Being Thrifty

Back on December 12, I listed an offer for 5 free issues of Cosmopolitan magazine.  I’m not in their demographic, but I figured what the heck, free is free, right?  Besides, I really haven’t read a copy of Cosmo since I worked for the company that produces it, and got a free subscription through work.   Now, I read the cover while standing in line at the grocery store, and flip through if a tag line catches my eye, but that’s about it.  So, I signed up for the 5 free issues.  I got the January and February issues both on Saturday.  Now, I have my all-new 2009 Bedside Astrologer booklet, I can find out how to deal with my man when he gets moody (boy do I need that article!), and I know the eight things in my closet that make me look chunky.

Unfortunately, the offer is not available any longer, but if this service is any indication, you should get any of the free magazines you order from Value Mag.

Today, Saturday January 24, is Change A Pet’s Life Day.  If you are one of the first ten people to adopt a shelter animal at a Hill’s Pet Nutrition partner shelter today, the adoption is free.  Visit the Hill’s website to see if your shelter is a Hill’s partner shelter.

Shelter animals make wonderful pets.  Both of my cats are shelter animals.  When we are able to get a dog, it will be a shelter animal.  Many people assume that because an animal is in a shelter, it is a problem animal.  That’s not the case at all.  When I was growing up, my family always had animals.  Some of them were shelter animals, some were not.  Nine times out of ten, the shelter animals were better pets than the non-shelter animals.  Animals wind up in shelters for many different reasons.  Some were abandoned by their previous owners.  Some, unfortunately, were abused or neglected by their previous owners.  Others were strays, found by people who were unable to care for them themselves.  In some cases, the pet owner passed away, and the pet had nowhere to go.

Visit a shelter if you get a chance.  You’ll fall in love, I guarantee it.

Animals at shelters are being given second chances.  Please help give them that second chance that they deserve.

There are a variety of freebies available for you today.  Hope you can find something you can use.

Get a free bottle of Body Eclipse Aromatherapy Shampoo from Medistasto.  Chamomile and sage fragrance. Offer available in the US and Canada.

Identify your luggage easily with these two TripAdvisor luggage tags.  This offer is also available in the US and Canada.

Try a sample of Orville Redenbacher Naturals microwave popcorn.  It says the offer is only good in selected states, but all 50 states, DC and some territories are listed in the drop down menu, so I’m not sure what the selected states are.

Here is a sample of Stetson Suede for Men.

If I had a dog, I’d be getting this, but I don’t think my cats would partake of this sample. They are pretty picky when it comes to food.  Get a sample of Rachael Ray’s Nutrish premium dog food .

Free spider identification chart. I think the chart is emailed to you, but if you’re into spiders, this would be pretty cool.  You can get charts of spiders in the US and Australia.

Want whiter teeth?  Try this sample of Crest White Strips Advanced Seal from WalMart.

Want polished furniture?  Then get this sample of Revage Furniture Polish

Offers were available at the time of this posting. Offers available only in the United States unless otherwise noted. Offers available while supplies last. Limit one per offer per household unless otherwise stated.  Author cannot guarantee receipt or quality of any freebie offer listed.

I just don’t understand some people.  I know the saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” is very true, especially in the garage/rummage/yard sale business, but this was taking that saying too far.

I love to go to yard sales.  Everyone who frequents these sales often knows that some are better than others.  That is pretty much a given.  However, I went to one last weekend that takes the cake.  It was nothing but trash.  I don’t think anyone could have found anything there to treasure.

There were candles that had been burned to almost nothing.  Lots of posters ~ all looked like they had been ripped off the walls ~ torn, ripped, tattered.  There were sheets that were torn and stained.   The person holding the sale wanted 25 cents each for the candles, a dollar a piece for the posters.  I don’t know what they wanted for the sheets ~ they were too disgusting to look at too closely.  A Playstation that was missing the cover and  had the wires cut was marked $20.

From what I could tell,  everything there belonged in the dump, not a yard sale.  I’m all for selling things you won’t be using and making a little cash in the process, but let’s not be ridiculous about it.

Inauguration Day is on Tuesday, January 20.  In celebration of this historic day, many places have freebie offers for the day.

Krispy Kreme is offering a free donut to each customer on Tuesday.  The offer is good at participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide.  There is no purchase necessary.

Although not a freebie, Dunkin’ Donuts has a special running for Inaugural Week.  Customers can purchase a new Stars & Stripes donut for 89 cents until Friday, January 23.

I mentioned this in my last Friday Freebies post. You can receive a copy of the commemorative inaugural cover of the New Yorker Magazine.   Offer ends January 31.

From Wednesday, January 21 - Sunday, January 25, customers can receive a free tall coffee from Starbucks .  All you need to do is pledge to commit 5 hours of your time to volunteer for a cause.

Get a free “Yes, We Did” sticker from MoveOn.org .  If you need more than one sticker, you can request more in exchange for a donation.  See MoveOn.org for more information.

TGI Friday’s is holding the World’s Largest Inauguration Party at participating locations, beginning at 9:00pm local time.  If you belong to the Give Me More Stripes club, you can also receive free red and white chips with chipotle salsa.  Not a member?  Sign up for free at the TGI Friday website.

I’ve got quite a varied selection of freebies for you today. I hope you find something you can use.

Food and Beverage Freebies

Try a free single serving sample of peanut butter made with Omega-3 and Olive Oil.

Wash down your peanut butter with a free sample of Carmen Estate coffee .

Household Freebies

Join the Toasty Candle Co. email list and receive a free soy candle sample

Are you an athlete, or do you walk or work out on your lunch break? Freshen up with this sample of Febreze Sport Workout Odor Eliminator.

Health and Beauty Freebies

Here’s a sample of handmade soap from Salon STI Day Spa

Try a free sample of Dove Shine Therapy hair care.

Miscellaneous Freebies

If you are a new parent or know someone who is, you can’t pass up this free 2 year subscription to Parents Magazine.

Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to USA Traffic Signs and receive 10 free American Flag decals.

Register by January 31 to receive a free commemorative copy of The New Yorker’s January 26 Inauguration cover .

Offers were available at the time of this posting. Offers available only in United States unless otherwise noted. Offers available while supplies last. Limit one per offer per household unless otherwise stated.  Author cannot guarantee receipt or quality of any freebie offer listed.

These Patriotic address labels from the Paralyzed Veterans of America are pretty cool. They ask for a donation, but I don’t believe it’s mandatory to get the labels.

Cream of Wheat is trying to generate renewed interest in their product. They are offering free samples .

Get a free sample of your choice of green or herbal tea from Yogi Tea.

Walmart is offering a free sample of Soy Joy Bars , the perfect 3pm snack.

If you use homeopathic treatments, here is a two-day sample of Hylands Calm Forte homeopathic sleep aid.

Get a free promotional key chain from Video Glasses. Video Glasses are some sort of virtual reality glasses.

I have mentioned this freebie before, but it is such a great one that it is worth mentioning again. Greenies is still offering free samples of dog and cat treats . My cats go crazy for these treats.

Offers were available at the time of this posting. Offers available only in the United States unless otherwise noted. Offers available while supplies last. Limit one per offer per household unless otherwise stated. Author cannot guarantee receipt or quality of any freebie offer listed.

MTV and the Case Foundation are joining forces to bring you the “Change Begins With Me” sweepstakes where one lucky person can win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC for the Presidential Inauguration.

Submit a short essay in 250 characters or less, completing the phrase: Change begins with me. I commit to……….  Just go to this website and fill out the form to enter.  Hurry though, this sweepstakes ends on January 12.

The winner of this sweepstakes will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington DC that includes airfare for two, a three-night stay at a hotel in the nation’s capitol, two tickets to the Inauguration and the Inaugural Ball, and a Flip video camera so that you can record this chance of a lifetime.

I sign up for many of the freebies that I list here every Friday. I have started to receive some, so I thought I would do a post and a review when I get one of the freebies in the mail.On November 14, I listed that you could get a sample of Clinique Happy perfume through Facebook. I requested it, and received it about a week ago. It came as a credit card sized cardboard spray. It is good for a couple of applications if you don’t use too much each time. The fragrance is fresh and floral, and smells really nice. It’s a fragrance that I will look at purchasing the next time I’m shopping for perfume.

This is the first Clinique freebie that I’ve requested. I’m pretty satisfied with the quality of the freebie and will feel confident in pursuing future freebie offers of this nature.

We’ve all heard of economics, but how about Suavenomics?  Suave wants to put a free bottle of a Suave product into the hands of every woman in America on January 14. In order to participate in Suavenomics, go to Suave’s website anytime  between 12:00:01am eastern and 11:59:59pm eastern on January 14 and register to receive a coupon good for one bottle of Suave shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, styling product, body wash or body lotion, a $3 value. You will receive the coupon by mail so you need to give a legitimate mailing address. Suavenomics is open to legal residents of the United States, aged 18 and older. Limit one coupon per household.

So, mark your calendars for January 14 and play your part in Suavenomics!