Couponing and Freebies

My name is Melissa, and I love couponing.

I know you are now imagining me sitting around the kitchen table with my scissors and the newspaper clipping coupons. Well, yes, I do that too.
BUT IT INVOLVES SO MUCH MORE than that!

Did you know there are companies out there that will give away free samples or free products to you if you ask? Welcome to the age of the worldwide web.

The company, Natura Pet, was giving away free dog food. Not a sample, mind you, but an actual bag of food (5-6.6 lbs). Below is a picture of the bag I got and my coupon on top. (FYI, this is NICE food and would have cost me $20.00 if I had paid for it.)


These things don't necessarily have to be from companies you don't know, but can just as easily come from those you know and love. These are some of the coupons I received by sending a "thank you" email or filling out a "contact us" on the companys' websites. As you can see, you get more than just $$ off your purchase. In this case, I received two FREE bottles of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, as well as coupons to save some moolah off their other products. Below that is a coupon for free Chiquita Bananas. That's right, free fresh produce!

Some of the other company's I wrote to (who sent me coupons in response) included:

• Pepperidge Farm
• Hunts
• Hefty
• Campbells
• Treetop

It only takes a minute to tell them how much you love their product(s) and the reward is a discounted or free product -- definitely worth the effort when you are on a budget.

In addition to clipping coupons and writing emails to companies, I have been signing up for freebies (did you know walmart.com has a "free samples" section?), AND I have been enrolling us in BIRTHDAY CLUBS. Monico and Monica have birthdays a week apart, so I signed both of them up and got them a free burger from Red Robin. (You have up to a week before and after to use the coupon.) Here they are showing off their redemption certificates. At nearly $9 a burger per person now (darn inflation), this made for a special, but not expensive night of celebration.

(FYI - I also signed Monico up for Black Angus, which got him a free entree with purchase of equal or lesser, and for IHOP, a free Rootie Tootie, as well as with Baskin Robbins and Cold Stone Creamery, both of which gave free ice cream cones.)

One of the final ways I have recently scored freebies is by hosting a house party. I applied in May to host a "Febreze Set & Refresh" party for my friends. Essentially, if chosen (you do not always get picked to host) you receive a package with items to use and/or share with your guests. In this instance, it was to promote the company's new Set & Refresh line (no plug in needed) of scented oil products. This was all the LOOT they sent me. After totalling it up, I estimate that it was roughly $450.00 worth of products (not to mention hundreds of coupons for future purchasing); each of my attendees walked away with roughly $80 worth of stuff each!


Of course, these are just a couple of the ways I have been stretching my dollar. If you are interested in any more of my tricks, let me know and I'll help you by spreading the word!