Freebie Resources

Let's face it, everyone loves free stuff. But not everyone knows where to go online to aquire free things.
Here are my 7 favorite resources for finding free samples, magazines, music etc. Most of these sites offer a completely free newsletter which can be sent directly to your email. Signing up for the news letters is a good idea because that way you don't have to remember to visit each site daily. If you have a blog you can also consider using the links in the newsletters to offer your readers freebies they might enjoy.

1. FreeCycle.org - a great resource and a wonderful place to get you started on your trek to find free things. FreeCycle is an online network of over 4,000 groups and millions of members. Membership is free, just as all of the items listed in the groups are free. You are allowed to make requests for specific items you may need or want as well. It's also a great place to get rid of things you may no longer want.

2. WomenFreebies.com - Each month they have a contest for their news letter subscribers. This months prize is Bora Bora Perfume by Liz Claiborne. To participate just select the free news letters that interest you. I of course enjoy the "free stuff" news letter.



3. Volition.com's Stuff I Found Forum - A forum that is updated daily by members that post free things they have found online. Volition also has another great section to their forums called "Earning Opportunities". I love this site.

4. JustFreeStuff.com - A site that has a comprehensive list of freebies, contests and other "cool" stuff. Sign up for their newsletter and have a list sent to you daily that will include the newest online freebie finds. What's also cool is that once you sign up for their newsletter you are entered in a contest to win a $50 Amazon gift card.


5. FreeStuffTimes - A list of Freebies that is updated daily. Also offers a section on current online contests, coupons and rebates. I check this site daily.

6. 2000Freebies.com - Their site has tons of free offers. Sign up for their news letter and have the newest freebies sent directly to your email address.


7. FreeFlys - Offers FREE samples of brand name products as well as coupons with membership which is also free. This site has been featured on a couple of local TV news programs.

Trade in your old electronics for cash

Gazelle is a way for you to earn extra money off of the electronics you're no longer using. In other words you can turn your old MP3 players, laptops, cell phones or many other old gadgets into cold hard cash that is sent directly to your paypal account, or if you prefer a check, or even an Amazon gift certificate.





When selling your old electronics to Gazelle you will be asked a couple of questions to determine that value of the gadget you wish to sell. After you tell them about the condition, and any accessories that go along with the gadget they will make you an offer. You can of course accept or decline the offer.


If you decide to accept an offer Gazelle will send you a pre-paid box. You will then package the item in the box and drop it off at the post office. Once they receive your gadget it will be inspected to confirm it's in the condition you described. If something comes up during the inspection process, you will receive an email with the new value and the reason for any changes. You can either accept the offer or ask that they return the item to you. Once an offer has been accepted you can expect to be payed within 10 business days.





Get Cash For Your Gadgets at gazelle.com!

Ipsos Survey Panel

The Ipsos Survey Panel is a paying survey site that awards it's members with points and sweepstakes entry's for completing surveys. Points can be exchanged for gift cards from popular merchants or for merchandise available on their site. Each time you complete a survey you are invited to play the "Poll Predictor Game". Every time you play, you will win draw chances into great prizes like Laptops, Spa Retreats, HD TV's and more. Members are also entered in other i-Say contests and sweepstakes, the $5000 quarterly sweepstakes and the VIP Car Give-away. For each friend that you refer and then successfully signs up with Ipsos you'll earn another entry into the $5000 quarterly sweepstakes.

I really enjoy this survey panel. I've had the opportunity to test a few products with them. The only downside is I wish they would send me more surveys. But I suppose that would be a common complaint for all survey sites. After all more surveys = more money.

Mindfield Online Paid me

On June 11th I requested payment from Mindfield Online, I received payment on June 18th. Not bad. Some survey companies can take up to 6 weeks to send out a requested payment. The other thing that I like is that they have a paypal option. Most survey companies only send out check payments.




MindField Online is owned and operated by McMillion Research and has been in business for over 30 years. To become a member and start earning from surveys with Mindfield Online all you have to do is sign up and activate you account through an email they will send you. Once signed up be sure to complete the member questionaires, they are optional but help to target additional survey opportunities for you. Survey invitations will be sent to your email. So be sure to sign up with an email address you check frequently.

If you sign up and enjoy the site refer your friends and family. Mindfield Online currently pays $1 per referral.

Are you crafty?

Times are tough. So that means it's time to get creative. A lot of people love things that are handmade. So, why not consider selling your craft projects, art, handmade jewelry, or pottery for cash?

There are a lot of opportunities to sell your homemade goods online. Here are a few I found after a simple google search.

1. Etsy.com - Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. Their primary mission is to allow people to make a living selling their handmade goods. They have buyers and sellers from all over the world. You open you're own customizable store

2. Ebay - An online auction site. They have a handmade category for artists to sell their goods.

3. ShopHandmade.com - A site that allows you to list and sell your products. You keep all of the profits and operate an independent store.

4. RenegadeHandMade.com - Allows you to put your handmade goods on consignment for a 50/50 split

You can also consider selling your goods offline. A good place to start would be at craft fairs and art festivals. Sell your homemade items to friends, relatives, and co-workers. If you're having a garage sale set up a table to display your work.Just be creative, creative in what you make and your approach to selling it.

Bzz Agent

Do you love free stuff? I do. If you're like me and you enjoy getting things that you would consider using every day for FREE then consider signing up with BZZAgent.

Perhaps you're wondering what a BzzAgent is? BzzAgent connects marketers with the right consumers to activate honest word of mouth.They're a word-of-mouth media network powered by 600,000 people. They pair consumers with products and supply digital tools that make widespread opinion-sharing easy.

Why I recommend you join BZZAgent.

1. Discover cool new products, brands and websites

2. They send you cool FREE products to try.

3. Earn MyPoints for completing surveys, spreading Bzz and other activities.



Anyway, it's a really cool site and one that I think you'll enjoy.

My most recent BZZ campaign is the Bic Soleil Bella razors. They sent me a free 3 pack of disposable razors and 10 coupons for $3 off. I gave away one of the razors and all of the coupons. Everyone that has tried the razors love them. They have a very comfortable design that makes it easy to get to those "hard to reach" places and the blades rinse very well. Prior to trying this razor I had been using another brand that had 4 blades and they never seemed to rinse completely clean. I have no problem with the Soleil Bella.

MyPoints and SurveyHead payment proofs

Eleven days ago I cashed in my MyPoints points for a $50 Wal-Mart gift card. The card arrived on Monday.

In case you don't know MyPoints is a reward program that gives you points for reading e-mails, shopping online, taking surveys, doing web searches and completing a variety of other activities. Once you have earned enough points, you can redeem them for a gift card. They have over 70 merchants to choose from.
To start earning with MyPoints all you have to do is open a FREE account. Verify that the email address you provided during sign up is correct by clicking on a link in your welcome email. Make sure you fill out the personality profiles not only will you earn points for doing this but it will also increase your chances of getting emails which are worth even more points.





I also wanted to mention that on Friday I received payment from SurveyHead. SurveyHead is an online site which pays you to take surveys. When you sign up you receive a $5 sign up bonus. Cash out is $25 through paypal or an online Amazon certificate, you choose.

Coupons 101

Do you use coupons? If you don't you're missing out on a huge money saving opportunity. Saving 50 cents here or a dollar there can really add up.

There are many great places to find coupons.

1. Your local Sunday newspapers are probably the best place. Something like 80% of coupons come from the Sunday paper.

2. Use the internet. There are tons of sites that offer free printable coupons.

If you have a MyPoints account take advantage of their coupon section. For every featured coupon you print you'll earn 10 points. In addition to that if you redeem any 10 coupons or more a month you will earn an additional 25 bonus points.

Sign up for a completely FREE account with CouponMom.com. Members enjoy free access to their weekly Grocery Deals Lists (36 grocery chains nationally) and Drugstore Deals lists (Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid). They do the work and find the deals for you, and all you need to do is check your list each week to save dramatically. You will automatically receive their weekly "Free Coupons and Deals" newsletter from the Coupon Mom.



Maximize your savings.

1. Shop at stores that allow you to double your coupons.

2. Shop the sales. A product on sale, plus a coupon equals bigger savings.

3. Organize your coupons and pay attention to the expiration date.

4. Trade coupons. Swap coupons with friends or relatives.

5. Coupon Cheif is taking coupons to the next level of savings. With coupon chief you get paid to upload your coupons and share the savings. First you sign up to be a part of their program. Next you upload your coupons.When someone uses one of your coupons to make their purchase at a participating website, the transaction will be reported to your account and you'll earn 2% of the sales.

Online Surveys - A great way to earn extra income.

Taking online surveys is a great way to earn extra money. On average a survey will be approximately 20 minutes long and pay anywhere from $1-$5.Remember that is just an average, payments for surveys can vary widely. Occasionally when you take an online survey other earning opportunities will be presented to you. Sometimes you will be asked to test a product. Not only will you score a cool new product to try but you'll also be compensated for completing a survey about the product. Another opportunity that sometimes presents itself is a chance to participate in an online focus group. Last week I participated in a 60 minute online focus group for Survey Savvy and earned $20. The week prior I participated in a 40 minute focus group for Survey Spot and was compensated $25.



To maximize your survey earnings, sign up with several survey sites to increase your chance of getting survey invitations. When invited to a survey respond to the invitation promptly, quotas are sometimes filled or met rather quickly. Keep your survey profiles up to date this is how your eligibility for surveys is partially determined.

Avoid Internet survey scams. Do not pay to join survey panels or to have access to a database of survey sites. Before joining any site check it out. I recommend Survey Police they have a comprehensive list of survey sites that have been reviewed by others.

If you're new to taking surveys online here are a couple of sites I am personally a member of.

Survey Savvy
Opinion Outpost
Survey Spot

Why it's important to know what's on your credit report and how it can save you money.

Most of us know that our credit scores are very important numbers but have you ever considered what your credit score could be costing you?Over half of all lenders use FICO (better known as your credit score) scores when considering a loan request. Your FICO score also helps determine what your interest rate and down payment will be when purchasing such things as a home or car. If your score is on the low side you can expect to have a higher interest rate on your loans and credit cards probably costing you thousands of dollars through out your lifetime.Along with costing you money a low credit score can prevent you from being hired by an employer, renting an apartment, or even cause you to pay more out in insurance premiums.

Are you wondering how your FICO score is calculated?

35% - Your Payment History
30% - Amounts You Owe
15% - Length of Your Credit History
10% - Types of Credit Used
10% - New Credit



If you have a low credit score here are some things you can do to raise it.

1. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com and request a copy of your credit report from the 3 major consumer reporting companies Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only authorized online source to obtain a FREE credit report, created by the three consumer credit reporting companies Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You are entitled to a FREE report from each reporting company every 12 months.

2. Once you have a copy of your credit report dispute delinquent accounts. Write or call the collection agency and ask for written proof of the delinquency if no evidence can be provided they have to stop all collections attempts and delete that collections account from your credit report.

3. Limit the number of credit cards you have open and keep the balances low.

4. Pay your bills on time. A late payment can negatively impact your score by as much as 20 points.

5. Try to get current on past due accounts. Call the creditor and see if some payment arangements can be made.

6. Live within your means. Make a budget and stick to it.

7. When the option is available enroll for automatic bill pay. This will help prevent you from making late payments.


Taking control over the amount of debt you have today will save you money in the future.