Free Stocking Stuffers
On a budget this Christmas? With a little planning, here are some ways you can get free stocking stuffers without spending a dime.
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Are you looking for some free stocking stuffers you can use and give away as Christmas gifts? As more and more people want to get away from the stress and commercialism of the holiday without giving up traditions such as hanging stockings, finding some stocking stuffer freebies is always a nice thing!
If you haven’t already checked out our homemade stocking stuffers, you may want to check those out, too – since many of those things can be made without spending a lot of money.
Here are some ideas for free stocking stuffer ideas:
Use Freebie Sites: There are a number of great freebie sites you can go to that list free sample giveaways. These little samples are the perfect size for stocking stuffers. The only disadvantages to this is that 1. It takes 6-8 weeks for most freebies to come to your house, so you’ll need to plan in advance and 2. You’ll be giving your contact information to a lot of people, which could raise some privacy concerns. But, if you do it right, you can get a nice steady supply of freebies for many years to come!
Sign Up for Clubs & Newsletters: Whether it’s the EPA Kid’s Club or the tuna of the month newsletter, there are a number of free clubs you can sign your kids up for and they will likely send a whole slew of nice goodies in the mail, whether it be toys or magazines or stickers and more. Again, this will take some planning and you’ll have to intercept the mail to make sure your kids don’t see it, but it’s another great way to get more free stuff for stocking stuffers.
Go to Trade Shows & Community Events: If you’ve ever gone to a trade show or other community event with people sitting at tables, you’ve probably noticed people give away a lot of freebies at these things! Recently at a home show I got rubber duckies, a plastic water bottle, tons of pens, stress balls and tons of other promotional gifts. Yes, they will have commercial logos on them most times, but it’s another way to get free stuff, especially for kids who won’t be concerned their new frisbee is advertising the local garage door installation company.
Make Trades: Chances are, your kids likely have some stuff sitting in their toy boxes and closets they don’t ever play with and never use, and it’s likely a lot of it may even be in new or good condition. Maybe you have stacks of books that are in great condition, or maybe you’ve got some other things that haven’t ever even been opened. And, I’m willing to bet there are other people near you in the same situation. Consider setting up a “Secret Santa Swap” in your community or with other parents where you can trade off all of those “like new” and “unopened” unused gifts and get some great new things to give others without spending a dime.
Use Your Credit Card: Most credit cards will have some sort of cash back rewards system, where depending on how much you spend you can earn gift cards to different stores. You’ll have to check with your credit card provider of course to make sure they offer this, but don’t forget to take advantage of it around the holidays (remember it will likely take several weeks or even months for processing, too!) You can get great gift cards for stocking stuffers this way!
Look for Buy One Get One Free Sales: Buy One Get One Free (or BOGO) is great way to get two of something for the price of one. This is especially helpful when shopping for people with similar interests.
Craigslist and Freecycle: By now, I’m sure you’ve been to a site like Craigslist where people list things for free they are giving away. While the Christmas season is a little harder (more competition) – you can always check it year round and then stash away things that would make for nice little stocking stuffers. Freecycle is another great thing to get into, where people are constantly listing things they are giving away for free.
Start a Blog: I started blogging about 2 years ago. In that time I’ve received countless offers to get free stuff to write about. I’ve gotten everything from books to food to DVDs to workout equipment. This will take awhile, and you’ll need to learn how to do it as well as how to market your website (companies are not going to give you free stuff to write about if no one reads your site!) – but it’s another great way to get really nice free stuff pretty much on a regular basis. Just be sure you disclose that you got the free stuff from the company when you write a review. (Hey, are you reading this and want to send me free stuff? Let’s get in touch! You can start blogging for free – just go to Google Blogger.
Do you have any other ideas for getting free stocking stuffers? Share your tips in the comments below.
Category: Budget Friendly
