Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
66 ways to get free stuff and live for free
Katie Royals
1st Jul 2021
You can get free stuff every day if you know where to look. Getting free stuff in the UK is easier than you think – it just takes a little know-how!
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a cash-strapped student or a six-figure earner: the more stuff you get for free, the more money you can save. The more money you can save, the more investments you can make – and grow your wealth exponentially!
Here are 62 ways you can grab some freebies.
- Live for fun – live for free
- Free health and beauty
- Search, and you will find: free travel
- Tech without the debt
- No-cost money savers and money makers
- Tuck in to free food
- Rip off the price tags: free shopping
Live for Fun – live for Free
Living frugally doesn’t have to be boring. There are plenty of fun things you can do for free!
1. Free music online
Go to Musicovery to listen to music for free online. You can choose what you listen to by mood, year or genre and the site forms a playlist for you.
Spotify is another great website a streaming service website which allows you to listen to millions of music tracks online for free – you just have to listen to the occasional 30-second advert every five minutes or so – a pretty small price to pay for free tunes!
Keep an eye out for the Spotify Premium offers that run frequently, too. You can get up to six months’ free Spotify Premium as a new user. Make sure you cancel your subscription before the end of the trial, though, otherwise it’s £9.99 a month (or £14.99 a month if you want the family membership).
2. Win big on competitions
Don’t turn your nose up at competitions! They’re a great way to get free stuff.
You might not think you’ll win, but your chances of success are usually a lot better than you think – people rarely bother to enter competitions because they think they won’t win. This opens the doors for you to swoop in and claim all the big prizes.
If you’re not sure where to start check out this article on how to make money from competitions.
Entering online competitions usually requires your email address, which means there’s a chance you’ll start receiving lots of spam. You can avoid this problem by setting up a separate email account, and have anything competition related sent there.
Don’t forget to sign up to the MoneyMagpie newsletter as we have a new, impressive competition every week. Sign up here.
3. Get a free magazine
The Week magazine is a firm favourite in the Moneymagpie office. There’s no jargon, no waffle – just an entertaining overview of all the stories that people are talking about.
Everyone from Jon Snow to Dawn French seems to read it – and now you can too, by claiming six issues totally free. Just make sure you cancel before the final issue is sent to avoid the subscription charge.
Whatever you like to read, it’s worth checking out if they have any introductory offers.
4. Free gigs
Music lovers can make the most of the free gigs around the UK with AllGigs.co.uk.
Here you can search for gigs by artist, town or type (there’s also an under £10 and under £5 section).
Also, sites such as ClashMusic provide updates on free gigs from bigger artists so it’s worthwhile keeping an eye out for your fave bands and singers on those too.
Right now gigs aren’t happening for obvious reasons, but many artists are live streaming concerts, which you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
5. Free cinema
Sign up to Show Film First and you could get the chance to see films before they’re released for free. Once you’ve signed up you’ll receive emails with a screening code which you can enter into the website to receive the free tickets. Others such as Free Cinema Tickets and Free Movies UK offer similar preview screenings so it’s worth signing up to both to get as many freebies as you can.
Again, cinemas are currently closed so streaming might be your best option.
New users can get a 30-day Amazon Prime free trial (and students get a reduced annual price, too!). Or perhaps you want to try a 7-day Disney+ trial, which children (and many adults!) will love.
Film lovers should look to Mubi which offers a 7-day free trial.
6. book swapping
Head to BookMooch – a site which lets you give away books you no longer need in exchange for books you really want.
Essentially, you give books and earn points. You use these points to get any book you want in return. If you like your new book, you can keep it forever! Or, you can keep the cycle going by sending it to someone else.
There’s no cost to be a member, but you must pay any postage charges.
7. get free books by reviewing them
Readers First is a new, online book reviewing community. Each week, they run prize draws where you can win a free copy of a book. All you need to do is register on their site and start reviewing!
8. …and by borrowing them
Of course, your local library is THE BEST way to get free books. Not only can you borrow plenty at a time (usually at least four books each time) but you can even order new ones for less than a pound.
Did you know, too, that every time you borrow from a library, the author gets paid? It’s only around £0.09 each time – but this adds up and is a valuable stream of income for writers. It doesn’t cost you a penny – and encourages them to keep writing new books!
It’s not just books available from your library, either. Libraries let you borrow audio books (even digital downloads on many library websites), use their computers for free, and can help you research projects. They often run lots of activities for the community, such as free events for young children, and will also help signpost you to local facilities who can help you for all sorts of things.
Currently, a lot of the resources have moved online. Check out your local library’s website to see what they’re offering during lockdown.
9. Read Magazines Online for Free
Readly is a great app that offers at least a one month free trial (sometimes more). You also get an extra free month for every friend you refer that signs up to be a paid Readly customer.
After your free month, it’s £7.99 a month – but that’s often the cost of just one magazine! For that price, you have access to thousands of magazines every month – including the back issues that are so hard to find in print.
10. Listen to podcasts and audiobooks for free
The rise in reading has also lead to a boom in audio productions. That means there’s a whole bunch of audiobooks and podcasts out there – and tons of them are free!
Your library is one place to start (see above). You could also sign up to a free trial at Audible for a free month – this entitles you to access the Audible Members’ Area. That gives you access to hundreds of free audio series, from fiction to true crime documentaries and more. Once you’ve downloaded the content into your account (or onto your device), it’s yours forever – even if you cancel your trial.
Places like Spotify and Apple Music also have a ton of free podcasts available. Many are like radio shows, with guest speakers like a chat show. Others, however, are serialised dramas like you’d find on BBC Radio 4 or similar – so there’s something for everyone!
11. get a complimentary ebook on how to get a job
Check out our helpful eBook ‘49 ways to get a job‘ here which you can get totally for free. It will give you lots of great ideas to get that job or that commission.
12. internet hotspots on the house
If you need to find your nearest free WiFi connection use FreeHotspot which pinpoints free wireless internet hotspots all over the UK – search by street, town or country. Free WiFi is available in lots of parts of the country, particularly in the cities.
Always make sure your WiFi is secure if you’re using it for any sensitive data, like online banking. If you’re out and about and you’re not sure if the WiFi is secure, stay on 4G to be sure.
13. Sign up for free shows
This is one for post-lockdown, when Covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Go to the BBC website to apply for free tickets to your favourite TV show, tour, and live events for new music. You can also try Lost In TV where you can apply for tickets to other TV programmes like The Cube and The Apprentice: You’re Fired. Add yourself to their mailing list to receive updates on any new dates of upcoming shows, and check out the websites for regular updates.
ApplauseStore– Get tickets to see big shows like The X Factor and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.
SRO audiences has tickets for Mock The Week, Alan Carr: Chatty Man and All Star Family Fortunes, to name just a few.
14. Free festivals
This is another one to look into post-Covid.
If you work for Oxfam at festivals, you can see all your favourite bands for free.
You will need to pay a deposit but you get that back as soon as you turn up. You work in shifts (which vary depending on the festival) and in return you get a free ticket to the event. Once you’ve finished your shift the rest of your time can be spent enjoying the festival. Find out how to apply on their website.
Many other festivals run similar schemes – if you’ve got your eye on a particular festival, check out their website to see if they run volunteer schemes in exchange for free tickets.
15. zero-cost fun with the kids
Get free Disney pictures from the Disney Print Station and free CBeebies characters from the BBC website for the kids to colour in.
Get your kids to send in letters, pictures and poems to Blue Peter to earn themselves a badge.
If they get a Blue Peter badge they can gain free access to hundreds of venues in the UK. Blue Peter badges are only awarded to children aged six to 15 years old. There are six altogether – blue, silver, green, orange, gold and the team player’s purple badge.
16. Free entry to nightclubs
We might not be able to go on nights out right now, but they will return and when they do we’ll remember how much they set us back.
London in particular is notoriously expensive, but lots of clubs offer free entry. Look at Designmynight for lists of nightclubs in London and other parts of the country that offer free entry nights.
Another trick is to go earlier than usual to your club of choice. Sure, it’ll take a while for the party to get going – but entry is free, happy hour is usually on, and you can usually stake a claim on a booth or seating area too.
17. Free UK events
Make the most of all the UK freebies with Free-events.co.uk which lists all the free festivals, parades, carnivals etc that are going on in the UK. Londoners can also go to All In London for info on the many free events in the capital.
18. Free theatre
Firstly, if you are a serious theatre fan, set up a blog reviewing plays and then you can get press tickets. It will take a while to get tickets to the really good stuff, but if you keep on, you should be able to build up your reputation.
If you don’t want to go through the effort of starting you a blog, you can try Cheap Theatre Tickets. The website has free and reduced tickets on some of the best theatre in your area.
19. free local entertainment and events
Sign up to any newsletters that your local council sends out because that way you will find out about free events and entertainment that they are running in the borough. They could be running a free fireworks night in November, free Santa’s grotto in December, free family events in the summer holidays and free talks and workshops. You can find your local council’s website on Gov.uk.
Remember to read your local paper and that local magazine that gets delivered and seems to be full of adverts, too. Sometimes, there are hidden gems such as free events and also competitions to win things from local businesses or entry to attractions.
Free health and beauty
Looking good and practising self-care doesn’t have to break the bank. Here’s how we manage it.
20. Free cosmetics and more
Some companies will pay you to test cosmetics – yes, seriously.
To find out what opportunities are available, sign up to our freebies newsletter.
21. Free dental work
Get some free treatment by going to dental students at a UK dental school. Visit the British Dental Association for contact details of participating universities. Don’t panic – although they aren’t fully qualified, there are always trained supervisors on hand to help out. Bare in mind, it will take longer than usual.
22. snack box samples
If you’re trying to control your cravings for something tasty between meals then the Nibble Box from Graze is a great guilt-free snack. Choose online from a variety of health foods including dried fruit and olives and they will deliver the box to your door. You can get your first box free – and it’s always worth Googling ‘Graze Offers’ for extra discounts or more free boxes!
23. Free beauty parties
Grab your friends and family and host a product party, and you can try out loads of free beauty goodies. Of course, this is another post-Covid thing to put on your list – but what a great way to get together with friends after a long time apart!
The great thing about hosting a party is that you get extra goodies and additional discounts off things you order, too.
Try The Body Shop at Home and Avon as reputable companies to host your party. The local consultant visits your home and demonstrates the products to you, offering them for sale to your party attendees at a reduced price.
24. Free cosmetics
If you’re over the age of 18 you could try your hand at doing some cosmetic research online with Clicks Research.
It’s really easy, you just try, review and keep new hand creams, moisturisers, children’s products and all sorts of other goodies. There are no unnecessary forms to fill in; all you need to do is provide your email address, a long-term home address (so they can send you products to review) and a phone number. It’s a really great way to get hold of some new products in exchange for a review.
25. Free haircuts and beauty treatments
Get your hair cut by a student at a hairdressing college. It’s not so scary – most students have had hours of class time and there is a teacher with them at all times.
Go with trusted hair salons like Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy – which offer free hair cuts (and mega cheap highlights). You will need to book early, you must be comfortable with a student cutting your hair, and be warned that it could take a few hours to get your hair done!
Both salons only offer the services on specific dates and times so you need to book in advance. It is well worth the effort as most salons charge at least £100 for cuts and highlights.
Beauty colleges offer similar cheap or free treatments for massages, manicures, pedicures, and facials. Contact your local college to find out more.
26. charity health check for dogs
Animal charity PDSA tours around the UK to provide free health checks for dogs every year.
Pet owners can come along to ask a veterinary nurse any questions about their dog’s health and have their pet’s diet, fitness, dental care and coat condition given a look over. Check the website for a list of locations and dates.
search, and you will find: Free travel
We all love a holiday – Covid-19 restrictions permitting – but they can be one of our biggest expenses. Here’s how you can travel for free.
27. House swap for a free holiday
Get a free holiday by swapping your home with somebody else for a few weeks. It’s great because no money is exchanged at all for the accommodation, you’ll only need to cover the costs of travel.
Go to a house-swapping site and read other people’s descriptions of their house and facilities and exchange destination. Check out our detailed article about house swapping for more info.
House swapping is a fantastic way of getting free accommodation, but it’s CRUCIAL that you do it through a reputable agency. HomeExchange is one of the best around.
28. Get a free pound
At MoneyMagpie we’re big fans of online surveys as they’re an easy way to make some extra cash. We’re particularly fond of Inbox Pounds as they give you £1 just for signing up. Get your free pound here. As you take more surveys, save your Inbox Pounds earnings to pay for your holiday plans!
29. Reward card freebies
Reward points are a great way to get money off or even free travel.
Reward credit cards give you miles when you spend but it’s important to remember that these cards are useless unless you pay off your bill every month. You will not earn Avios on outstanding balances and the interest rates tend to be higher than other cards.
As a basis of reference it costs about 9,000 Avios to fly to Europe and around 20,000 to fly to North America. To find out more about frequent flyer miles and other reward credit cards click here.
You can now even convert your Nectar points into Avios points to use for travel.
30. free eBook to save your money on travel
Want to know how to get the best rate on your currency exchange, the cheapest and easiest way to get flights and hotels and how to keep yourself safe when abroad? You can find it out here totally for free in our giveaway eBook on how to get the best deals on travel.
Also check out our fool-proof guide to getting cheap holidays here.
31. free holiday with bulk-booking
With some operators, if you book travel for ten or more people they will throw in one for free.
- Eurostar does special group deals and weekend getaways to destinations including Paris, Brussels and Euro Disney.
- Opodo is always worth a look for group deals, particularly on self-catering skiing holidays.
- Virgin Holidays say that if you book with a minimum of ten adults you may qualify for a group discount.
32. make others pay for your travel with car-sharing
Get into car-sharing for regular journeys with BlaBlacar.com. You can share the petrol costs or, if you take two people, you could find yourself having the whole cost covered by their contribution.
It’s also worth trying Lift Share to help cover the costs of your journeys.
tech without the debt
Technology is stressful enough without adding huge bills into the equation. With some simple tips and tricks you can cut your tech bill right down.
33. Recycle your gadgets for cash
Recycle your old and unused gadgets for cash. It’s quick, free and could make you over £200.
From mobile phones to cameras, games consoles and more, by recycling your gadgets you can make money and help save the environment.
If you want to recycle a mobile phone use the Moneymagpie phone recycling tool. Just click on the make of phone you want to recycle and we’ll show you which recycling company will give you the most for it.
34. Free calls with VoIP
Skype is probably the most well known VoIP (Voice Over IP) service, although Zoom is coming up fast behind it!
We may all feel we’ve had enough of video calling at the moment, but at least we can keep in touch with our friends and family for free.
You can also use your smartphone for free calls! FaceTime or Whatsapp Video Calling are free when you’re using WiFi.
35. Say no to 0870
Premium rate numbers can charge up to ten times the cost of a normal landline call. But you don’t have to accept this charges.
Take a look at Say No To 0870. It has a search engine to find alternative local numbers for companies.
All you have to do is click search to find an alternative number and enter either the number or the company name. The engine It will come back with a range of suggestions for you to try instead of the 0800 number.
36. Free texts
Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal, and Facebook Messenger are free to use, so you can message your friends and family as much as you like without racking up a large phone bill.
If you prefer SMS messages, send as many as you like to any mobile at SendSMSnow.
37. Free mobile SIMs
If you’re not bothered about having the latest phone model there are some pretty impressive PAYG deals around these days – free minutes and texts are no longer for contracts alone. All of the networks offer inclusive minutes and texts when you top up so why not nab a free SIM and take a look at the deals on offer? Check out Carphone Warehouse for their latest deals and offers.
38. Free TV
Don’t panic if you’ve missed your favourite show. You can catch up with programmes online with the ITV Player and Channel 4 OD (on demand). With 4oD you can catch up on the last 30 days’ TV online and watch thousands of classic programmes and films. ITV Player lets you catch up with programmes you’ve missed for up to 30 days after and 5 runs Demand Five where you can watch all their catch-up for free.
Just be aware that if you’re not paying for a TV licence you are not able to use BBC iPlayer. You can find out more about that here.
If reality TV is more your thing, hayU is offering a one month free trial, so you can Keep Up With The Kardashians as much as you like! Keep an eye out for free Netflix and Disney Plus trials, too – and if you pay for Amazon Prime, you’ll have access to thousands of free shows and films, too.
no cost money makers and money savers
You can also make money without spending money – what’s not to love about this double win?
39. 0% credit cards
When used properly, 0% credit cards can be a good short term solution if you want to borrow money without paying any interest.
You need to be very disciplined to use one of these cards because they only work if you know you’ve got income coming in within the 0% interest period.
Our advice is simple – don’t use them if you can’t afford to pay them off within that period. However, there are some amazing deals on offer – if your credit rating is good enough – that last for at least three years!
40. Unclaimed assets
You could have hundreds or even thousands of pounds lying in dormant accounts and investments.
There’s at least £15 billion in unclaimed financial assets lying around in Britain, according to the Unclaimed Assets Register, an organisation run by credit agency Experian (get a free credit check from Experian now).
If you think you might have unclaimed assets, look at My Lost Account. This is a free online search service that will rummage through bank records for you. You have to enter your details and it will tell you if you’ve got any old accounts you’d forgotten about. You may not have long left to claim the money so get all the information now.
41. Free money from the government
If you’re about to reach State Pension age but you’d like to keep working, even just on a part-time basis then you can put off claiming your pension and when you do take it, the government will give you extra! It’s really worth it if you don’t mind working for a bit longer.
Find out more on the GOV.UK website.
42. MORE FREE MONEY FROM THE GOVERNMENT
If you’re on Universal Credit, you could be eligible for a Help to Save savings account.
Once you’ve earned over £604.56 in one month (not including UC income), you’re eligible to apply for the account. You only need to hit that income level once to qualify.
You can then save up to £50 a month for four years. After four years, the account automatically closes.
At the end of year two and year four, you’ll receive a 50% bonus from the Government on the highest balance you’ve held. So, if you save £50 a month for four years, you’ll have saved £2,400 – and will receive an extra £1,200 total (£600 in year two, £600 in year four) from the Government.
43. Even more free money from the Government
Yes! It’s true, it’s possible to get more free cash from the Government. There are several national and regional coronavirus recovery funds – whether that’s a small grant from your local council for self-isolating, or a larger grant through the Self Employed Income Support Scheme, you might qualify.
These schemes are constantly changing at the moment, to reflect the ongoing uncertainty and challenges caused by Covid-19. Check out the Gov.uk website for the latest info.
44. Free money for your children
If you register with online reward scheme KidStart, you get cashback whenever you shop through them, and the money can be put into an account for your kids. Plus, you can get other family members to contribute by doing their shopping that way too.
It’s completely free to join, so if you’re going to be spending the money anyway, you might as well do it through them and put something away for your children.
45. Cashback sites
Use a cashback shopping website that pays you to buy your shopping through them.
Two popular cashback sites are Quidco and Top Cashback.
Not only will you get money back when you shop through them, but there are also referral bonuses. Both sites currently offer a £25 bonus for each referral.
46. Free cashback when you shop on the high street
We’re all getting used to receiving cashback when shopping online but what about in high street shops? – When they’re allowed to open again of course!
With the Quidco app and with Topcashback, you can even get cashback when you go into your favourite stores. It’s a quick and easy way to make money shopping.
47. Free mortgage advice
London & Country is a great independent mortgage brokers in the UK. You can speak to them for free about your mortgage needs. You don’t have to buy then and there, but the sooner you do some research the easier it will be to find out which mortgage deal is right for you.
48. Free newsletter
Don’t forget to sign up to our free newsletter.
We send an email once a week to thousands of people full of money-making and money-saving tips plus a whole host of bargains and freebies. You’ll also receive a FREE eBook on how to make £80 in an hour. Sign up now!
49. get the benefits you’re entitled to
You could be missing out on money and discounts on services like dentistry if you don’t know what benefits you are entitled to.
Use free sites like Turn2Us and Entitledto to find out what you could be getting.
They both have calculators where you can fill out your details and find out what you could be entitled to.
50. Free chores and services
Swap your skills with other people to get jobs done for free. Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS) have been set up all over the country to help communities swap their skills.
They work by creating a unit of ‘currency’ which can be collected when you provide a service – and then used to ‘pay’ for someone to provide a service for you. For example, if you’re a great cook you can bake someone a cake and then use those credits to get someone to do your gardening. Check out LETSLinkUK for more information and to find your nearest scheme.
Find out more about how the scheme works here.
51. Free courses
Learn a new skill and boost your job prospects for free. There are lots of free courses around!
Check out Coursera. From literature to finance, there is a wide range of free online courses for everyone run by universities around the world. Shakira even did one of their Ancient History courses last Spring! Coursera also offers courses focused on employability skills, so you may be able to give your CV a boost too.
If you fancy yourself a chef, The Shaw Academy is offering 4 weeks free on its cooking and baking essentials course. While Udemy is also offering free cooking courses for a range of culinary skills.
You could also learn a language. Duolingo is free and offers step-by-step, simple lessons in languages ranging from Spanish to Japanese and even High Valyrian for Game of Thrones fans!
52. check your credit report for free
Do you know what your credit score is? Do you suspect that someone is using your identity to take our loans and credit cards?
It’s really important to see what is being said about your on your credit report. It might be, for example, that you’re not on the electoral roll and that is harming your credit rating. There are all sorts of things that could be on your report that you don’t know about.
You can check your credit report for free with all three credit reference agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
53. complimentary eBook on how mums can make money
Would you like to stay at home to be there for your kids but make money at the same time?
There are lots of ways you can do this and we tell you about them in our great eBook on how mums can make money. Get it here!
54. Free money from your employer
Most employees qualify for automatic enrolment into a workplace pension scheme.
If you’re aged between 22 and State Pension age and earn at least £10,000 per year, your employer should automatically enrol you into a workplace pension scheme.
Not only does the Government put in your pension pot any money you would have paid in tax on the amount you put in, but your employer will also make monthly contributions. So that’s two lots of free money you could be getting.
Find out more about workplace pensions here.
55. free professional financial advice
You know you need to get your finances sorted, but you don’t know where to start. Don’t worry, it’s a common problem.
This is where help from a professional, independent financial advisor is invaluable.
Proper, independent advisors will charge for their advice but you can get a free session with someone who is recommended by people like you if you book them through VouchedFor. With VouchedFor you can see what other clients think about the advisors on their list.
Pick one who sounds like the best fit for you.
tuck in to Free food
The weekly food shop can be expensive, particularly now everyone is at home for every meal. But, you can get food for free.
56. get free food by blagging
In non-Covid times there are gallery openings, book signings, restaurant openings and all sorts of other events with free food and drink happening around the country every week.
If you live in a city it’s particularly easy to come across these events. Most of the time it’s just a question of getting yourself put on an email list. Go into galleries and museums and ask to be put on their list to find out about new events.
If you see that a new restaurant is opening, ask to be invited to the opening week – they often have half-price meals then.
After a while, you will find that you will meet people from other venues at these events so get their cards and put yourself on those lists. You could end up eating for free every week night!
This really is just a case of acting confidently and faking it till you make it!
57. Grow your own
If you enjoy eating fresh fruit and veg you’ll know f just how expensive they can be to buy.
Grow your own and you’ll soon have that luxury completely free. It may cost you a bit to get started. But once you’re up and running, you’ll make this money back in no time!
Find out how to make money from your garden here.
58. Be a ‘freegan’
If you’ve got no qualms about ‘best before’ dates, then this could be right up your street.
It involves rifling through bins at the back of supermarkets to get a hold of left over food destined for the scrap heap.
Most of the stuff thrown away is fine to eat, just past its sell-by date. Currently supermarkets throw out about 5% of their food each day because they’re required to by law, not because it’s bad or harmful.
The only problem is, it’s not really legal, so not many can do it. However, some shops don’t mind you diving into their dumpsters. See what we have to say about it in our free food article here.
59. Pick-your-own
Make the most of what the great outdoors has to offer by going foraging.
Blackberries, elderflowers, shellfish, seaweed and nettles are just a few of the natural delights you can pick and eat – without paying a penny.
Richard Mabey’s book Food for Free, which has been around for 40 years, is a great source of information, but there are many others out there just as helpful, as well as a wide variety that include recipes.
60. free food from your neighbours
Download the Olio app. It puts you in touch with neighbours and cafes that have surplus food. You can list your unwanted items as well as request offer people’s. And – it’s completely free.
As a bonus, you’re helping the environment by reducing food waste. The app helps us all share food that would otherwise go to landfill.
rip off the price tags: Free shopping
Shopping for free may sound too good to be true, but it is possible if you know how.
61. Freebie sites
Companies are always trying to promote their products.
So far we’ve found you can get free samples of shampoo, breakfast bars, washing powder, razors, cameras, books, pens, perfumes, CDs, cinema tickets, T-shirts, chocolates, sweets, tea, coffee, SIM cards, toys, posters and magazines – and there will be much more out there as well!
There are lots of websites gathering all of these freebies in one place so you can find what you want. It’s not just samples either, they also group together free trials or coupons and vouchers that you can print off and use to get your discount.
We are fans of Latestfreestuff.co.uk as they have a lot of good quality freebies.
We recommend setting up a separate email address for these sites, to avoid having your inbox taken over by spam.
62. GET all types of free stuff
freecycle and freegle
Sign up to Freecycle and Freegle to see what is being given away by people in your area.
These sites are a great way for people to recycle and re-use everything from sheets and towels to fridges, sofas, plants and wardrobes. You could potentially furnish your home for nothing – apart from the cost of picking up the items – just by keeping an eye on these sites.
You do have to be quick as good stuff is snapped-up very quickly, but if you’re helpful and polite and able to get to the giver’s address quickly, you’re in with a good chance.
gumtree
VisitGumtreeand under ‘For Sale’ click freebies for a list of free things in your area.
You will have to collect the items but it’s a small price to pay for a free sofa or washing machine! Just click on the items you want then email the owners to organise a time to collect – but be quick as they tend to go quickly. You can also try posting an ad of your own saying what items you need and someone might get in touch.
One extra tip: if you do get to pick up something nice for free, consider taking them something as well like a bar of chocolate or a small bunch of flowers. Just show your gratitude. It means a lot and will open you up to more good. Try it!
63. Pick up free things with mystery shopping
Mystery shopping is a great way to bag yourself some freebies, like meals out, products and even cash.
You will have to sign up to a decent agency but they’re usually free to join and you certainly shouldn’t part with any cash to be on their books. Check out some of these well-known, reputable agencies:
- JKS Mystery Shopping
- TNS Global
- Gfk UK
- Storecheckers
Read all about it in our article here.
64. Swap clothes for a new wardrobe – for free
Rehash Clothes allows you to swap your clothes online for free – just pay postage.
If you’re happy to part with a little cash, you may be interested in revamping your wardrobe for under a tenner.
65. get Couponing
Couponing is a great way to shop for free. If you keep an eye on sites like this you can get money off your shopping and even bag some free items!
66. get a free ebook on how to save money as a family
Do you feel skint all the time? Do you wish you could have a week of just sleeping? Does the house feel like it’s been taken over by alien beings? Sounds like you’re a parent!
Great article! Thanks for the info…I am in US…so I can only use some of these teriffic resources…any list like this with more US “freebees” ?
Do you lead the ultimate thrifty lifestyle? Is living off £1 a day second nature to you rather than a challenge? If so, then Hotbed Media are keen to speak with people living the ultimate thrifty lifestyle. We want to talk to people whose budgets only allow them to spend no more than a couple of pounds per day because they believe in this lifestyle. We also want to hear from people who have enjoyed this frugal way of life for many years. We are filming a taster tape on Wednesday 18th November 2009 and we’d like our presenter to… Read more »
Never ever get free credit reports!!
Experian ect were all set up via stealth some 25 years ago by ONE commissioners report.
Its a massive con to hook you in for a month,then you will find lots of false info on your report.
Then after first free month pay 5.95 membership,and 6.95 to check score!!
this has to be the biggest legal CON of all time.
2 yearslater im STILL waiting for info to be removed!!
Fsa do not oversea them,oft office of fair trading told me “anyone can set up a credit agency”worrying isnt it.
I tried the britishfreebies site you recommended. Of the 6 offers I chose to click on 4 pages had moved and 2 brought up only adverts!!! No freebies for me 🙁
Thanks, here to help and I found this too…..realfreestuffforall./
THANKS FOR THIS AWESOME SITE!
Freebieholics is listed under the freebies section, but…I think this article is a repost of an older one, the site has had a massive revamp recently and definitely doesn’t come under the not as good section any more….It has to be one of the best now, by a long way.
Think this is a bit of a con.Been registered for 4 months and had 1 e mail.When this was clicked on the research trial was full even though it was only an hour after receiving it.Also they want a lot of details off you which I bet they will sell on to other companies
Thank you so much Sharon! I’m glad it’s helpful. Keep in touch!
After seeing the Wright Stuff I brought your book and am going through the steps to control my financial situation.
Thank you for all your advice.
Free Books
Don’t forget you can join the library