My Current Obsession

I have found a new addiction in the world of frugality—free samples! At first, I kind of scoffed at this. I mean, can you actually save any money on little trial-size items? But, I think I have. Here is a partial list of the things I've gotten for free in the past few months:

• Small boxes of Total (2), Honey Nut Cheerios, Fiber One (2), All-Bran
• Fiber One granola bar
• All-Bran drink mix (like Crystal Light)
• Small bag of Bear Naked granola
• Bounce dryer bar (full-size! for writing a review on Viewpoints)
• Eos lip gloss (full-size)
• Ziploc quart-size baggie
• Several paper towels (the good, thick kind . . . not the generic stuff I'm used to)
• Tide total care detergent
• Tons of "feminine" products
• Dove, Aveeno, and Pantene Pro-V shampoos and conditioners

There have been others that I'm forgetting, I'm sure. Anyway, it's so fun to see what's in the mailbox each day! And, I think all total I've probably saved at least $15, which isn't too bad, considering all I do is fill out a little online form. Plus, many of the samples come with high-value coupons, so that's even more money saved.

I only sign up for samples of stuff I would actually buy or use. Otherwise, it can get a little crazy; there's so much free stuff out there. My friend Jenn e-mails a list of freebies every Friday, and I find lots of deals on Hey, It's Free, Money Saving Mom, and Deal Seeking Mom. One note of caution: If you do sign up for freebies, it'd probably be wise to set up a separate e-mail account just to put on online forms. I did not do that, and I've noticed a big increase in the amount of Spam I get. Luckily, I use Gmail, which has a good Spam filter, so it's not too much of an issue.