Freebies

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I remember my mother in her babushka with her purse in the crook of her arm, holler for her friend to get in the car. They were on a mission. It was that time of the month (no, not that time of the month) to receive the “government cheese”. This was a program that distributed a huge block of cheese to the elderly on Social Security. Mom was so thrilled to receive this cheese because it was delicious, she received credit for sharing with us and, well, it was free.

There’s a restaurant along the Ohio River that has a permanently painted sign placed high up on the building where everyone can see:

“Free Crab Tomorrow”.

Wow! Free! How enticing! It’s no wonder this word, a very powerful motivator, is used freely (laughter from the audience), in marketing. It gets the attention of the deal seeker in all of us.   There’s BOGO, Free Shipping, Free Sample, Free Trial, etc.

I’m no different. I love free things. Just yesterday, I received free Christmas-Themed Return Address Labels (well, I paid $2.99 shipping + tax) from Shutterfly.

There were so many to choose from and it removed a holiday chore on my to-do list, which made it worth it to me.

freebies and free stuff

 

Here are some sources of freebies that I frequent.

  • http://www.getitfree.us  Not only does this website offer daily freebies, but there are also coupons, sweepstakes entries and a blog to enjoy. When you see a freebie you’re interested in, you simply click “ADD TO MY BASKET”, then click “GO TO MY BASKET” and, finally, select “REDEEM NOW”. The only downfall I’ve noticed is that I’m unable to redeem these freebies on my phone.
  • http://www.southernsavers.com Here, I just type “free” in the search box and presto! A list of free items pop up. (This is where I learned about the return address labels from Shutterfly). This is also an awesome website which includes how to coupon, printable coupons and online deals. This website is one of my favorites!
  • http://www.passionatepennypincher.com To get freebies here, on the menu select “HOT DEALS”, then on the dropdown menu, select “freebies”. For free eBooks, click “AMAZON”, on the dropdown, select “eBooks”. This website also includes in-store deals, a handy coupon database and menus with associated shopping lists.
  • http://www.bgr.com This is the place for free apps! Generally, these change quite frequently, so before you download, make sure it really is free. There is an app for everyone here. Everything including games, tracking your to-dos, photo editors, managing your login credentials, reminders (we middle-aged folks could probably use this) and more! Check frequently because these change rapidly.
  • http://www.allyou.com/coupons-deals/daily-free-samples I’ve been using this website the longest. I receive an email daily with available free samples. It’s changed a bit over the months, but I still enjoy it. I’ve received free Starbucks Coffee, make-up bags with health and beauty samples inside, teas, K-Cups and a host of other free items. Sometimes you go to the establishment and sometimes you receive things in the mail.
  • http://harborfreight.com Sandy won’t go in (she can’t stand the smell of rubber from China), but whenever my husband is in the area of Harbor Freight, we stop in with our coupons for free items. We’ve collected magnetized bowls (for screws, nails and maybe, just maybe, pins for sewing), altimeters, measuring tapes, batteries, tarps and scissors. They make wonderful stocking stuffers.  These free coupons are in Men’s Magazines, and in the mail via Valpak.  http://www.valpak.com/coupons/stores/harborfreight-coupons or you can print them here http://www.clipwithpurpose.com/free-items-no-purchase-required-at-harbor-freight
  • http://bookbub.com I signed up and receive a daily list of eBooks that are free (or low-cost). I’ve taken advantage of some including Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, romance novels, biographies, classics and some how-to books
  • Surveys-We don’t eat fast food much, but when we do, sometimes there’s instructions on your receipt to take a survey about your experience.  I usually complete it while I’m waiting for my (fast…yeah, right).  When your survey is complete  a code is provided which you jot  down on your receipt.  You can then claim any one of many food items usually within 30-days. We’ve received cookies from Subway, Egg McMuffins from McDonald’s, hamburgers from Wendy’s, and Burger King, Roast Beef or Beef-n-Cheddar Sandwiches from Arby’s,

You have my assurance that these are quick requests, not long drawn out, page after page of questions. I can also say that I haven’t noticed spam in my email. Enjoy and feel free to share your favorite freebie sites.

Fishbones (Quick Ways to Save Money)

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fishbones - Quick Ways to Save Money

One of my favourite TV shows is Survivor on CBS. If you’re not already familiar with the show, they drop groups of people off in some remote area, give them a bag of rice, and let them fend for themselves for a month. There are challenges where one group wins things like fishing gear and spices. These people are starving. I mean, they’re eating bugs and rats roasted over a fire! I repeat, they are starving. I watch while someone inevitably catches a fish or two. Everyone’s excited that they’re actually going to share some food. Then, I cringe as I watch them discard the fish bones … just a big pile of fish bones rotting on the beach. Now remember, they have water, rice, sometimes spices… and bones. To this day, I do not understand why they don’t make soup! What a waste.

We all have “fishbones”. Things we are wasting; money we are just giving away… to the utility companies, grocery stores, banks, businesses.

Since retirement, I am on a fairly small, fixed income. Every penny matters. I look for ways to save. I make croutons from stale bread, save jars, put coffee in a thermos and use bones. I know the initial reaction is: “It’s not worth it. It’ll save $1 and I’d rather spend the $1.” All of those dollars add up to $5 a week (or more). At $5 a week, I save $260 a year. I would rather give the $260 to my children then to the utility companies. I would rather go on a small trip.

Periodically, we’ll post blogs on ways to save a dollar or two. Use them, if you can. Please, share any that we’ve missed. Remember, 50 cents here and there, a dollar somewhere else,  adds up. Here are a few that we use:

  • Brown-Bag It: While working, a friend of mine would go to the cafeteria every day for lunch. She would get a salad and paid by weight. I asked her why. She said it was cheap, only $4 a day. Well, I’m a fan of math. $4 a day equals $960 a year (if you have 4 weeks off). Keep a bottle of dressing in the fridge at work and bring your salad with you.
  • Eat at Home: Save eating out for treating yourself, special occasions and vacations. My daughter argues that it’s cheaper to eat at a fast food restaurant using the $1 menu. If she actually buys just one item and no drink, she is paying $5 for 5 very small meals. A few weeks ago, we bought a 10 lb. bone-in ham at the grocery for $10 (on sale). Four adults ate ham for dinner. The next 2 days we used the smaller chopped pieces in our eggs for breakfast. We each had ham sandwiches for lunch for 2 days, and I used the bone to make split pea soup (about 10 servings). Adding the cost of the additional groceries (bread, eggs, butter, cheese, peas, etc.) we spent $18.36 and had 30 meals. That comes to about 61 cents a meal and trust me, each meal was larger then the “fast food $1 menu meals” and tasted so much better.
  • Grocery Shopping: We’ve all heard not to shop while hungry. I would also suggest not to plan a menu for the upcoming week. A grocery list for staples is smart (saves on trips to the store, which saves money on gas), but when it comes to the actual meals, you may want to see what is on sale and plan your menu around that (or around what you bought on sale the week before).
  • Unplug: Don’t leave things like paper shredders, printers, and toasters plugged in. Unplug them when you’re not using them or use a power strip and turn it off. It saves a few cents a day. We are avid coffee drinkers. We make a pot, pour it into a thermos and unplug the pot. The thermos not only keeps it hot for free, the coffee is never burnt so there is less waste (another savings).
  • Heat and Air Conditioning: If you have a guest room (or any seldom-used room), close the vents and the doors, otherwise, you’re wasting money heating and cooling the room. It also keeps the dust down. Also, place draft protectors on all window sills, doors, and if you have an old house, like I do, even along drafty floors.

We all have “fishbones”. If you take the time to find yours, you just might be able to afford that trip. We’re going to Ireland next March.

50+ Active and Healthy Living Store

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Amazon has a store catering to mature adults and seniors called the 50+ Active and Healthy Living Store. This has been in place since April, 2013 but I wasn’t aware. So, I thought I’d share it with you. It provides hundreds of thousands of products ranging from health-related items to travel and leisure.

Subscription-based ordering is available which allows customers to schedule automatic delivery of day-to-day non-perishables (paper products, shampoo, soap, vitamins, beauty items, and so much more). An added bonus: you’re eligible for a discount (up to 15%) on items purchased when using Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program.

The 50+ Active and Healthy Living Store also offers a Coupons section which allows you to virtually clip a coupon and enjoy the discount at checkout. Today’s coupon, for example was $2 off Depends…which I’m not quite ready for.

You can begin exploring this store here: www.amazon.com/50activeliving

This entry was posted in Coupons.

End Liquid Laundry Soap Drips

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I hate it when I use liquid laundry soap, and when I put the cap back on the bottle, the soap trickles down the side of the bottle and onto the surface of the table. Grrrrrrrrrr!

Irene was over when I was doing laundry and heard me growl about it. She gave me the best advice ever. After pouring the soap from the cap into the laundry tub, just toss the cap, too. When the laundry is done, the cap comes out clean, too. Awesome!

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