Guest post from Emily of The Unextreme
Do you know the BEST way to score free items?
In case you haven’t heard, free product coupons are the new way to shop! I’m talking a 100% savings on full-priced items. The only problem is that they can be hard to come by.
It’s not impossible though and I will let you in on my little secret!
The way that I have earned the majority of my free product coupons has been through playing games. That’s right: I enter and play sweepstakes and giveaways all the time. Many companies offer these free product coupons as prizes.
You may say that you don’t have a lot of time to give to enter sweepstakes everyday. After all, you’re not guaranteed to win. However, it might not take as much time as you think — and you might just be amazed how many freebie product coupons you’ll end up with!
I make time for sweepstakes every day — just like I did when I began couponing. I allot myself 30 minutes in the morning to enter as many as I possibly can before my son wakes up.
There are a few different types of sweepstakes that you can enter online:
- Single entry
- Daily entry
- Instant-win
Consistency is key.
If a giveaway is open for 30 days and allows you to enter every day, make sure to try and enter each and every day to increase your chances of winning!
Some sweepstakes require you to enter once and others allow you to enter daily until the giveaway has ended. Always make sure that you read the contest rules before you enter! Entering multiple times in a “single-entry only” game can eliminate your chances of winning completely!
My favorite sweepstake games are instant-win games. You know the feeling that you get when you save a ton of money at the register, better known as the “coupon high”? That’s the way it feels to win an instant-win game!
If you are interested in some of these games, always remember to “Like” you favorite companies on Facebook! Not only do they often offer coupons on their Facebook pages but some will host giveaways and sweepstakes! A good bit of Facebook sweepstakes are instant-win games. You can find single and daily entry sweepstake promotions on Facebook as well.
Another great way to find free product coupons is by emailing your favorite companies. I have been sent numerous free product coupons as a “thank you” for telling them how much I enjoy their product. Companies love to hear how much you love them.
Finally, always check your coupon inserts from the Sunday paper! They are not common but some companies will offer a 100% rebate on the purchase price of one of their items. Although it’s not a coupon to receive it for free at the register, it will be free once you are reimbursed for the product. Free is free, right?
What are your favorite ways to find freebie coupons?
Emily is a freelance writer and also the blogger behind The Unextreme. As a new mom desperate to be able to afford to stay at home, she found a way to save and make money with coupons. Her blog focuses on work-at-home options, sweepstakes, freebies, and more!
It seems like most of the time when I see these sorts of contests or sweepstakes, they require tons of personal information — phone #, address, kids ages, that sort of thing. I’m just not comfortable with giving my information out to so many places. There have been several times where I have had a legitimate issue with a product I have bought, and every time the company has sent me either a complete replacement product, or a coupon for a free replacement. I’ve never thought about emailing them when I really like something — I will have to give that a try!
An excellent resource for more information about sweepstakes and giveaways is http://sweetiessweeps.com/
Do you have suggestions on how you search for these instant giveaways and sweepstakes? Thank you!
At Fred Meyer’s annual anniversary sale some products go 40% off every single year. I ask the company for coupons a few weeks before so I can match them up to the sale and get items for free or almost free.
I have heard of FM anniversary sale, and have recently moved close to one. Do you know the date? Or at least the rough month? Thanks!
It’s in September. I think the second week. If you ask manufacturers to send you coupons, make sure you allow for processing and mailing time.
Manufacturer’s Facebook pages… got a free full size Suave lotion coupon that I used this week.
I looked into coupon swapping, but the fine print on coupons says you can’t transfer them, sell them or buy products and then resell them. The fine print on coupons is getting lengthy these days!
Spending 30 minutes a day entering sweepstakes for coupons wouldn’t be a worthwhile use of time for me. I work from home as an independent contractor doing copywriting, and if I had a half hour of uninterrupted time, I could earn $20, give or take a few dollars. I usually only get 2-3 hours of time daily to write since I have three young children. Because of this, I try to get the biggest bang for my buck.
Two more ways to save money: I visit the company websites for products I’d like to buy because sometimes you can find coupons there. Also, I enter blog giveaways and have won a number of items that way.
Great suggestions!