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The Ethics of Samples

Free samples can be wonderful. Trying out a product can save you from costly mistakes in buying it, if you find that you don’t like it. You can be adventurous and try out something new that you might not otherwise have experienced. For some, the super sample people, it is an opportunity to reduce your budget by taking advantage of getting things for free. I know one lady who never buys perfume, because she is stocked with samples from the fragrance counter. And the samples may even come in handy when you your supplies are running low. For example, let’s … Continue reading →

The Ethics of Free Stuff

Okay, put on your steel-toed boots. I’m about to step on some toes here. Recently I had a college-aged friend confide to me that she and her roommate had a standing date for lunch at Costco‘s on Saturday morning. I told her how much I liked their pizza and she snickered. “Not the pizza, silly, the samples.” Now, I know this person well and the only thing in her dorm room is Cup O’ Noodles and orange juice. I doubt that she’s ever bought any of the products being demo-ed on those Saturday mornings. Even once. Her attitude is that … Continue reading →

Five Reasons to Stockpile Food

Among frugal living people, there is sometimes the debate about stockpiling food. Critics of stockpiling food point out that the money used on stockpiled food could be put in a bank to earn interest instead of invested in food that might go stale or bad. They may say that with a general income that keeps pace with inflation, there is no sense in stockpiling. Or they say that the stockpile takes up too much room in the home, costing you livable space. All those reasons may be valid, but I still have to say that I am pro stockpiling. Recent … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: May 12th Through May 18th

I sometimes get asked the question, where do you come up with your frugal ideas?!? I love this question, because it really humbles me. I am by no means someone who comes to frugality with a natural talent for it. Instead, I try to work hard to come up with new ways to save money and resources and help us all be the best stewards of our stuff. Some of the ideas come from research, some from readers and friends, most of the ideas come from a practical need or experience and some just pop into my head at inopportune … Continue reading →

Current Freebies

Remember that when companies offer freebies, it’s to gain new customers. Please only take advantage of those items that you conceivably might actually buy in the future. Read The Ethics of Free Stuff for clarification. Okay, that’s covered! Get ready to actually get something in the mail besides bills! Here is my list of current freebies. Iams Promise Pet Food – With three dogs and a cat, we go through a significant chunk of change every month in pet food. We usually go with the higher end stuff because the couple of dollars more we pay for the bag of … Continue reading →

A New Free Sample Site: Costco!

By now, if you have been reading the Deals Blog, you are familiar with the Walmart Free Samples Website. Through their site, Walmart offers a range of nice sized samples, with new offerings popping up on a regular basis. Now it seems that at least one other large store, Costco, is jumping on the bandwagon with regularly scheduled free samples. I have no idea if the samples will ever get “warehouse” sized, but so far they seem to be quite nice. Costco, like other warehouse stores likes to give out free food samples while you shop. Actually on one of … Continue reading →