The Rabbit Hole
I love getting things for free. My general assumption is that at least 99.9% of the population loves getting things for free as well.
If you are one of that majority, then I think you will enjoy my list of ways to score something awesome for free.
I absolutely love Craigslist. It is an amazing resource for finding things, people, places, and even pets. One of it’s best features is it’s free section.
You can get anything from moving boxes, to furniture, or even love. The site has a search function, which makes it easy to find the coffee table or 1980s encyclopedia set you’ve just got to have.
Personally, I enjoy just browsing the page. You never know what you could score. There was even a guy who traded one red paper clip, and then kept trading over Craigslist until he ended up with a house.
They put it best: “Freecycle provides individuals and non-profits an electronic forum to “recycle” unwanted items. One person’s trash can truly be another’s treasure!”
Similar to Craigslist in some ways, Freecycle has groups available in different cities. You do have to join the groups before you can access the postings. Messages are posted in two categories, Offers and Wants. So if you’re looking for something in particular you can post a WANT ad.
Once you find something you like, all you have to do is go get it!
I love samples. They’re free, they give you a chance to try something new, and a lot of time’s they’re really handy.
You can score them at the store or also sign up for them online. Walmart.com’s samples are some of the best around. There are also many blogs devoted to the subject, a few of my favorites being Hey It’s Free! and Sweet Free Stuff.
A lot of times the samples are “travel sized,” perfect for traveling or tossing in your purse or backpack. I’ve never bought lotion to carry in my purse, I’ve just used sample bottles.
Coupons have been getting a lot of buzz lately as a great way to save money, but they’re also a great way to get products for free! Many times you can get coupons that are for a free product, or buy one get one free. The majority of coupons are for reduced prices on items, but combining them with sales can sometimes make the items completely free.
There are countless blogs with different methods for best utilizing coupons to score free products. I recommend checking out Money Saving Mom as a starting point.
Here’s a video that shows not only how you can get free products, but also make a little money back at Rite Aid:
It may seem gross and icky, but dumpster diving is one of the most fun ways to score new and interesting things for free. Dumpster diving doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go dive in a dumpster, it can be as simple as walking or driving around an area and looking at items placed out for the trash.
Living in the city, the week period surrounding the end of one month and the beginning of the next, when a lot of people are preparing to move, is an absolute golden opportunity to go scouting for new treasures. About 50% of the furniture in my first apartment were items discovered in the alley behind our building. Beyond that I’ve scored books, a TV antenna, vase, flower pots, and other random knick nacks.
For more info, check out How To Dumpster Dive for a ton of smart tips.
The holiday season is a season for giving, but thanks to the recession, the majority of people are looking for ways to cut back. Luckily there are a few sites available where you can benefit charities with just a few seconds of your time and a few clicks of your mouse.
With two clicks a day at Poverty Fighters, sponsors donate 25 cents in loan credit to those in need. These microcredit loans help poor people open businesses or improve and grow current business ventures.
In their click2donate section, Care2 features 10 causes you can click to support including stopping global warming, preserving the rain forest, saving baby seals, saving ocean animals, saving big cats, saving primates, helping children in need, helping homeless pets, stopping violence against women, and preventing breast cancer.
This network of sites features six different causes to benefit. You can click to give food to rescued animals, save the rain forest, fund literacy, provide children with healthcare, give free mammograms to women in need, and give food to the hungry. Each cause has it’s own shop where you can also purchase items, but it’s simple to visit everyday and just take the time to click and make a difference.
Probably the most popular, and most enjoyable of these click-to-give sites is Free Rice . Instead of just clicking a button, here you click to answer questions that challenge your knowledge of language, arts, chemistry, geography, and math. It features the fun of challenging yourself and the benefit of learning something new, while providing free rice to people in need with each correct answer.
I obviously cannot provide a comprehensive list of all the click-to-give sites available with just five sites, but oneclickatatime.org has a complete directory of click to give sites worldwide. They’re divided into categories so you can easily find your favorite charity. Plus it’s a snap to bookmark this one page and visit it daily to access all the click-to-donate sites.
See also…
5 Sites Featuring Affordable Holiday Gifts That Give Back
Nowadays with the threats of Global Warming, destruction of the rain forests, and other environmental issues, there’s an international desire to live "greener" lives. Changing to an eco-friendly lifestyle can seem like a daunting task, as if it’ll take expensive changes like installing solar panels on your home or buying a hybrid car. With the products available on many websites across the internet, there are endless opportunities to do your small part to help the environment. Not only can these items help ease your conscious but they can save you money in the long run as well, which is the kind of green we all want to have more of.
1. Rechargable Batteries - greenbatteries.com
Their tagline is "Responsible renewable energy" which is exactly was they offer. Whether you use batteries in a simple gadget like a remote control or a real energy drainer like a digital camera, there are other options besides buying new batteries all the time. This website not only sells rechargeable batteries, like Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, but it educates its visitors on the different types and uses, featuring FAQ on each and recommended reading on "Responsible Energy Principles." With the abundance of information you can easily purchase the batteries, chargers, cases, and accessories that fit your lifestyle.
2. Reusable Bags - reusablebags.com
The name says it all: this site specializes in reusable bags. From nylon grocery bags to cotton mesh produce bags, they have everything you’ll need to eliminate plastic and paper bags from your trip to the local grocery store. They also offer various other totes, from market baskets to lunch boxes. They also have a whole section of bags made from recycled materials, like juice boxes, outdoor ad banners, rice bags, or just plain recycled cotton. The site also features ideas on how to get involved and the latest news stories related the plastic bags and their effect on the environment.
3. Washable Swiffer Refills - mamasloveathome.com
Run entirely by a stay at home mom in Iowa, this website offers reusable products that cannot be found in stores. The Swiffer brand has made its own line of cleaning products featuring sweepers, mops, and dusters. The drawback of these wonderful tools is how much the refills cost and the waste it produces when you toss each cloth after one use. This site sells reusable clothes made from fleece and cloth diapers that can simply be thrown in the washing machine and then used again.
Recently her site has also begun offering cloth diapers, massage therapy linens, and other various items.
4. Wrap-N-Mat - wrap-n-mat.com
Offering only one product, this site specializes in the reusable "Wrap-N-Mat." Also created by a parent to fulfill a need and replaced disposable plastic baggies and saran wrap. This octagonal shaped mat folds up and fastens with Velcro to store sandwiches or snacks. When it’s unfolded it doubles as a placemat, creating a clean eating area anywhere.
5. Everything Else - Green home
This site is ready to help you make your whole home green! The amount of environmentally friendly products they offer is amazing. They have clothing (jackets made from eco-fleece, hemp footwear), appliances (green computers, table lamps made from recycled chopsticks), items for bath and bedroom (organic soaps, natural fiber mattresses), furniture (hemp sofas, tables made from recycled bicycle rims), office (tree free paper made from sugar cane, biodegradable pens), and much more. If you want to really start to transform your lifestyle to a greener one, this is a great place to start.