How To Get Free Stuff...

"The best things in life are free"

"There's no free lunch"

Which of these two thoughts do you subscribe to? Actually, there are some things that may not be the best things in life, but are actually free. There are also some things in life that aren't exactly free but they are such great bargains that they feel like the best thing in life.

I once had a professor in college who told us "Engineers are basically lazy, they are always trying to find an easier way to do things." The same goes for bargain hunters; "Bargain hunters are basically cheep, they are always trying to find something for free."

This article is a little deviation from my usual topic of how-to-make-it. I guess it could be called how-to-get-it. A miser at heart, I will share with you my favorite methods of getting stuff for free or almost free.




Totally Free Stuff

Free is not the same as easy. You will have to put out a little effort for totally free stuff. Here are my tried-and-true methods.




Dumpster Diving - YUCK! No, not behind a restaurant or grocery store. Try driving around a high end hotel. When they get in 100+ mirrors and one is broken, out it goes. The frame is usually in perfectly new condition. If a chair or desk is slightly marred or broken, out it goes. With a little ingenuity and some handyman know-how you can convert this trash into a treasure. Other interesting places to look are electronics stores or furniture stores, you never know what you might find.

Drive Around - Your neighborhood (or any other nice neighborhood) on trash day. You will be surprised at what you will find. Unless it is totally obvious that the item is to be trashed the nice thing to do is to ring the bell and ask the homeowner if you can have that (bed frame, rug, chair, etc.) on the curb. Occasionally you will find a piece in perfect condition and sometimes they may need a little work.

Don't Pass It Up - Even if it doesn't interest you but looks to be in good shape pick it up. I know someone who picked up a discarded stuffed Santa holding a miniature Coke bottle from the curb and sold it on eBay for $40. Would you pass up $40 laying on the curb?

Reward Cards - Many major chain stores and almost all airlines and motel chains offer reward cards where you receive rewards based on your purchases. If you travel a lot for business or pleasure the motel and airline rewards can really add up. My favorite airline reward is Southwest Airlines where you receive a free ticket for each eight round trips that you take. My favorite shopping rewards are Best Buy and Office Depot. You receive a store credit based on the amount of your purchases.

Almost Free Stuff

Free After Rebate - This is totally new stuff that you have to buy on the front end and wait a few months for your rebate. You will be out the tax and maybe a few cents for stamps (some companies now let you file for rebates on line) but other than that, it's free.

The best free after rebate stuff is the stuff you can actually buy in the store and then send in the rebate form. By doing this you won't have to pay any shipping (which sometimes is more than the value of the "free" item) and you know exactly what you are getting. Here is a site that I love to check each Sunday morning with my coffee SalesCircular.com. Open the site and select your state, then click on "Free After Rebate" at the top. This is a listing of items offered in your state with 100% rebates. If you find something that interest you go to the store as soon as possible, this stuff doesn't last long. The best time to check this site is Sunday morning, when the new sales (and deals) come out and especially on holiday weeks when the sales are the best.

There are numerous other "Free After Rebate" sites on the web. Here are a few of my favorites;

FreeRebate.com
TotallyFreeStuff.com
Thefreesite.com
Thunderflap.com

There are many, many more, just do a Google search and you will find all the sites that you could possibly ever read.

If you plan to move, even locally, go to the post office and pick up one of those change of address packets, they are loaded with discount coupons for such stores as Lowe's or The Home Depot.

Don't forget the best Totally Free Deal on the Web... Blogger.com where you can set up your own blog totally free.

It's A Sweet Deal When it's...Mr. Handsome