Confession time, I rarely sign up for free samples. It seems too time consuming, too annoying, and who wants all that junk mail in their in box? Then I started wondering this weekend, maybe free samples are worth my time and effort? The only way to be sure is to track my time and the samples I receive. There is no reason to pass links on to my readers if I wouldn’t do something myself.
Since most free samples take between 4 – 6 weeks to arrive I will run this experiment until May. I have several blogs in my reader that regularly post free sample offers so I will use those sites as my resources for finding the samples. I don’t have time to scour the internet for samples, so I am depending on these bloggers to find them for me.
I have set up a specific email address for receiving these offers so my regular email doesn’t get clogged with their newsletters. If you see a free sample offer please feel free to email it to me at freesamplehousewife (at) gmail (dot) com.
I’ll update monthly with time spent vs samples received.
How about you? Do you regularly sign up for freebies? Do you think you are making a wise time investment? I would love to hear your thoughts!
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Yunno… that’s a good idea!
I think I might try this! Thanks for the idea. I can’t wait to hear how yours turns out?
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While I don’t often sign up for free samples I do call companies a lot! I will frequently call companies of products I love and tell them just that. This often results in free samples or coupons. On the other hand, if I think a product is not performing up to the standards they have claimed I relate my disappointment. A replacement or coupons usually come in the mail as an apology.
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The only samples I request are toothpaste or “Over the Counter” meds which I use for traveling. For me, samples just clutter up my house and my life.
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I took 1 year starting in Jan. 2008 and signed up for every free sample I found. I didn’t sign up for any freebie websites, just the ones I found while blog surfing. We ate the food ones right away… like the cookies and chocolate were going to survive for long in this house! The rest were placed in a plastic bin. In December I took all of the samples and made survival kits for all of the ladies in my family. I got large makeup bags from Wags (free) and stuffed them based on the type of products they used. They were a huge hit! I still have a shoe box full of stuff which we use when traveling or if I want to try a new shampoo or whatever. I didn’t sign up for any last year except the occasional diaper sample.
One other tip is to use something like Roboform to making filling out the info fast.
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At first, I signed up for all kinds of samples. Nowadays, I only sign up for things that I genuinely want to try or that we already use. With all the couponing blogs out there, I don’t see the need to go searching for sample since they do it for me, then I just choose the ones I want.
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The samples alone aren’t necessarily worth my time, but the coupons that come with them can be significant. Plus I find that I receive mailers I haven’t requested – meaning either I’m truly forgetful about what I request (possible) or once you’re on an opt-in mailing list, marketers recycle the lists (also possible).
Still, it does make it fun to open the mailbox!
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No, I was into it for awhile and then realized I had a drawer full of samples waiting for . . . I dunno, a camping trip? I brought all my samples up to my father in law’s trailer where we spend a few days in the summer. I still didn’t use them all. Then I started feeling guilty when I realized how much packaging was used for a single use of shampoo, for example. That I didn’t really need. Or use.
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I do sign up for samples of things that I want to try or will use. My favorite part of getting samples is that most come with high value coupons. I don’t go seeking samples on my own. I find them on 3 blogs that I read regularly.
I have just found your blog and love it. I am so intimidated by bulk cooking and freezing. My biggest hurdle is knowing how long to cook the frozen food and at what temperature. Sounds silly but I don’t know what items freeze well and what items will not.
I am enjoying your video info. I need it.
Tasha
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I’m looking forward to the results. I don’t sign up because I feel my time is valuable. But it will be interesting to see if it is worth it afterall.
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I’ve done samples from Walmart. Usually I get links from blogs not searching them out on my own. I use an abbreviated name for mailing purposes.
It’s fun going to the mailbox and having 2 or 3 samples in there!
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I go in waves. I’ll go weeks where I don’t sign up for any of them and then I’ll have weeks where I sign up for a ton.
Its fun to get random things in the mail. And with all of the facebook freebies lately its been great.
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I’ve just started signing up for free samples and coupons this week to see if it’s worth it as well. I picked brands & products that I normally use and logged onto their websites, signing up for e-mails, coupons, and free samples. I’ve spent a good bit of this afternoon doing just that, and now I’m bleary eyed. I know I have to be careful though as it’s easy to overspend in the name of thrift by buying too much of a good thing.
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I do sign up. I know a lot of people use Roboform to save time, but I do not. I don’t sign up for every single one I see, just the ones I know I will use. Just this past week, I received two packs of tampons, a pack of pads and liners, and a coupon for a free box. I definitely use those, so it was worth my time.
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I see lots of links on the various blogs I read for free samples… I only bother to spend time on the data entry when I really think I will use the item. I’m very interested to see your results.
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I am going to blog about this.. but.. I do get free samples, I put them back. If you have a guest coming, it’s a great for a guest basket.!
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I do signup for free samples. I put them with other free things and give them away. They often come with coupons too!
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I sign up for free samples. Sometimes it’s nice getting a goody in the mail instead of just bills.
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I sign up for all sorts of samples, for anything I will use! Maybe the sample itself isn’t enough to do much with, other times they are a full-sized product! The best part is the coupons that come with them. For instance, not only have I gotten enough different Kotex/Tampax/Always samples to supply me for a month, there are coupons for a free box of Always Infinity pads in some of them, or $1 Kotex coupons that buy me free pantiliners at Walmart. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Also, I haven’t gotten any more junk mail since signing up for samples. In fact, I get no junk mail aside from credit card offers, and I was getting those anyways.
I do recommend a separate email address just for sign-ups, that way you can keep the manufacturer offers separate from your regular inbox. Again, I don’t get junk email either!
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I love free samples … but Im going to be honest, if my mac didnt fill out the forms for me, I wouldnt do it. My computer auto recognizes most forms and fills my address out on my behalf. All I have to do is type my first name, bam! it’s done, and I click a few more things and hit submit. It takes MAYBE 30 seconds.
As for what I do with those samples — use them! I take the hair products to the gym or on trips … that sort of thing. I signed up for a “being a girl” sample from Always and … this brings me to the other reason I like these — got a GREAT coupon for a FREE package of infinity pads. Whoa!
And really, that’s my last point. Samples come with great coupons.
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I sign up for samples all the time!! We go camping every weekend and for 3 weeks in the summer and I find I deplete most of my supply then. We also live far from any family, so when we go to visit I bring the shampoo, etc samples with us to use. For us, it’s works really well. If you don’t camp, travel, etc., just use them as you receive them, then they are not a waste!!
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I think it’s worth my time. I keep stuff we use and leave stuff I don’t in the break room at my job. Stuff gets snatched up pretty quickly there!
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I sign up for them all the time. Sometimes you get some really great ones – electric “disposable” razors, those razors with the block of soap around the blade (intuition, I believe), deodorant that’s perfect size for travel, cereal samples my kids can snack on, you name it. My personal favorite are the feminine product samples, especially since I’m mostly a reusable cloth pad user – it’s nice to have a few disposables on hand if I’m running low near wash day or have company that needs something.
To me, not only are the samples worth it – most come with coupons… and often GREAT coupons. And since I use Firefox, many have forms I can just double click in and my name, address, etc pop up for me.
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I love Free samples sooo much . I will never have to buy deodorant again I have a lifetime supply in samples!!!
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Hi Toni, I met you briefly tonight at Blissdom. I hope we get to spend some time together before the weekend is just just a memory.
Great blog. I will be back often.
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TheHappyHousewife Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 8:29 am
Robin it was great to meet you! Definitely want to connect again this weekend.
Toni
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I sign up for the ones I’ll use or I can share. I tend to sign up and then forget so when it’s there, it’s like this surprise present just for me! I’ve gotten free razors, full size deoderant, Multi-Grain Cheerios, Betty Crocker potatoes and lots of coupons to “try it for free.” Most samples come with high dollar coupons or several coupons so that’s an added bonus.
Sign up and enjoy!
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Every now and then I do a blitz on the free samples. I also read a couple of websites that have these offers. Most of the time I don’t write down that I signed up for them, so when they arrive it’s like getting a gift in the mail since I have forgotten all about it. The same holds true for me with contests which I occasionally do the same blitz (about 30 minutes of entering) every now and then.
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I sign up for freebies if it’s something I’ll use. I don’t generally sign up for things like free stickers or free magnets. If it’s food, cleaning products, health & beauty aids or things I can use for stocking stuffers, I’m there.
It really only takes a second to sign up. I use Roboform which is a free form filler that fills in my name & address at the click of a button. I never do the freebies that require me to complete “offers” to get them.
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I do fill out for samples online only when I feel I could really use these products. I always jump on the wagon for the following free samples: feminine products and diapers.
When I get diaper samples (in the correct/current size for my two babies) and the feminine products, I just leave them in my van in this little zip up make up bag. So that way, if I ever am on the road and I’m all out of either one, I got back ups in the van!
No more stopping by conveinence stores or whatnot for emergency purchases.
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Like most on here, I do often sign up for freebies. One of the main helpful things is the auto-filler. Most of the time, my computer auto-fills my information so that within a few seconds I’ve completed what I need to fill out. Plus I’ve got a “junk” email set up so that all of those emails that come along with them don’t overflow my regular inbox! Lastly, I think it pays off because I only sign up for things that I use/need (eg. feminine products, baby products, household items, etc) …. I’d feel guilty taking something that someone else could use but I grabbed just because it was free.
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Vocalpoint is great to get samples from. I don’t trust Roboform so I don’t use it, but I know other people do. You can just use the auto fill feature on your web browser. Freebies are definitely worth it. I have received tons of free stuff. Magazines, toiletry samples, calendars, etc. Not as good since the recession hit but they are still out there. This is a good group to get freebies from: groups. yahoo. com/ group/ TheFreeShoppe
You will want to set up on digest mode so you don’t have to read all the emails. You will need to reformat the link. Your comment form doesn’t seem to like it. lol
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I sign up for samples all the time. I have found great new products this way. It’s fun to get little treats every once in awhile, too. Just yesterday I got a box from Pop Tarts (signed up for the Sprinklings) and it had a pkg of our favorite Pop Tarts in it. It had a little banner and card in there for my sons 1/2 birthday. LOL! I don’t buy Pop Tarts very often at all so it was a fun treat for the kids.
Anything I can’t use I give to our food pantry at church.
I don’t go searching for free samples to sign up for…if I come across one I’ll sign up for it. It doesn’t take up much time at all.
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I don’t like to sign up for free samples. Mainly because my email gets loaded with junk. I hadn’t thought of using a different email. That was smart of you. The other reason is because most of the time, I don’t get the free sample.
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I have definitely signed up for “some” free samples…..ones that I am very familiar with the companies/brands. So far so good! Last week I got two boxes of Airborne and 2 pull ups for free. I had also received (a while back) a free moisturizer from Olay…the ProX…which is like $40….got it for free! Gotta luv that!
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I have OFTEN wondered the same thing! I am looking forward to your results on this. Thanks for doing this to help us out as well! I LOVE your blog!!!!!!!
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I do sign up for the occasional sample if it is something me or my family will use. I also use Firefox which automatically fills in my info, so that is a huge time saver. Can’t wait to hear your results.
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The thing I like about the free samples, especially the ones from Walmart and for the personal care items, is they usually come with a high-value coupon that comes in handy later paired with a sale.
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It has to be pretty appealing to me. I also follow a few bloggers who share the deals and I’ve found that I take advantage of very few. Most helpful to me is the info about coupon-sale matchups, etc.. I do like coupons for FREE stuff too. But I did sign up for a sample of GoldBond recently and find that the little tiny packets of stuff like this aren’t helpful to me. I feel like its such a little bit to try that I’m not sure I can really get a good idea if I’d like the product and I end up not even using the samples.
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while I don’t sign up for everything I see, I do sign up a lot. I have received numerous samples of snacks, or foods that are perfect for a 1 person snack. My husband loves it when we get these things in the mail.
As for feminine hygiene items, I use the Diva cup, but I like having other options too. Free samples provide all I need in this area.
Free samples of toiletry items are wonderful for traveling. Cleaning stuff, especially laundry samples, get put in a box to give to my brother still in college. Every time I see him, I make his day with this box. So, I guess what I am saying, is there is definitely a place for free samples and I am glad you are trying it out.
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Love, Love, Love free samples! I don’t scour the internet for them, though. Usually one of the blogs I follow will say something about a free sample and, if the item is something my family, friends, or neighbors might use, I’ll sign up and get one. I have to agree with other readers: the coupons that come with the samples are usually good quality.
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I don’t sign up for samples and I usually don’t take them either when they are available.
Call me crazy but I have in my head that I am producing extra trash (as little as it might be) For travel I fill my products into smaller, refillable dispensers.
I know, it sounds weired….
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I would love to see your results on the samples and what you recommend. I have tried it. I read articles of women claiming they stretch their budgets this way using free samples. I found the endless sign up of newsletters to get the samples was not worth it. The best one is Walmart.com, free samples. They do not require you to sign up to a newsletter and you get great coupons with the sample. Unfortunately, right now, Walmart has had very few free sample offers.
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i spend about 2 hours a day – not all at once- signing up for freebies, printing coupons and entering giveaways. i definitely feel it’s worth my time. i get a lot of great stuff and i have won 169 giveaways since march of last year. you have to learn which sites are worth your time and which are rip offs. that is the key! hey it’s free.com and walmart.com .those are 2 good ones. i feel i am doing a real service for my family with all i get FREE!
i can share more if anyone’s interested.
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Emily Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
I just looked up that site…it’s [ heyitsfree . net ] (take out spaces)
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I used to sign up for every free sample I could get. But then I ended up with a medium gift bag full of samples I wasn’t using. I’m really not interested in opening a little one-time-only shampoo/conditioner pouch (have you ever tried to open one of those in the shower, with wet hands? Impossible). Now I just sign up for the more substantial samples, like a box of cereal (nice snack), weight loss snack bars (Atkins), tea bags, and so on. No more of the little piddly stuff.
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I sign up for freebies. But, only those that are posted on blogs that I follow via google reader. I DO NOT hunt them down. I don’t have time for that. And only for things that I will use. Shampoo, toothpaste (great for travel), tampons, tea, cereal boxes, granola bars. Most samples/freebies come w/ a good coupon too!
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Free samples convinced me to change from Huggies Supreme to Costco brand diapers! I would have not tried unless I received a free sample. I think it is worth it if you like a product or on the fence with something, it can’t hurt!
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you could take the medium sized bag of free samples that you don’t want to a shelter! they are interested in one use only shampoos etc
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Fun to hear people’s opinions.
Like any good American I like shopping and stuff! Not too much, but that’s the honest truth. We don’t really have money right now for shopping and stuff, so free offers are my way of “shopping” without spending money. I get to try new products and I don’t feel like I’m always depriving myself. I think it helps.
Have a few free offers gotten me? Yeah. Dove deodorant for example and I love Arby’s roast burgers! Not that we ever go there, but if we are on a road trip and have to eat out, I’m looking for an Arby’s!
I sometimes feel bad about all the wasteful packaging but it gets lost in my feeling of euphora for happy mail. Maybe I’m simple, but I REALLY love mail that isn’t a bill or credit card offer.
Auto fill is a must for me along with a different email address.
I think it’s great that companies have enough confidence in their product they are willing to offer it free in hope you’ll feel the same.
If we had a lot of money I would only do the really descent offers, if any.
-Kimberly @ Frugal Playground
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PS: Just got the Gold Bond free sample in the mail today, that one is almost annoying. Seriously, I’m not going to know if I like your product if I can’t even use it up on one hand.
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I have a hard time wrangling all my free samples, so I quit signing up unless it is full sized!
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I have to be in the right mood to bother sending away for free samples. Although…I do admit. I am thrilled when something comes in the mail to sample.
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