Do you wish you could try out an expensive new product before you commit to buying it at the store? Are you a money saving expert whose always on the lookout for the next great deal? Or maybe you’re like us, and you just love the feeling of getting free stuff delivered to your door. Well, welcome to the world of freebies!

In order to maximize your freebie finding adventures, we have put together the top 5 things you need to know when getting started.

Getting the latest and greatest products delivered to your door is not always as simple as filling out a sign-up form. Every time you open a new freebie offer, make sure you read the rules. Some types of offers include…

• Contests: Eligible participants sign-up to get their name in the running, and then the company selects a limited amount of applicants to send samples to
• Surveys: Companies ask participants to fill out a survey after registration, and send rewards after completion
• Action-Based: Companies will offer freebies for completing an action. This includes following a page, leaving a like or comment, or even just registering for their website.
• Points-based: companies will have several active offers, and will reward points for completing surveys, participating in offers, and registering for partner sites. Once you have gained enough points you will be eligible to pick a free prize.

Each of us freebie lovers prefers one type of freebie offer over another - While contests are easy to enter and do not take a lot of commitment, points-based offers will often give very expensive prizes once you complete them. No matter which you prefer, make sure you read the rules so you know how to complete the offer and claim your free stuff!

It is hard to believe, but one of the biggest issues companies run into is actually delivering the freebies to their customers! Many participating companies tell us they get a huge amount of returned mail after they attempt to send out their samples.

Make sure you TRIPLE-CHECK your information upon registration. This includes having an up-to-date email address, a valid mailing address, and a working phone number. Even if you followed all the steps perfectly, you won’t get your freebies if the company can’t deliver it to you! This also makes your contact information extra important. Companies will often reach out beforehand to give you confirmation of your freebie and make sure you are a real person.

Nothing lasts forever, and that is true of every freebie offer. Even the largest companies have a limited number of samples they can give out, and a limited amount of time they will keep the offer active. Therefore it is absolutely vital to stay in the loop.

We suggest creating an email address dedicated to signing-up for freebies with and taking the time to add the company to your online address book. You want to know how much time you have to sign-up for an offer, as well as which offers are already expired. Even more than that, you need to make sure you are going to see any news or updates on your freebie as soon as it comes in.

Ask any free stuff aficionado and they will tell you they are never waiting for one freebie at a time. If you really want to start claiming the coolest new stuff, you’ve got to stay organized!

When you sign-up for freebies you are dealing with different rules, different timelines, and many different companies. If you are not staying on top of everything you just signed-up for, you can easily lose out on freebies that should be coming to your door. Emails can go to promo or spam, and company updates can completely pass you by. In addition to having a dedicated email address, we suggest adding each company to your contact list and starring each confirmation email. This will ensure that their messages will show up where you can see it, and not get lost in spam.

Keep a physical list of your current freebie offers. Once an offer expires or you collect the sample, cross it off the list!

The reason companies love to offer samples is because they are so, so, so popular. It is not uncommon for hundreds if not thousands of people to sign-up for the same offer. Sometimes you don’t win the contest, you don’t meet the criteria, or the company simply runs out of samples before you get selected.

We get it, it is easy to get discouraged. You may go weeks without receiving a freebie and start to think they will never come. But don’t worry, we are here to help. There is always another freebie waiting around the corner, and we will be the first to tell you about it. So stay active, stay organized, and stay confident!