When you are struggling for every penny, and you’re trying to keep free of debt or live within your budget, FREE is a magic word.
Your eyes glaze as you hear it because you would jump through hoops to get it.
And you do.
But your inbox is suddenly flooded with unexpected paperwork. Like any raging torrent, it becomes easy to drown.
You soon discover that you’ve laid the welcome mat for every spammer on the Net, and sold your mailbox to every catalog in print – just by trying to save a few dollars.
Time is money. Even samples that don’t cost any money, can certainly cost you a premium in time.
Why?
Products are free for a reason. Marketers want your information so they can sell you additional products. When you agree to take their free sample, you agree to let them continue to send you updates, sales pitches, and more.
Yes, they advertise that you can save money by sending away for these products and you can – at least a dollar or two (maybe more in extreme cases). But, then you spend months trying to free yourself from the prison of the lists.
So how can you score free without selling the soul of your inbox or mailbox?
Use a separate email address – Sign up for a separate email address for your email offers. Simply go in once a week and clear it out with a push of a button, and you don’t have to worry about the junk getting mixed with your aunt’s “We missed you” email.
Know what you’re signing up for – Keep your info safe. If you can’t find or don’t understand the terms and conditions of the offer, stay away. If the company i above board, you’ll be able to find the terms and understand them quickly and easily.
Know how to cancel – Be aware of any charges incurred when you cancel. Some offers are only valid if you actually sign up to buy a product or agree to a recurring charge afterward. If you must buy something after the offer, the sample isn’t free. Stay away. But if you can cancel free and clear, it’s fair game.
Make sure there are no pre-checked boxes ticked – Many times, you’ll sign up for a product and they’ll have boxes pre-checked so that you sign you up for their email marketing or special “club.” Beware. Read the page carefully and untick any boxes you wouldn’t check on your own before clicking “OK.”
Use a PO box for offers only – This is only for the heavy duty Samplers. If you get enough free samples in the mail to counter the fee of a post office box and still save money, it’s worth saving your home address for the important things such as bills, bank, and credit card statements, then investing in a PO box.
Using these tips can help you make getting free samples worth the headache they could otherwise cause.
What are your tips for saving money and headaches with free samples?
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Also, get yourself a Google Voice phone number to use as a “public” number instead of your home or cell phone number. Google Voice has excellent tools that make it easy to block callers.