!!!!
I am a high school teacher for students with behavioral issues and I use freebies as a token economy in my classroom. The kids love earning things like sample sized lotion, body wash, and even the free teen magazines I get in the mail. It’s a great way for me to be able to afford to reward them everyday on a teacher’s budget.
@Kels,
WOW! That is a great idea. I should check with some teachers at our middle and high school and see if they would like to use some of the samples. I always think of Happy Meal toys for Elementary kids…but not samples for older ones! I could even do that with the trial sizes I get for free with coupons!
is there a master link for freebies? like one stop shopping, where you can go to and get a nice list of all things free.
If you click on the “Freebies” link in the header at the top of the page, it will always take you to the latest freebies available.
i think it’s worth it, because it makes me happy every time i go to my mailbox and something is inside. it’s like getting a present. 🙂
I love getting freebies, especially when they come with coupons. I also sign my dad up for any too. He loves freebies, but doesn’t have the time/patience/technical skills to always do it himself. Thanks for the tip on autoforms.
Aha–apparently, I’m naive & began signing up for freebies with my regular e-mail account. Of course, I got tons of spam & wondered if the two were related. Thanks for the tip–I’m off to sign up for a freebie e-mail account.
I love freebies!!! I have to be careful of what I get though. Last week I recieved a power bar and I wasn’t home when the mail came. I live in FL and its getting HOT out, by the time I got home the whole thing melted into a puddle.
I think that signing up for Freebies is worth it, it only takes a few minutes to sign up and then receive a sample of a new product! It is fun when the Freebies start arriving in the mail and gives you encouragement to continue in the Freebie game.
I was thinking that a lot of these freebies could be used for stocking stuffers at Christmas.
@Charissa Thonus, Or Operation Christmas Child
@Kelly, Great idea Kelly! I’ve been saving up duplicate and extra kids meal toys/books for our shoeboxes. I’ll be sure to go through my stockpile of freebies when the time comes too!
i pack our camper with trial sizes. great way to save on space and still have what you need! and, we reuse the shampoo and body wash bottles by refilling them (just in case we don’t have a sample to bring!)
@tamika, I sometimes love the bottles more than the sample! It’s nice to be able to keep refilling sample bottles with a product so that I can always kepp a full travel-sized product handy for when I’m on the go 🙂
Freebies are definitely worth it for me. I love checking the mail to see what I will receive – most of the time there is some sort of freebie in there. This week them mailman had to leave a rubber banded group of small packages next to our mailbox because I got so many in one day. The high value coupons definitely make it worth it – plus the sample sizes are such a help for vacations, quip trips, or guests. Thanks for posting all of the freebie links!
I have recently started signing up for freebies and love getting them in the mail. Especially when you get great coupons to go with it. I agree that you should only sign up for what you can use not for products that you won’t use or care about just to get something free.
I love FREEBIES! My 4 year old can hardley wait to open the boxes that come in the mail. I usually save my freebies for when we travel. They are great! I have been collecting laundry detergent samples for about 6 months now to take with us when we go to the beach. Less to pack and even less to bring home!
Great tips! I’d like to second the “request only what you need” rule. Because freebies often come with so much extra packaging (especially for such a small amount of product) they are not very environmentally friendly. Help keep junk out of our landfills by only requesting what you will actually use.
@Megan, That was gonna be my comment too Megan! Not only do the small sizes add waste, but each small bottle is often wrapped in an inner, decorative package, plus an outer package for mailing. I wonder if there’s a way to tell the companies that we love the samples (and coupons!), we just don’t love the oodles of packaging!
The toothpaste and body wash samples are great for travel (or my husband’s backpacking trips) though, and I love the food samples! Plus I never have to buy tampons or Emergen-C!
I know that myself and a lot of other people often re-purpose these packages to send gifts, etc. so that there’s not the waste involved — something you might consider!
@Crystal,
I recycle most of what come into the house. I keep a paper bag by my desk so I can throw away any paper that I can reuse to print coupons on. I have a couple bags in my garage for glass, plastic, aluminum; I use left over moving boxes for my cardboard (including freebie boxes). I make a trip to the dump every month or so and start all over again.
@Crystal, Good idea, Crystal!
@Megan, I totally agree! Travel-size shampoo is great if you need to travel, but per ounce, there’s a lot more plastic used than buying a big bottle. I admit that I love freebies, but I am very selective about what I sign up for. IME, the outer packaging isn’t resusable and often isn’t even recyclable.
My daughter used to sign up for freebies and I never paid much attention. Every now and then a package would come for her and she’d be like, “Oh yeah, that’s so and so that I sent for.” When I started getting into couponing and saw all the freebies available it was so exciting. Couldn’t figure out for the life of me why I didn’t do it before! It’s definately been worth it.
Another way to use and love samples is to take them on the road! If you know you like a product and you still have the sample, pack it the next time you go out of town instead of a huge bottle! Our bathroom totes shrunk significantly in size after we began implementing this system! And nobody wants to carry around extra stuff when they are traveling!
@Vanessa, I agree with using them for travel- which is the main reason I sign up for so many of the shampoo, body wash type things… besides the great coupons that usually come with…
Now when we go somewhere for the weekend or a short trip, we dont have totake huge bottles, just throw one or two into a bag and it saves lots of space. These are also cute when you put a bunch of them (and your other freebie finds) into a basket for other people going on a trip, housewarming, house guests, shelters etc.
@Vanessa,
I use my samples for vacation too. The laundry detergent ones are great while on vacation, you don’t have to lug around a big bottle to the laundry room. The deodorant ones I use for the gym.
Great article! So true! I am soooo addicted to freebies and coupons but my hubby doesn’t complain cause I save between $20 and $40 on our weekly grocery bill.
I collect all the sample sized freebies and put them in a nice lined basket in our guest bathroom for our company to use when they visit. My sister-in-law did this for us when we visited her, and it was such a special treat to try new things.
@Karen, great idea!! I collected various samples and put them in the bathrooms at the reception hall at our wedding. Each basket was varied for men or women and included deodorant, mouthwash, purell, etc for any emergencies that might arise! 🙂
Does anyone know a “form filler” that is compatible with a Mac? I can’t find one so far that works for me. : (
and yes I do think its worth it to sign up for freebies especially if its something you want to try, is of high value, or of something your really like and will for sure use.
Thank you in advance if anyone can help me with the form filler predicament 🙂 …. it would help bundles.
@Kate, do you use safari or FF? if you use FF, you could use “InFormEnter” which is a plugin for firefox. I don’t know if that helps you or not!
FireForm for Firefox worked for me. I never knew these apps/add-ons existed. What an easy way to get all of those freebies!
@Kate,
If you are using Safari-
Go to Preferences
Click the Autofill tab then check the box marked “other forms”
It will fill in most forms for you after you fill in a few by hand 🙂 It memorizes your info! (but only on your own computer!!!)
Yes I completely think its worth my time…I have gotten trial sizes of products that I would love to try but I dont want to pay full price for something I may or may not like…samples let me see if I like a product. Only thing I wish is that when I “order” a sample of laundry detergent they were bigger samples….I love to try new things but I am semi picky about the way I want certain loads of my laundry to smell….I like my linens to have a heaver longer lasting sent and I like my clothes to have a lighter scent…I wish Laundry detergent samples could come with 3-4 loads so I can REALLY try it…on heaver soiled things vs lighter soiled things….ahhh…but I know I cant have my cake and eat it too…LOL!! :o)
Thanks for all you do!!! You do a GREAT JOB!!! :o)