How I Got a Bunch of Free Stuff Writing for Companies

There is a lot of power in giving a company your feedback—be it positive or negative. I've learned this through the years, but it wasn't until this year that I went pretty hard at it. You may have heard of the Flattery Project or the 39 Dollar Experiment. Either way, my best bet is that you're trying to save money.A few years ago, the show Extreme Couponing blew up. A lot of people had doubts and concerns and while I don't feel that Extreme Couponing really shows how realistic couponing is, it can still save you a lot of money. So, I started with Dawn. I got a few dollar off coupons, coupons for Lay's as well and walked out of a Dollar Tree (yes, they accept coupons!) only paying $0.06 for everything. On top of that, I'm not from a well to do family, but I know that there are people who need help even more than us—and animals. I ended up receiving Purina coupons and being able to use them to donate to our local shelter. You find the best deal in your area and apply the coupons. I get a lot from coupons.com, but a lot of the holy grail (free item coupons) come from giving feedback to companies. I've gotten two free VIP ones from So Delicious, along with Tofutti also giving me one VIP coupon, on top of several high value ones. Another favorite was Chobani yogurt and not only for the savings, but they truly put thought into the hand written card that came with the coupons.On top of that, I'd also written Wiley Wallaby and they told me they'd send samples instead of coupons. SAMPLES. They weren't SAMPLES, they were FULL SIZED BAGS! Five of them! All in all, I'd say it's worth it to write companies but I'd also say to remember to BE HONEST. Some companies will offer stuff even if you aren't complimenting, but a complaint has to be an honest complaint. The thing is, companies love to hear what a good job they're doing when they're working hard and most days they're filled with complaints.Oh, yeah! If you're a parent with a kid who loves Go-Go SqueeZ, they sent us some coupons along with temporary tattoos for the kids! If you're an expecting mother, a lot of companies like Gerber, Similac and others send high value coupons to you as well.