Ever since my husband and I started dating he had this phrase that he would always say when he got something for free; he called it “living off the land”. I thought it was pretty clever, so over the years I have adopted it too. I’ve been amazed at the amount of free stuff we’ve gotten because of my husband’s extensive research and passion for a deal. With just a few extra steps you’d be amazed at the money you could save and the things you could get for free. Interested? I thought so….who doesn’t love free stuff?!
Here’s some ways to start living off the land:
1. Sign up for birthday freebies. Almost every restaurant and store in this day and age has some sort of deal for your birthday. Most of the time it means signing up to join their email newsletter to get it though. If you aren’t comfortable giving out your email or don’t want your inbox filled with “spam” messages, create an email just for deals! Check out this list of 44 birthday freebies; here are a few of my husband and I’s favorites:
- Jimmy John’s- Free 8” sandwich
- Starbucks- Free drink of choice
- Red Robin- Free burger
- Robeks- Free classic flavor smoothie
2. Download Apps. Even though it creates a little bit of phone clutter, having apps for restaurants and stores can save you so much money! That saying “there’s an app for that” is so true! Almost every business has an app now and most of them have special deals that are exclusive to their app. From freebies, to coupons, to reward programs, there’s a lot to love on apps. If you’re wondering which ones to download first, these are some of the apps I’ve had success with:
- Taco Time App: During baseball season Taco Time offers free mexi-fries every time the Mariners hit a triple!
- Safeway App: They have a free weekly item that you can redeem, no purchase necessary!
- Dairy Queen App: Every week they switch out their deals. Be on the lookout for buy one get one free blizzards!
3. Check your local Craigslist free section. Believe it or not my husband has actually found quite a few quality items on sites like Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. From furniture, to plants, to books, there is a lot to be discovered on these sites. While not everything you find is going to be a gem, it can be fun to search for the “diamond in the rough”.
4. Get the right credit card. If you’re going to have a credit card you might as well have one that works for you! Every card is different and offers different types of rewards, so it’s important to find one that works for your lifestyle. If you like to travel a lot, an airline credit card might be best for you, if you shop at stores like Target or Marshalls a store credit card might save you a lot of money! For my husband and I, we just wanted cold, hard, cash so we use the Costco Citi credit card. Once a year it pays us out in cash and the credit card also works as our Costco membership! For us it works, but like I mentioned above, it’s important to do your research and find the one that works best for your lifestyle!
5. Enter contests on radio stations and social media! Yes, this actually works! Take it from me, I work at a radio station and one of my favorite parts of my job is blessing people with free stuff! There are so many easy ways to win these contests. Sometimes it’s as easy as entering on facebook or just tuning in and listening for that cue to call/text. From coffee, to gift cards, to concert tickets, to cash, there are so many amazing prizes to be won!
Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you get started on “living off the land”. Do you know about a deal or freebie that isn’t mentioned? We’d love to hear about it!
Hi I’m Ashley! Wife, Promotions and Marketing Director, and (reluctant) dog mom are just a few of the hats I wear. I love going to Target for absolutely nothing and for everything, cooking, crafts, and party planning. You can usually find me with a cup of Woods Coffee and a smile!
