[FREEBIES I GOT + HOW YOU CAN GET THEM TOO]

IMPORTANT: If you are under 16 years of age ask your parents before filling out any forms with your personal details!

Click here for a list of freebies I received.

How To Get Freebies

1. Don't waste your time on filling out forms where it says "For USA only". It won't come to the UK!
2. Always read the small print carefully. If it says something like "a free gift but only if you pay shipping and handling"; ignore it. It's not free then!
3. To save time only fill in details in the required fields, these are usually in red or marked with an asterisk (*). Don't waste time putting in your mother's maiden name or fax number if it's not required!
4. If phone/fax number is a required field, just put in a random combination of numbers. A good way to avoid telesales!
5. Be patient: It may take several weeks before you get anything - remember there are other freebie hunters out there!
6. Don't expect too much: the freebie you ordered may not be that good in the flesh, but if it is you'll be pleasantly surprised!
7. If you have to sign up for a newsletter to get a freebie, it's always handy to have a different email account such as Hotmail or Yahoo. That way you won't get lots of "spam" to your usual account.
8. A lot of websites require you to have a company before you're allowed to get any free stuff. Make one up! For example, I got a business booklet addressed to Mr Mork Currie, Pussy Cat Enterprises - not surprisingly Mork is my cat and his company doesn't exist!
9. Don't be greedy! Never try to order something more than once, because multiple requests are always ignored and you'll end up not getting the freebie anyway. However, sometimes companies send out freebies more than once by mistake - it's happened to me!
10. Put the free sites you go to on your Favorites list, and join the newsletter if there is one. That way you get quickest access to the free things before they run out!
11. Try and keep a note of anything you've ordered, and tick it off when it arrives. That way if something doesn't come, you'll know not to bother ordering something else from that company, or you can email them to complain! Example: In January 2000 I ordered a "MetalPhoto" sample and by May it still hadn't come. I emailed them and they sent it out again, and I got it the next week!
12. It's worthwhile going to big firms' pages such as Nescafé or Heinz, as they're usually giving away something. Don't just rely on freebie sites, do your own research too!
13. Be a good Samaritan! Report any broken links to the webmasters of the site you're at - this way you'll either get them fixed (therefore letting you get more freebies!) or they'll remove them so that means the page will be more efficient for you and others to use.
14. Another good way to save money is to get coupons online. There are hundreds of sites which allow you to print off coupons from your own computer, but admittedly most of these are for the USA and Canada (useful if you're going there on holiday!). I frequently get money-off coupons which my mum can put towards her shopping.
15. Unless you have an obsession with catalogues, there's not much point in ordering them. I tend to avoid them because they're not interesting! A good freebie hunter will look out for free sachets, magnets, toys, CDs/CD ROMs, maps and books.
16. Keep any freebie you receive that you think is quite unusual. Remember that most of these freebies are not sold in shops, so they could be worth a bit of money in the future, depending on the freebie. Example: I sent away for some Heinz Ketchup pins (all the way from Pennsylvania) and they're quite unusual so I think I'll hang onto them!

Freebie Links

Beenz - The UK site of Beenz. Don't know what Beenz are? They're the new Internet currency! Collect Beenz for filling out forms, visiting pages and registering for newsletters, then spend them on anything from CD's to vouchers, Playstation games and much more. I saved 4400 Beenz and got myself a £10 Topshop voucher!
Xmas2000 - An excellent place to buy vouchers with Beenz- where I got mine! Not just for Christmas!
Frequently updated links to free Beenz - Another Beenz collecting site
FreeUKStuff - One of the best UK based freebie sites
JFreebies
FreeGuide - Another great UK based site
InternationalFreebies - An international freebie site.