How My Project Started
My name is Aimee. I am just an average busy mother and freelance writer who loves to spend time with my family. Recently my husband and I started thinking about giving our children the Christmas they always dreamed of, but like many others we could not afford it. Finally a light bulb went off in my head about this creative way I could raise a lot of extra money for my children's gifts this year.
One day I was organizing my pantry and looking at all of the products I buy to fill my families everyday needs. As I was skimming the boxes of pancake mix, brownies, and cereal I thought about how much money I have spent over the years on these products. A huge chunk of my income has gone to these companies that make our food and other products. Wouldn't it be nice if they finally gave me something back?
How I Got Companies to Send Me Free Stuff
The way I see things, I can waste many hours sitting in front of the television or being on the internet and gain absolutely nothing. On the other hand, I can use that time writing to the companies I love.
I wrote emails to about 150 of my favorite companies and asked them for a free sample or coupon. Many of the products in my pantry were made by Kraft, Nestle, and General Mills. Most of the products in my cleaning closet were Church & Dwight, Proctor & Gamble, and Kimberly Clark. It was astounding to see how many different products were made by the same few companies.
After I had exhausted every product in my home I began to think of companies that were outside of my home. I broadened my horizons and started getting addresses from other companies, such as fast food places, chain stores, and coffee places. A freebie is a freebie and my project was about getting as much free stuff as I could.
Many of the letters I wrote were simple and to the point, but if it was a company I especially loved, I made it a point to go into more detail. When I started really getting into this project, I decided to write more creatively and from the heart. When I did that I received the best responses and received the most free products!
Altogether, including tax, I received about $200 worth of free products!
Do you think it is worth your time to write a feedback letter to a company?
Companies That Sent Me Free Stuff
Company I Wrote
|
What I Got
|
|---|---|
| Friendly's | $10 gift card |
| Traditional Medicinal's Tea | 2 coupons for a free box of tea each |
| Chuck E. Cheese | one gift card for tokens and pizza |
| Bird's Eye | one coupon for a free viola meal |
| Jose Ole | one coupon for a free box of taquitos |
| Mrs. T. Perrogies | cents of coupons |
| Celestial Seasonings | two coupons for a free box of tea |
| One A Day Vitamins | $1 off coupons |
| Cabot Cheese | one coupon for a free package of cheese |
| Yogi Tea | one coupon for a free box of tea |
| Bausch and Lomb | one coupon for a free bottle of solution |
| Aubrey Organics Inc | one coupons for a free product |
| Perdue Chicken | $1 off coupons |
| Science Diet Dog Food | one coupon for a free bag of dog food |
| Tom's of Maine Tolietries | free samples of toothpaste and small bar of soap |
| Cape Code Potato Chips | one coupon for a free bag of chips |
| Red Robin | one certificate good for 2 free burgers |
| American Dairy Brands | $1 off coupons |
| Herr's Potato Chips | one coupon for a free bag of chips |
| Scott Paper Towels | $1 off coupons |
| Eden Foods | a box of free product samples |
| Caldrea Laundry Products | free smaples of their hand soap |
| Ellio's Pizza | one coupon for a free box of pizza |
| Alpine Lace Cheese | one coupon for a free cheese |
| Small Planet Foods | $1 off coupons |
| On Cor Frozen Foods | 2 coupons for one free frozen meal each |
| La Yogurt | 4 coupons for 1 free yogurt each |
| New England Coffee | $1 off coupons |
| Pure Protein Bars | 2 free bars sent to my home |
| Simply Potatoes | 2 coupons for any simply potato product |
| Blue Diamond Almonds | 2 free packages of almonds sent |
| Dole Foods | cents off coupons |
| Bic Shavers | one coupon for a free package of razors |
| Ready Pack Salads | one coupon for a free product |
| Jimmy Dean Breakfast | one coupon for a free box of breakfast sandwiches |
| Clear Eyes | one coupon for a free bottle of clear eyes |
| Jane Cosmetics | free mascara and lip glosss sent |
| O'Cedar Mops | $1 off coupon |
| Sensodyne | cents off coupons |
| Malt O' Meal | cents off coupons |
| Viva Paper Towels | one coupon for a free roll of paper towels |
| Cedarlane Frozen Foods | three coupons for a free product each |
| Sephora | e-mail sign up inforamtion |
| Tree Top Inc. | 3 coupons for a free bottle of apple juice each |
| Wholesome Sweetner's | 5 coupons for a free package of sweetner each |
| Firestone Tires | discount oil change coupons |
| Colonial Candle | 2 free small candle votives |
| Neil George Hair Care | 2 full size bottles of shampoo/conditioner sent |
| Earth Therapeutics | 1 free sample sent |
| President Cheese | One coupon for a free package of brie |
By sending emails to the companies I love, I got free products and coupons in the mail.
Tips to Getting Free Products From Companies
- An astounding number of companies (mostly the larger ones) do not list their company address on their products. Many of them do not list it on their web-site as well. The best thing to do is contact them via e-mail.
- Many of the products I found from small companies included their address on the package. Surprisingly, many pet products list the address of their company on their packaging.
- Many personal hygeine products such as toothpaste, cleaning products, and soap were all made by the same four companies.
- Some of the companies email addresses were hard to find. It almost seemed intentional. There were some cases when I had to look some of the e-mail addresses up on the Better Business Bureau website.
If it was a company I especially loved, I made it a point to go into more detail. When I decided to write more creatively and from the heart, I received the best responses and the most free products!
My Favorite Freebies
I emailed about 150 companies and I have to say I do have a top five favorite list of free products I received.
- Celestial Seasonings: The boxes cost around $6 each so I saved about $12.
- Chuck E. Cheese: My kids had a great time. It was something I don't normally do with them. The card was worth $30.
- Red Robin: My husband and I love Red Robin and each of our burgers were $15 each so the certificate saved us $30.
- Oncor Frozen Meals: I don't normally buy frozen meals for my kids. I decided to try these on a busy night when I didn't have time to make dinner. They were really good and wholesome. They almost tasted like a home cooked hot meal.
- Bausch & Lomb: I have been buying this contact solution for years. My free bottle saved me $12. It was nice to get something back from a company I am very faithful to.
My Conclusion
I had a lot of fun with this project. It was really liberating to be able to get a lot of free consumable items for doing something creative and honest. I added up how much this project made me. My credit card bills were a lot lower due to the amount I shaved off of them on the free items I would normally be purchasing. Being that I spent 5 hours on this project and I earned $200 worth of free valuable items, it would amount to being paid $40 per hour. It was well worth my time and I am $200 richer this holiday season! I will now be able to afford to purchase the extras for my children I wouldn't normally be able to!
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