Thursday, October 15, 2009

Freegeeking: how to get free stuff online

Alright, so it's been a month off, sorry. Work is busy, blah blah blah. Also, Uncharted 2 is coming out, and I need to get ready for Modern Warfare 2. I also got into Tom Clancy's EndWar, a game where you control units with your voice. And yes, it's as cool/geeky as it sounds.

Anyway, I have a fairly quick article. A random thing I've been doing lately is getting free stuff off the internet. Some websites or companies do giveaways or after completing a survey they give you free stuff online. While it does sound kinda gimmicky/cheap, there's some pretty random freebies out there...

Things I've gotten for free in the mail:
-Toilet Paper
-Granola Bars
-Cereal
-Shampoo
-Soap
-Letter Opener
-Tools
-Toothpaste
-Shaving cream
-Chewing gum
-Coupons for frozen dinners, candy, and soda, and a Whopper burger

Checking http://gizmodo.com/search/dealzmodo and checking out the lowest section (entitled 'Hobomodo'...har har) will show you the most of the free stuff or you can also book mark http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/forums/freebies/. Dealzmodos usually happen weekdays around 3pm, while the forum is constantly updated and useful for the most up to date freebies.

Often these sites will ask for personal information and your address. I'd like to point out that most of these will ship to a P.O. Box. Also, I have an email address dedicated to SPAM. *hint* *hint*.

The downside to this stuff is that they'll usually ask you for phone number, email address, and mailing address to spam you verbally, electronically, and physically via USPS. But I haven't had any serious issues so far. Basically, use your common sense: General Mills is probably okay, but some random european website for gum might be a little shady.

Anyway, it's obviously not something to depend on for stuff, but an emergency toilet paper roll is always appreciated, and I have a section in my kitchen cabinet dedicated to freebie snacks, which come in handy.

In any case, I think I'll post up the random stuff I get in the mail as I get them just to let you know. Hopefully before I've eaten it.

The next article will come soon I promise. In the mean time, stay smart and stay cheap.