Guest post from Sheila from The Frugal Exerciser
Last year, I decided to start getting freebies from Coke by collecting the bottle-tops. I had 240 Coke Rewards from playing the Monopoly game from McDonald’s and I needed 360 points to get the Omaha Steaks E-card. Since I can’t consume that many drinks all by myself, I decided to go Coke hunting.
In Chicago, there are many locations with discarded Coca-Cola product bottles. I made those locations my hunting spots. At first, it was quite embarrassing to be outside picking up empty bottles; so I made sure to go out very early on Sunday mornings. After a couple of months, I started thinking, “Who cares? If you see me collecting Coke bottles, oh well!”
The first problem I encountered was remembering all of the products Coca-Cola made. I had to have a cheat sheet: “Do I pick up Squirt or Country Time?” It took a while to figure that out, but I eventually got to know the products very well.
I can remember the largest stash I brought home. I was in an area near a highway and the road was very long. I parked my car and with plastic bag and rubber gloves in hand, I would pick up, walk and pick up. This lasted for 15 minutes and I would get back in the car, drive a little bit further and repeat the process. By the time I was done, I had walked for 60 minutes and had 40 bottles plus two Coke cartons. My total for that day was a whopping 160 free Coke points!
I eventually cashed in my points and got my E-card. Since then, I’ve cashed in for several things like FTD Flowers gift card, free Coke products, Restaurant.com $50 gift certificate, and so forth.
One man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure!
The Frugal Exerciser blogger is Sheila Simmons. She has a masters degree from Ball State University in exercise physiology and cardiac rehab. The owner of The Body Workout fitness program in Chicago is dedicated to changing lives through fitness and healthy living.
I also do this! I want to get a bumper sticker for my bike that says “I brake for Coke lids!” My son enters the points and uses them to get FREE Powerades for him, Nestea for my daughter, and Cokes for my husband and me. It is a fun treat when we all have coupons on a trip.
That would be a cute bumper sticker.
In Michigan, we have machines that you put the empties in to get your .10 cents deposit back for each can/bottle. While I am there returning my empties, I am embarrassed to admit that I will take a discarded empty Coke 12 or 24 pack carton from the top of the trash bin and rip the rewards code off! I can’t believe people don’t use them! I have gotten some really nice, free Snapfish gifts!
I do this too! I take long bike rides in search of coke caps. I usually come home with a minimum of 5. I also hit our local recycle center when I drop off. I look for coke rewards and box tops for education. Rewards for me and our school! I also used to be embarrassed. Now I don’t care. That is FREE MONEY! I have cashed in for several gift certificates over the years. My family doesn’t drink soda but we have everyone we know saving rewards for us. It is a great program.
Why would you feel embarrassed to pick up litter? When I see private citizens picking up along the side of the road, I applaud it.
This is such a great idea! I love using My Coke Rewards…so far I’ve gotten a free subscription to All You magazine. I have a stash of points to use on something else, but I haven’t made up my mind as to what I want 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing!
Goodness, sounds great but who has time for that? I guess I have another season of life to look forward to!
They have coke machines at my husband’s job, so he collects tops there. A couple of weeks ago he won a free 8×8 Shutterfly book. We just have to pay the S&H on it and it will make a nice (cheap!) Christmas gift for the grandparents. 🙂
I have been collecting coke points for years. A few months ago my family volunteered at our local recycling center for the day. We helped people unload and sorted recyclables. My mom started taking the caps off of the coke product bottles because they are not recyclable and the lady in charge noticed her doing it. My mom told her that I collected coke points and asked her if it was ok to take them. The lady brought my mom a 5 gallon bucket full of caps that they had taken off over the past month or so. She said that I could have it as a special thank you for all of us helping that day. I logged all the caps into Excel so that I could copy and paste them each week into the my coke rewards website and I ended up with almost 900 caps after I finished them. It might be worth asking to volunteer a few hours in exchange for caps.
The best prize i have picked is the 2- wheeled carry on luggage bags! I got those years ago when My Coke said they were ending the game & i had to hurry and spend points like over 8000. Plus back then there were prizes over 2000 points. I now get the freebie coupons for crackers & diet coke!
i do this too when i go for a walk/run.
I get all of my magazine subscriptions free from My Coke Rewards. I don’t pay for any magazines any more…and I get tons of free product coupons as well : ) Love that program!
I go out on recycling day here in our neighborhood & collect both coke bottle caps and discarded coupons from the Sunday paper out of the little recycling bins. I take the kids in the stroller & load it up with everything we find. It’s a great way to get some exercise, increase my coupon stash, and get free Coke products! I use the points for the free 12-pack coupons – several of the stores here in northern VA frequently offer Buy 2 Get 3 Free deals on the 12-packs, so I use 2 coupons to get 5 12-packs for FREE! 🙂
High school football games are great places too 🙂
Melody, I have to check out your idea.
I haven’t gone out specifically in search of coke codes, but if I see an empty coke bottle discarded somewhere, I am getting that bottle cap! I’ve done it tons of times.
I also use the Coke Rewards for great “freebies” : 20 oz. coke products, a yoga mat, a Coke puzzle, free Ritz and Wheatables, free $5.00 Hardees gift card, etc. I have also thought about picking up litter on my walks just to make them more productive. I found a “grabber” tool at a yard sale just for this so I don’t have to touch the items. I can’t say I have done this yet, but I have picked up stray cans and bottles when parking, etc.
I do the same thing!!!!!!! I haven’t figured out which coke products are which I just pick them all up.. lol.
My husband started doing this on his morning walks…garbage day = coke reward points. He only takes the ones that are sticking right out of the recycling bins…which is quite a few! When he runs into neighbors, he tells them what he’s collecting, and now a few people save them for us.
Kind of crazy. Computer programmer by day…dumpster diver by night! 🙂
We cash them in for “free” soda coupons, then stock up when pop goes on sale…buy one get one free…use a coupon and get 2 free! I love coke reward points!
Do you cash in the recyclable bottles as well? I recently saw a “reverse vending machine” at a grocery store where you could get money back on plastic bottles. I had never bothered bringing empties to a recycling center, but with a machine right at the grocery store, I may try it.
I often bring home Coke Rewards from parties and gatherings. People already know about my frugal blog, so it’s only a LITTLE weird to the hostess when I see her about to toss a cardboard 12-pack container and ask, “Can I tear the Coke Rewards off that?” I have also asked at a restaurant when I saw an employee about to toss the empty package. I haven’t dug around in garbage cans, but I _have_ grabbed cardboard cases that are sticking right out of the top, torn off the rewards, and put them back.
I have collected the cardboard tabs from peoples recycling bins all the time, but I don’t tend to take the bottle caps, probably because I am usually running, and don’t want to take too much time collecting, plus I would run out of pocket room. I do love coke reward points though my favorite were the $5 macaroni grill coupons for just 140 points! I was sad to see them go. My best snag of late has been a FREE year of ALL YOU magazine I think it was 160 or 180 points for that one.
I used to do this when i lived in a subdivision . one neighbour had 12 pack a day habit and they alone were good for 300 points a month
Sounds like a fun excuse to go on a walk. 🙂 i’m curious how long it took to find some good locations- any suggestions on where somebody might start?
I drive around the city to see areas where they might not pick up trash, like around railroad tracks, under bridges, near industrial areas.
its very common in Germany where they have a mandatory bottle deposit that people collect bottles out of trashcans, specially in tourist cities where most tourist do not have a clue that they just paid 25 cents extra for that bottle.
Hi from Muncie! 🙂
Hi Angie!
I was so excited to see *Ball State* that I neglected to say, I do this too. I’ve also grabbed McDonald’s packaging for Monopoly (each piece has a code you can enter to play online) and Taco Bell cups when they have codes.
It’s double duty, clean up the local environment and accumulate points for those programs!
Hubby drinks enough coke to keep us supplied steady in points but i confess, i will pick the discarded buggers up every time i see them(a few people give me theirs also, just a cap or 2 every now and then). ive got everything from frivolous things like a coke watch, cookie jar, and hat to renewing my magazine subscriptions to gift certificates to Subway, free crackers, free juice boxes, free Mcbites, free 20 ounces(hubby loves to take these for work), and free 12 packs(my most frequent cash in)
Another idea is to get a local restaurant to save them for you – my mom-in-law saves them for me with a little container out at a nearby diner. Our family has gotten some GREAT prizes from them – photo books from Shutterfly (sweet memories OR great Christmas gifts!), magazine subscriptions, song downloads, and today – we just got home from an all-family day trip to Plimoth Plantation and the (reproduction) Mayflower! If we had bought the tickets, it would have cost us $150, but we got in free. I was so happy to be able to provide that educational opportunity for my kids!
Oh, and movie tickets! almost forgot those. I’m at the stage of life where to sneak away by myself to a movie (usually followed by a grocery trip) is a real recharge and treat – I use my Coke points for them so I don’t feel like I’m “wasting” money!
We’ve also gotten some free drink boxes (treats for our kids & handy for outings!) and free Coke 12-packs, too.
You could always pretend that you’re picking up litter. If someone makes fun of you, or asks why you’re doing this, just state that you’re picking up after all the dirty people that live in your city 🙂
It might not be a bad idea to pick up non-Coke bottles – if your state will give you back the deposit. My husband and I have a bin we toss empties into. Since he works at a grocery store, he just puts them in a big, black garbage bag (which he brings back so we can actually use it as a garbage bag) and returns them during his lunch break. We don’t drink a lot of bottled beverages, so it takes a while to save up enough worth returning. But we get enough money back every now and again to buy the occasional cup of coffee while at work 🙂
Only 10 states have bottle deposit.
if your state has a bottle deposit you could take the bottles to a recycling center and get cash!
Illinois doesn’t recycle those plastic bottles. I wish they did, I hate the trash in some neighborhoods.
Illinois does not have return deposit on cans.
Our school collects these– I guess they can turn them into some kind of educational reward??– and we’ve been blessed by neighbors saving caps for us. I also put a little bin near a community recycling center asking for lids for the school and have gotten tons (not literally, lol, but a lot)!
What a great idea!
Have to give a little shout-out to a fellow Ball State alum! I’m a nursing school graduate!
Hi Ellen !
Hi girlie! So fun to see you here!
I would check with local ordinances for this – some places it’s illegal to collect anything from along the highway without a permit (public safety then helps keep people safe), or to collect bottles from public/private recycling bins (some cities use this to boost their revenue and it’s therefore a misdomeaner to collect from these bins).
How about asking people to save their tops for you? My husband and I rarely drink soda pop but we gladly save the tops for a friend who uses the points/rewards program.
Great idea – just doublecheck to make sure you won’t get into trouble.
Lea
I should have been clearer but I collected along the hill on top of the expressways in Chicago. Lea I would do it along side the highway too dangerous, LOL. I don’t want you guys to see me on the nightly news.
Too funny Sheila!
I didn’t think you were putting yourself in danger but you never know what other people might do!
🙂
Lea
Yes, I do this to. We live near a high school and unfortunately the students are slobs. I find several caps when I walk the dog near there.
I occasionally walk the parking at a local college on the weekends when the lot is empty. The most I find in a day is around 5 but at least I get exercise and fresh air from walking. I wish the students there actually littered more and drank more Coke!
I have done this, too! I used to be embarrassed, but then stopped caring. I think some of their rewards are GREAT!! With our points we have redeemed points for…
magazine subscriptions – (some for ourselves, some as Christmas gifts!)
gift cards (or discount codes) to Shutterfly – (made several photo books for birthday gifts!)
gift cards to Nike – (my husband and I have both gotten new tennis shoes this way!)
The rewards change sometimes and each year Coke Rewards sends out an email saying, “you should use your points by “XX” date because the rewards program may end.” But the rewards program keeps going. Just FYI.
Thank you for cleaning up other people’s litter!
I hate the litter also.
I get all the rewards from people at work. I have gotten free lemonaide, poweraide, magazine subscriptions and Nike gift cards. It is a great way to get things for free.
Be very careful with this. My parents pick up returnables because they live in Michigan and can collect the $.10 deposit per can/bottle.
Two and a half years ago, my mom reached into a bag that had several returnables and got stabbed by a used syringe / needle. She called me at my work (I worked for the state department of health as an epidemiologist and hold a Masters of Public Health degree). She was hysterical.
I sent her to her city health department where she had to get tested for HCV, HBV, HIV, syphilis, HTLV, get a tetanus shot, get her first HBV vaccine. Then six months later she had to repeat all the bloodwork because your body can take that long to develop antibodies.
Her bill was over $500 for all that testing and the vaccines, because she was laid off from her job and had lost her health insurance.
I am so sorry that happened! How terrible!
Thanks I will be careful. A local restaurant is about to start giving me tops.
Sounds like a fun idea.
Love it!
I just wish the prizes were a bit better. Maybe an Amazon or Starbucks gift card would make me more likely to keep collecting them 🙂