Below is a list of things that I've seen either in Women's Day Magazine or on the Today Show, or wherever else I've collected them. Who says you can't get anything for free? All of these sites are either places that I have personally used (which is most of them) or have seen recommended by somplace reliable like Women's Day.
One of my favorites. Like most moms, I am constantly snapping photos of my children.
Snapfish makes it easy to download the pictures, send them to relatives, order the prints and have them delivered to my door. You also have the option of having them sent to local places like CVS or Walgreens. You don't pay the shipping then, but you also can't pay online. Just for joining, Snapfish gives you
20 free prints.
How I pay for some of those prints is also really fun. I recently ordered 300 free prints from Snapfish by way of
My Coke Rewards. For every coke product (extensive list including Coke, Sprite, Minute Maid, Vault, Fanta, Barq's, Pibb, Powerade, and a few others) you receive
points that can be
redeemed for merchandise, not only from Coca-cola, but from numerous other retailers. A bottle cap receives 3 points, a 12-pack receives 10 points, and a 24-pack receives 20 points. And yes, this does require a purchase, but not necessarily by you. I have relatives who are almost addicted to diet Coke and are very happy to collect the bottle caps and box ends for me. Due to their generosity I'll have enough prints to order my prints after Christmas! There are numerous other prizes as well from the website, including electronics, music, travel sweepstakes, and the like. I just happen to be a photo nut. And my snapfish deal? 64 points=50 free prints. One Thanksgiving weekend can pay for the prints to document the occasion. Not a bad deal. If people are going to drink it anyway, why not be rewarded?
For all of those music lovers out there, you know how expensive buying
sheet music can be. At the
Mutopia Project they have free,
printable versions of thousands of classical and contemporary pieces. This is legal because the editions are ones that are classified as public domain works.
Walmart offers about 8-10 different
free samples every week. All you have to do is select which ones you want, enter name and address. No shipping fees, and samples generally arrive within 4 weeks. I've received everything from shampoo samples, feminine hygiene samples, coffe, trash bags, to pull-ups. You may only get three tampax in one sample, but that's still three that you didn't have to buy. Plus you get to try out some stuff that you may have never purchased before. Also look on the Walmart page for the free music download of the week.
Sign up at for a free
6 free issues of the
American Baby magazine! I never failed to have the magazine address certain things that were coming up, like preventing babies from getting overwhelmed during a family Christmas party, or potty training tips. Additionally, while you're signing up, there are several newsletters that can get sent straight to your email address that are customizable to your child's developmental stage. Also check out their
free offers page.
Many people are hesitant about trying the online survey gig, but I found one that really works.
Lightspeed Panel doesn't pay you in cash, but surveys are rewarded with points which can be redeemed for everything from DVD's to gift certificates. I've been a member less than a year and didn't put much time into it at first, but I've earned enough to trade in on $30 worth of PayPal certificates (which went to buy new rechargable batteries for the camera so I can take the pictures that I need the Coke reward points to prints...)
Listing of
free Wifi spots.
Free Sterling Silver Jewelry. You do have to pay shipping on the items, but it's only $6.99. I bought a lovely pendant with two london blue topaz set in it that I wear constantly. All jewelery comes stamped with ".925," the symbol of sterling silver. I consider the deal a bargain! great birthday ideas, presents, Christmas, etc. Thanks to Women's Day for this wonderful website!
Protonic. In their own words, "Got a headache with your computer and no budget to fix it ..... protonic.com is here to help. We are a free service manned by volunteers all over the planet, helping people fix technology problems. We enjoy the challenge of solving your problem, we are up to date and work as a team. Our standards are assured by Quality Assurance sampling .... we do our best to put the smile back on your face."
PC world rated this on their list of 101 fantastic freebies in May 2007. It's an spam filter for your e-mail program. Unfortunately, from what I read, it won't work with my hotmail account...
Well, that's probably enough for tonight. Enjoy the offerings here. I'll post more freebies as I find them. I would love to hear what you all have discovered out there!
Some days they end up being better than the posed "everybody sitting and smiling in the same direction" pictures anyway. I didn't get a good photo of the boys in their easter outfits (hopefully one of the grandparents' turned out). But I'm happy with the egg hunt photos, so I've included two of them. Remember, the point of taking pictures is to preserve memories. So don't stress yourself out trying to get "the" perfect shot. 