. Thanks for visiting my blog for our very unofficial (but, oh so cool!) Freebie Friday. If you click through the links to the left, you will see that I have included some type of freebie each Friday, for quite some time now.
I received a wonderful letter full of great information on the Walgreen’s Rebate Program, that I wanted to share with all of you!!
Dear Amy,
I have been a tentative lurker of your blog for some weeks now, and am now a confirmed addict, ever since the Freebie Friday sample I very skeptically sent off for arrived in good time and removed all my doubts on that score.
First, per your last Freebie Friday post, thank you SO much for sharing these! I LOVE the free stuff – after the first soul-wringing angst of questioning whether I really wanted to risk giving away all my contact info for who knows how much prospective junk mail was overcome, I have signed up recklessly for pretty much everything you link to, and hardly a day goes by that some free sample doesn’t turn up in my mailbox. Lovely!
Second, I wonder how you manage to keep your freebies straight. Of course they all are limited to one per household; how do you remember if you’ve signed up for a particular deal or not? Or do you just sign up again if in doubt, under the assumption that if you already signed up, they just won’t send it? I ask because your recent review of Folgers gourmet coffee rings a bell, and I think I may have signed up for gourmet coffee recently, but it may have been another brand….and I was just wondering how you manage to keep it all straight.
Finally, you solicited requests for more freebies. You may have already run a post on Walgreens’ Easy Saver in the distant past, but it’s such a great deal that it bears repeating. For those lucky enough to live near a Walgreens, there is no reason NOT to get wonderful free stuff every month. Here is a link to the website; click on the Catalog button to see this month’s deals. In its most simple form, you can use it as a rebate. Simply buy all the items listed in the middle of the flyer, which are advertised as being free, from your local Walgreens; fill out the rebate form; and send away for your check. You will get a rebate check for the entire amount of the purchase, less, of course, sales tax. If you choose to follow this option, then you will probably only want to buy the stuff you can actually use (sanitary pads, toothbrushes, etc.) because you are going to be stuck with the cost of the sales tax.
However, the way I use the Easy Saver rebate is to elect to receive my rebate in the form of a Walgreens gift card instead of a check. If you choose this option, you will get not only your money back, but also a 10% bonus, which easily covers the cost of the sales tax AND the stamp used to mail off the rebate each month. Once you receive the card, you can choose to simply reload it in future months, saving time in the mail. I always get my rebate reloaded onto my card well in time to buy the stuff for next month.
Because I use this gift card system, I have a sort of ‘revolving balance’ with Walgreens on this rebate system, which enables me to buy every free item every month, no matter how useful to me. I gamely buy everything they offer and decide how to use it later. Some of the medications (cold, flu, nasal stuff, etc.) that we wouldn’t use I can give away. Some items (reading glasses) I can donate to missionary causes. Some of the random stuff (hemorrhoid treatment, anti-itch cream) I can save for gag gifts and such.
It’s all free, and the more stuff I buy, the more of a balance I accrue on my gift card. I think I started off by spending about $25 on the rebate items the first month I tried it out, and I’ve now worked up my gift card balance to around $40. So I am still ‘out’ my initial investment of $25, but I’ve gotten a year’s worth of free stuff for it, and anytime I decide to opt out of playing this game, I can choose to have my final purchase refunded to me in the form of a check, completely cashing me out and then some.
A caution: you do have to follow through with the rebate paperwork. I am not good with details, so I have to MAKE myself fill out the paperwork the instant I return from shopping. The instructions in the flyer are pretty clear, but it is a bit of hoop-jumping: you have to fill out the rebate form, circle the items on the receipt, and write the offer numbers by each item. There is, thankfully, no requirement to include UPC symbols. I make a copy of the paperwork before I mail it, just to be careful. You MUST follow the instructions scrupulously, you MUST buy the stuff (and send off the paperwork) within the allotted time frame, and you MUST make sure that the item does indeed cost less than the maximum rebate amount. Walgreens is usually pretty good about making sure that if they advertise something as free, the price will be less than the rebate amount; but I still have to watch it and make sure I don’t buy the wrong size shampoo and end up paying more than I will get refunded.
Anyway, hope that helps! You certainly have brightened my life with your freebies and your crockpot recipes. Thanks again and keep up the good work!
~Rose
Raise your hand if you love Rose right now! Isn’t this just the best letter? It explains anything & everything that you would ever want to know about the Walgreens Rebate Program. I have never taken advantage of doing this because I didn’t really understand how it worked. I can’t wait to give this a shot and see what other things I can bring home for free. Thanks so much to Rose for sharing this invaluable information with all of us.
Rose also asked a good question about how to keep track of your freebies. I actually keep a list of these in a Word document and that is how I know what I have already posted. If you keep them in a Word document or in a spreadsheet, it can be easy to know exactly what you have and haven’t applied for. One method could be just bolding the things that you have already received, that way you can see what you applied for (and never arrived) or what you need not apply for again.
I try to only post freebies from companies that I KNOW will actually send us the freebies. For example, I know that I can count on Walmart freebies and that they will arrive in (a maximum) of two weeks. I also know that Dove is a great company that offers freebies and always delivers. If, for example, I start to see a pattern with a particular company and nothing ever arrives to my house, I am quick to remove them from the list for the following week.
If you have first-hand experience with the Walgreens Rebate Program or any freebies that you found to be one of the best freebies of all time, feel free to reply by clicking on the Comments button.
Keep those letters coming and I will contact you, should I chose to use them in the blog, and make sure that it is okay with you to reprint these.
Many blessings to Rose & her family for sharing their great freebie techniques!
Get a complimentary 512 MB USB drive & a product catalog from SunUSB. These are sent out on a first come, first serve basis. Offer good while supplies last.
Try a free Luna Sunrise Nutrition Bar.
Register for a free sample of Eucerin Plus Intensive Repair Foot Crème. This offer is g
ood while supplies last.
Join their mailing list and get a free five pound bag of Natural Dog Food. The link to it is in the right hand corner of the page.
Request a sample of the new Bic Duo Pen (this is available to the first 10,00 who sign up). This pen will arrive in six to eight weeks after your request.
Receive a free sample of Eucerin Redness Relief.
Register for a free Senseo Gourmet Coffee Pod System. You will receive an email confirmation if you have been chosen. When completing the survey, stating that you host a book club definitely helps your chances. If you are chosen, they will email you within the week and request your shipping address. It will take one to two weeks for your new coffee pod system to arrive. Good luck on that one!! I received mine yesterday and it is FANTASTIC! Brand new and in the box. They also offer a letter of suggestions for events you can use your new system. This will make a lovely Christmas gift, if you already have one (like I do!)
Need coffee pods for your new free one cup coffee pod system? Visit this site and call the number listed for a free sample of Baronet One Cup Coffee Pods
Nature’s One is offering a sample of their organic toddler dairy or soy pediatric formula. You will need to call the number listed on the site for your free sample.
This is a really good freebie- a FREE Swiffer WetJet. It will arrive in the mail within two to four weeks, and will have complete instructions for completing an online product survey to thank them for giving you this wonderful freebie. Hurry and get this one quick!!
Get a free sample of the new Cheer True Fit laundry detergent. Look for your sample to arrive in six to eight weeks.
Receive a free sample of Madison Lange Cosmetics. Only fill in the address portion and click yes, to receive a sample of their cosmetics.
I will add this one to the comments section of our birthday freebies post. Cold Stone Creamery now has a birthday club that you can join and have your children join. They will give you a free creation on your birthday! Join their club today!!
Get a free sample of True Lemon. You will need to give your email address and then confirm it, before they will send you the sample. Check your email to get this one!
Free dryer balls for answering a few quick questions about your fabric softener usage.