The Power of Free: 3 Simple Ways to get Free Items for your Children without Paying a Dime
Everyone details what a difficult, yet rewarding job being a mom can be. But, beyond the crayon incidents and the not-so-resilient Sippy cup devastations, it seems that the world is forgetting one of the toughest parts of being a mom – the financial aspect. Because I like to keep my dollars where they belong (in my pocket), I make the most of freebies to cut down on the expenses of being a mom. And this blog post will show you how to do it too.
Of course, you want to provide the best for your kids – every mom does – but you don’t have to pay a fortune to do so. If your bank account is feeling the crunch, read the tips outlined below to learn the best ways to score free, yet quality merchandise for your children.
Believe it or not, you can score freebies for your kids online. Items such as baby formula, clothing, toys, snacks, coloring books and parenting guides are absolutely free on many websites. Granted, you’ll often receive a trial size of whichever product you purchase (aside from toys, clothing and books) but it can save you a pretty penny over the course of a year.
If you currently spend $150 per month on formula (about 6 cans of formula per month), you’re spending about $1,800 per year on formula for just one baby. But, if you were to receive just one can’s worth of free formula per month through online freebies, you could save $300. Now that’s a big chunk of change! You can easily apply this money towards a college fund, clothing or toys.
Of course, you’re probably ecstatic to hear about scoring these free deals – so, I’ll get right to the point. Currently, the most popular websites for scoring free products for your children are www.ilovefreethings.com, www.thunderfap.com and www.totallyfreestuff.com.
These companies are able to provide consumers with free samples because they’re either trying to promote a new product, create some buzz on the blogosphere towards their brands or gather market research from targeted consumers. Sometimes, you’ll have to fill out a small survey with questions such as, “On a scale of 0 to 10, how many times per month do you purchase Enfamil?” But, the questions aren’t invasive and it’s a small price to pay for a free product.
Resources to check out: www.tripletsmommy.com and www.freemania.net are notable online freebie websites.
Swagbucks.com is an interactive website which rewards its users for utilizing the website’s interface by granting points, called Swag Bucks, for specific usage. You receive Swag Bucks for completing prescreened surveys, searching the web through the Swag Bucks toolbar, daily polls and completing free (and sometimes paid) offers.
Personally, my favorite element of using Swag Bucks is that there are hundreds of items at just about all levels which I can choose to redeem my Swag Bucks for. If I only have 150 Swag Bucks, I can choose to redeem them for school supplies for my 5-year old. If I have 900 Swag Bucks, I can choose to redeem them for a pair of shorts for my toddler. Or, even X-box games for the biggest kid in the house, my husband.
Below, I’ll outline just a few of the items you can receive by redeeming your Swag Bucks.
- Stickers
- Posters
- Apparel
- Trading Cards
- Seasons of Children’s Shows (e.g. Hannah Montana or SpongeBob)
- Gaming Consoles
- School Supplies
- iTunes Gift Cards (great for teens)
Signing up for SwagBucks.com is free. And, you can also receive free points by recommending your friends to the website. If you spend just an hour per day on the website, you may never have to pay out-of-pocket for school supplies or toys again! Ah, the sweet, sweet satisfaction of free stuff!
Resources to checkout: Clearly, you should visit www.Swagbucks.com. However, www.inboxdollars.com, www.irazoo.com and www.rewardstv.com are also worthy competitors.
Coupons
Like any mom, when I first began using coupons, my goal was to save money where I could on our grocery bill without cutting corners in quality. But overtime as I developed my skills, I learned that I could score free brand name snacks for my kids, in addition to school supplies, diapers and baby wipes.
Some of the things I receive for free using coupons on a regular basis are baby wipes, art supplies, pens, ice cream, cookies, crackers, cereal, yogurt, pop tarts and granola bars.
While I can sometimes score free diapers for my 9-month old, I can only do this at drugstores, like CVS and Rite Aid, as they have the best deals when stacking coupons.
Generally, I only go to a grocery store which doubles coupons of up to $1. Therefore, if I use a $1 coupon on a bag of Chex Mix which is priced at $2, when my coupon doubles to $2, the purchase is essentially free. You can find these coupons in your Sunday paper, or by using online coupon directories, such as www.coupons.com.
Another one of my favorite ways to snag rare, high-value coupons is becoming a fan of my favorite brands on Facebook. Often times, companies release coupons on their Facebook page and make the coupons available only to those who “like” their page on Facebook. I’ve scored free photo books, restaurant meals and snacks in the past by using this method.
Resources to check out: www.couponmom.com, www.thegrocerygame.com, www.saveathomemommy.com.
Clearly, nothing in this world is completely free. And while you may not pay cash for all of the items mentioned above in cash, you’re paying with your time. It may take you less than three minutes to fill out offers for freebies online. But, you may spend up to an hour each week clipping coupons and quite a bit more time on websites, such as Swagbucks.com. Sure, some people would rather fork over cash in lieu of time. But in my eyes, if three hours of my time can save my family hundreds each month, it’s well worth the effort.
