Fantastic freebies and where to find them

There are so many money related topics I could write about, but sadly I just don’t have the time to cover everything. So once a month I’m asking some friends from my UK Money Blogger community to share their expertise.

This time around we’ve the king of freebies Deepak Tailor. You might have seen Deepak and his website Latest Free Stuff on Dragon’s Den last year when three dragons wanted to invest. He’s that good. Over to Deepak to tell you how you can get all sorts of stuff for absolutely nothing.

Why pay for stuff when you can get it free

As a nation of bargain lovers, we’re always looking for new ways to save money. Whether it’s to cut costs on the weekly shop or to save up for something special, our money is precious. Applying for freebies is a great way to try new products without spending a penny and could help reduce food bills too.

So, what it’s all about? Free samples are given away by all sorts of companies to advertise their products and attract new customers. Food, drink, beauty products, perfume samples, pet food… you name it, there’s a company giving it away at this very moment.

What can you get for free?

If you’re new to freebie hunting, you might not know that there’s a whole community devoted to seeking out the best free stuff online. This community is getting larger by the day, with new freebies popping up all the time. It’s incredible just how much you can get for free, and it’s especially exciting to try new products you wouldn’t usually buy.

Huge household names like PG Tips, Gillette and Pampers have all be known to give away freebies online. Beauty brands like Benefit, MAC and Yves Saint Laurent all love offering free samples too.

Thanks to freebie hunting, I’ve nabbed the latest designer fragrances without hitting the department stores, received coupons to exchange for free food and drink in the supermarket and even had a few lunches and drinks at my favourite restaurants on the house. I’ve lost count of how much money I have saved since freebie hunting – I wouldn’t even like to guess.

How to get your freebies

The best part is, it’s so easy to get started!

You will need: a computer or a mobile, internet access and a postbox. Most of the time, it’s as easy as submitting your address on the freebies you find then waiting for your sample to arrive. But make sure you read the instructions on how to apply for the particular freebie you want as this can occasionally vary.

If you don’t want to wait for the post, there are lots of freebies that you can collect in-store with a coupon instead. Simply enter your email address and you’ll receive the coupon in your inbox, which you just need to print and redeem in store.

More and more retailers are accepting coupons just by looking at your mobile too, which is even easier. Lots of food and drink companies offer coupons, which you can collect as you do your food shop.

Here are two of my favourite freebies to get you started:

You can apply for a free sample of Aveeno’s moisturising face cream here.
Join the Krispy Kreme fan club and you’ll be emailed a voucher to collect a free doughnut – yum!

Freebie tips and tricks

To help make getting freebies even easier, here are a couple of tips and tricks that I recommend:

Set yourself up with at least one email address that you use solely for applying for freebies. This way, these emails don’t get mixed up with your regular emails.
Always check your spam or junk folder for emails if you’re waiting on a confirmation as they can often land there by mistake.
Get your internet browser to save your address so you can fill out forms even quicker. This really helps when promoters only have a limited amount of freebies up for grabs – every second counts!

There are so many top freebies out there waiting to be claimed. There’s nothing to lose – so why not start applying for freebies and see how much money you can save?

Thanks to Deepak for writing this guest blog. You can sign up to Deepak’s Latest Free Stuff newsletter for regular updates of the latest offers.