The First Cuts: Are Free Samples worth it?

by Amanda @ A Few Short Cuts on June 17, 2010

I am here every day posting about free samples, coupons, savings, and special offers. I know some of you must just think that this is filler. Could there be any value to these offers? I am here today to tell you about the benefit to all those special freebies and offers you see on my page daily.

Free Samples

Companies want your business. They want to entice you to buy their product in any way possible. Sometimes that means offering you a free sample. Even though they are small I always sign up for them.

Why? They give me a chance to try a product I wouldn’t normally purchase. They fit in my purse perfectly, or they are just great for emergencies or travel. I have even seen a post where some frugal soul put together great little teacher gift baskets using free samples, and they turned out amazing!

The point is, they are free, it takes seconds of your time to sign up, and they usually come with coupons!

Personal Information

Do I really want my personal information in the hands of so many? Well, it is just your name, address, and email. I recommend opening a Gmail account for freebie purposes; that way your personal account isn’t slammed with offers from companies. Almost every company you sign up for has a privacy policy in small type, or a box that you can uncheck so that they do not share your info. Look for these if you are concerned.

Companies getting your address could be a good thing. The amount of coupon mailers in my mailbox has increased since I began applying for these freebies! Its amazing!

There is also a fun trick with Gmail that I didn’t know about until recently! Check this out. If you have a gmail account you can type in your email address with a (.) anywhere in it and the email with still come to you.

Like this…

Why is this helpful? All of those photo offers, and freebies I post. Sign up using your gmail variations. They will count as a new account, but the emails will all come to the same place! Pretty cool, huh?!

Company Newsletters

Signing up for company newsletters to get coupons and other freebies is a big plus in my book. They will send you recipes, coupons and other special offers. Again, I would use a special email address. My inbox is slammed on a daily basis. Mostly with blog emails, and company newsletters.

Most companies will send out an email monthly, some weekly. Either way, I love getting great coupons to use at the grocery store!

Review Companies

One more great way to score freebies and coupons is to sign up for these review companies. They will send you offers for freebies and coupons if you review what they send, or spread the word. These are all amazing and I belong to all of them! Check them out!

I hope this helped open your eyes to the possibilities in the world of freebies, and offers! As always, if you have any questions just shoot me an email! I will do my best to answer!