Ana Maria Macovei is somewhat of a freebie expert.
She’s received thousands of items over the years – all entirely for free – and is now sharing her top tips for bagging everything from mattresses to beauty products without spending a penny.
The stay at home mum’s biggest freebie so far has been an £800 mattress and pillow set, and she hasn’t bought skincare for years as she gets it all for free.
Some of the other items Ana has bagged include a car seat worth £350, a water flosser worth £60, a Logitech crayon worth £60 and lots of food and drink.
So yes, we’re paying close attention to her wisdom. Imagine the money you’d save if you never bought moisturiser again.
‘I have been applying for freebies for a very long time,’ Ana, from Essex, tells LatestDeals.co.uk. ‘Now that I stay at home, even more than before, especially when my son has his naps!
‘It’s something I really enjoy doing. I only apply for the ones I know I would use myself, or I know I can gift to family and friends.
‘I mainly apply on the links shared on Latest Free Stuff group. Freebies range from skincare samples, food and drinks, to baby car seats and other gadgets.
‘I have also registered to many product testing sites, such as TryIt sampling, Home Tester Club, Clicks Research, Alba Science and Swift Research.
‘Product testing sites often give out full-size products that you can keep in exchange of an honest review. Sometimes they also pay you with Amazon vouchers once you complete a study. I also do surveys – Populus Live is the main one I use as I feel it pays the most.’
To be clear, getting a haul of free stuff like Ana’s takes a significant chunk of time out of your day. She recommends signing up for lots of sites that offer samples for review or that alert you of special deals.
Ana applies for freebies every day. Some days are quiet, while other days she’ll be lucky and get six or seven offers in a day.
And a lot of that time goes to waste – not every freebie offer will pay off.
You’ll need to be ready to get a lot of emails – Ana says it’s best to set up a distinct email address just for freebie applications so your main inbox doesn’t get flooded.
She advises: ‘Stay away from offers that ask you to pay for P&P, unless they are from a reputable company.
‘Like as many companies as you can on Facebook, and other social media, as you will often get offers to apply for samples and competitions by doing this.
‘Join LatestFreeStuff.co.uk and the Free Stuff Facebook Group: there is an amazing community of freebie hunters that share offers all the times and also offer advice on what to stay away from (as there are some scammers out there too).
‘Keep an eye on your emails as product testing invites need to be answered quickly.
‘Companies have a limited number of samples, so the quicker you can apply the better.
‘That’s why I check the Free Stuff group few times a day. I also check emails regularly to be able to accept products testing invites on time. Apply as soon as you see the links, as the quicker you apply, the more chances you have of getting it.’
Are you an expert bargain hunter? Are you brilliant at saving money? Share your wisdom by getting in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/16/mum-shares-got-1000-worth-freebies-10927406/
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