Free Samples – Worth the Time?

I have gotten this question several times in the last few years. The answer is really yes and no.

If you sit freebie chasing all day generally it isn’t. Take the time you spent versus the product you receive and it is pretty obvious.

However, that doesn’t mean you should never sign up for freebies. If you see a great freebie, by all means, sign up for it. See a product you wanted to try? It never hurts to “try FOR FREE before you buy”.

I love getting free samples. I have signed up for, and received, quite a few.  My absolute favorites have been mascara.  The other day I received a Covergirl mascara sample. I think it is 3.5 oz. Either way it is just right. There is no way I use enough mascara to use a whole tube of it by the time it should be thrown out yet I use it enough that I like to always have a tube or two. That makes the few minutes I spent signing up for it worth my time.

What do I do with all my free samples?  I have a little basket in my bathroom that I have arranged them all in (along with hotel soaps).  I try ones I am intereted in and use others for company. Sample toothpastes are awesome when a guest forgets toothpaste. 

Some sample sites I like are –

 Woman’s Freebies
 MySavings – Free Stuff

**Please remember that if a free sample sounds too good to be true, it probably. Is. Be careful when you give your personal information out.  I have used all the sites I am passing on to you but this does not mean I vouch for them, nor are we responsible for what oyu do or do not receive from them .

Step into Summer Easy-Freebie Extravaganza!

Click on image to bounce over to the link on hotcouponworld.

This time of year, my husband’s employer does a big drive for non-perishables. This, typically is when I not only clean out my stockpile and donate, but go on a super big hunt for easy freebies. Because not only is his food drive a nice thing to do, but it’s also a contest. And I like to win contests. I don’t even get a prize, and I think his prize is free lunch in the company cafeteria or something like that. But still, it’s fun to do and fun to win. This year, I’d like to involve you, my readers, in our hunt for the freebies. And since June is also my birthday month, I figured I’d wrap it all up into one contest. Not to mention, some of us really need to bulk up our stockpiles and it’s been a long time (for me anyway) that I’ve had a big list of easy freebies to choose from.

Here’s how the contest will work:

Find an easy freebie. How I define an easy freebie-the item is either free after coupon, Register Rewards, Gift Card, Extra Care Bucks or Mail in Rebate. The only coupons that really qualify are insert coupons, printables or in-store/in-ad coupons. If the deal involves home mailers and other rare coupons that aren’t accessible to most people, doesn’t count. It does count if you have to use a combination of store + mfr coupons, but if it gets much more complicated than that, no. A deal such as “You have to go join this website, then do this, then do that, then enter your points….blah blah blah” is not considered an easy freebie, kwim? If in doubt, I will consult with my local couponing group, about 12 moms, and we’ll decide if it counts as an easy freebie, k?

I’m thinking about deals such as “Hey, Crest is $1 this week at ‘name of store’ and use the $1 coupons from last week’s inserts.” Easy. Easy Peasy. I know they’re out there, we just need to find them! If the final cost (pre-tax) of an item is $0.10 or less, it qualifies. For the purposes of this contest, only grocery-type freebies will work. No restaurants & stuff.

Once you find a freebie, and if no one else has posted it yet, you post it. You get one entry here (in comments) and one on hotcouponworld. So one freebie found can mean two entries for you. If someone posts a freebie on one of the sites and not the other, yes, you may steal it and post on other site for an entry. Just make sure you give them a few minutes before doing so–they may actually be in the process of doing so on the site.

Contest runs now through June 24  (my birthday!) at 9 pm EST. Winners will be chosen at random. There will be two winners. One will be the person who posts the most freebies overall. And that winner will win $41 cash via paypal. Second winner, chosen at random, will win a pair of movie tickets. Valid to residents of continental USA only. But overall, we’re all winners (groan, so corny!) because we should all have a big list of easy freebies to get. Deals must be valid at time you post it, or can be an upcoming deal. Heck, as we reach the end of next week, I don’t care if you post freebie offers for July. It just can’t be expired and therefore no one could get it.

Blog owner (that’s me!)  and hotcouponworld owner reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it appears to be fraudulent, etc. Blog owner and hotcouponworld owner have final say on all entries.

ETA: I did well at Walmart today, 6/12. I found some razors that qualify for the $3 bic coupon, they were $2.88. Overage!

Then I perused the toothbrush/dental area, and scored big. I had several Reach coupons, I know they’ve been in my binder for a while, but don’t expire until 12/31. Check your 01/09/11 or 4/17 inserts. I found Reach floss for $0.88 that qualifies for both the $1 off one coupon, plus the $2.50 off two coupon. Major overage! The Kennett Walmart is wiped out, but in my defense, I only got three razors and seven flosses. Hopefully they’ll restock before the end of this food drive.

ETA: Tic tacs are $1.04 at Walmart, use $1 coupon from 6/12.

Other shoppers on hcw are reporting some of the Purina One stuff ringing up at $0.75-$1.25, then use $2 coupons from 5/22. I was unable to find it though.

Rayovac batteries-$0.97 at Walmart, $1 coupons from May?

Also, adding from what has been posted on hcw:

CVS ~ Buy 2 Kiss Eyelashes @ $3.99
use two $2/1 Q’s found in Database

Search for:
Kiss Ever-EZ-Lashes, Any – Bricks

Get $5 ECB.

__________________
WALGREENS: Nestle Crunch 1.55oz bar 0.39!
B2G1 Nestle Crunch + .35/1 nestle Crunch (limit 6)= 0.04 each
I went early this morning & got 9 bars for .24!!!!

SHOPRITE: Schick Hydro 3 Razor $3.99 (6/15-6/18)
$4/1 Schick Hydro Razor 6/12 SS= FREE

SHOPRITE: Ban Invinsble Deodorant $1.49
0.75/1 Ban deodorant 6/5 SS + double= FREE
I also used my $.75 off one Suave deodorant coupons (5/22 inserts) at Superfresh today, small ones are $1.49-free!