Tuesday Tidbits and Tips: Freebies In My Mailbox

These are some of the freebies I have received in my mailbox over the past month or so: 2 magazine subscriptions, 6 recipe booklets, 1 calendar with coupons, 1 pregnancy planner notebook, 2 Nabisco calendar coupon booklets, 1 Head and Shoulders sample, 1 kashi cereal sample (with coupon), and 1 Bear Naked granola sample (with coupon). Actually, I took this picture about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Since then, I have gotten more magazines, more recipe booklets, Nature Valley nut clusters and granola bar samples, high value coupons for Kashi, a sample of Philosophy body products, and much more!

I used to be such a skeptic of freebies, especially free samples. When I read blogs, I would skip past all of the free samples and go right to the store deals. I thought, "Who cares about little sample packs of shampoo that only last for one hair washing? Give me some info on how to save on my grocery bill! And I am not giving out my e-mail address a million times!"

Then, one day, I decided to try out a sample. Why not? It was for Dove shampoo, which I love. I walked to my mailbox to get the boring mail full of bills, junk mail, and...a surprise! Isn't it just so great to get real mail addressed to you? It never gets old. I look forward to getting the mail every day. I'm always wondering what new surprise will be in my mailbox. It's always something: a magazine, a sample, a coupon...

I am addicted to freebies now! I sign up for just about every single offer of a free sample. Here are some of the reasons why I love freebies:

1. Like I said, you get a surprise addressed to you when you check the mail! It's something to look forward to, something to brighten your day a little. =)
2. Every little freebie adds up. You wouldn't think that getting 10 samples of shampoo is worth anything, but it really is! That's one less time you have to use regular shampoo that you buy at the store.
3. You can try new things to see if you like them. A perfect example of this is the Nature Valley nut clusters. I received them last week in the mail. I busted them open, tried them, and was instantly craving more after my small bag was empty. They were so yummy! I had a high value coupon for them that I printed recently. I decided to use it at Publix, since they were on sale this week. I got a retail-sized bag for $.90, when they are normally almost $4 a bag! Anyways, it's a chance to see if you like something before you spend the money on it.
4. You can give them to friends or other people who could use them. For example, I get the Parents magazine. I signed up, just because I figured there would be some coupons in it for baby items (which I always buy when free or cheap for my baby shower gift baskets). Now I have a pregnant friend at work, who I can pass the magazine along to!
   
5. Some freebies are just awesome to have, like the recipe booklets. I absolutely love free recipe booklets. I have at least 10-15 of them in my kitchen. They're fun to flip through and get some inspiration! Calendars are great freebies, too!
6. Sample sized toiletries are great for guest bathrooms. When you have guests stay the night, they have a bathroom full of toiletries in case they forgot to bring their own! I have a little compartment in my guest bathroom full of these - soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, toothpastes, etc.
7. Some of the really nice samples make great additions to gift baskets. You could add a recipe booklet to a cooking gift basket. Add a baby item to a baby shower gift basket. Add cleaning product samples to a bridal shower gift basket full of practical household items. You can make an entire beauty gift basket out of beauty samples (perfumes, makeup, etc.) It's great for teens. Or even put a snack basket together for a younger child. There are many options!
8. Free samples are great for traveling. When my husband and I go on a trip, I simply go to the "free sample stash," grab one of everything I need, throw it in a small bag, and I'm ready to go! I don't have to leave my toiletries out of my bag for the next morning's use, in hopes that I don't forget to add them at the last minute. It doesn't take up nearly as much space, either! It's just so much easier, all around.

Also, there are often great deals at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Target for trial or travel-sized items. You can often get these for free with coupons. I list these each week with the store's weekly deals. Don't brush these aside anymore, when you see "travel size" in parentheses. Instead, grab that coupon and go get yourself a freebie! Let it be an opportunity to get creative in how to use that awesome free sample!

One last tip, though. I highly recommend you create a separate e-mail account that you use when signing up for coupons, freebies, deals, newsletters, etc. This allows you to have one e-mail for all of the clutter, and your normal e-mail stays personal! Also, when filling out forms, just go for the boxes that must be filled out (have asteriks by them). Don't fill out anything extra that is not required! Makes it quicker, and it's less info you have to give out about yourself...

I hope I've shed a different kind of light on how great freebies can truly be! Have fun collecting some free samples and trial-sized items!!!

What about you? Do you tend to overlook the free samples and trial-sized items? Do you already take advantage of them? Are you now considering signing up for some great freebies? Or maybe you have more ideas on how to make the most of samples? Comment below! =)

Did you miss last week's Tuesday Tidbits and Tips? Go here to read all about the programs you can sign up for to score some awesome high dollar coupons!