Getting Free Stuff

Yes, it is possible to get free stuff and keep your self-respect, too! Here are a few tried and true methods of getting free stuff without the guilt that usually comes with mooching.

1. Hit the Internet. This is the most obvious one and, in my experience, is the easiest and most effective way of getting something for free. Do a google search for "free stuff" and bask in the websites devoted to free junk you will get. Now, it's easy to just sign up for a bunch of miscellaneous things, but I have tried to make a habit of contacting the company through their "Contact Us" link on their corporate website and writing an informal review of the product. If you like it, that's great. They will probably keep you on their distribution list for future free samples (I have been getting free samples from dove.com for years for trying out a free sample I got from them once). If you got a less than favorable impression of the product, let them know that too. This brings me to my next suggestion...

2. Negative Reviews Reap Blessings. If you were unhappy with a product that you tried, contact the company and let them know. I recently tried Kraft's "Light Done Right" dressing and hated it. I contacted the company via email and they sent me a coupon for a free bottle of dressing. It wasn't even for the same "Light Done Right" dressing I had written about. However, I have not received the same favorable results for writing a positive review. I have written Snapple, Garnier, and St. Ives (to name a few) with positive reviews and I got an email back that said (more or less), "Thanks for your feedback!" And that's it. I just wouldn't go around making up negative reviews to get free stuff. That's naughty!