What do you do with your freebies?

[travelgeek]

I don't sign up for freebies or the like. But any notepads, pens, bags, toys, giveaways that I get from conferences, I give to my mom, who then gives them to other people who need them. I've only recently started collecting the leftover shampoos and soaps from hotels.

[bcteagirl]

I do keep the soaps etc from hotels and the pens from conferences... they go in my Christmas boxes to Africa.. except of course for the shampoos.. since they are liquid. So they will go to Nanuk.

[blistex]

lately, ive been giving my freebies for people who need em'

[momg]

i use some, save some for overnighters (samples are the perfect size to go overnight or camping) others i give to people who need them. i get a lot of formula from doctors office and stuff she always gives me samples of tynlol and baby stuff. the formula i don't use but i take anyway and give to the food bank. i have to say that i disagree with boo on the baby formula and other baby items even if you can't use it i'm sure your local food bank could. big companys that can afford to give away the big formula samples your not hurting them but helping people in need. thats just my opinion anyway.

[Awww Nuts]

Stuff that I dont end up using, I collect for a while...when I have a decent amount, I take them to a women's shelter.

[halli15]

I save all mine for trips, we travel a lot and it makes it so much simpler! but the thing is with me I hate to use things I know I won't get again so I save en until the last minute!

[nagem]

Those I dont use I give away to people who can but I usually only send for what I or family can use.

[Mistress]

I sign up for alot of the samples heck most of them cause I know what I can't or don't use can go to others that may need them like friends and family and have taken alot to the local woman shelter

[koala]

we have a group of 4. We pretty much order everything, and swap back and forth. One has kids, I don't have "Little ones". That way I sometimes get more than one sample this way, and the same for the others. We have a good thing going...and of course we are all hooked.

[cats-mac]

O.K. you want to know what I do with free samples (and other new stuff I pick up cheap from garage sales??)

Well...at Christmas time, we play a game called the Dice Game. Anyone heard of it??? It's great for adults and older kids.

Usually on Christmas Eve, a few of us will bring some small, inexpensive gifts, wrapped up. We place all the wrapped gifts on the floor and sit around them in a circle. With a pair of dice, we take turns rolling. When someone rolls a double, they get to choose a gift from the pile (of course, you know what you contributed to the gift pile, so you would pick something else). When all the gifts are gone from the middle...THE FUN BEGINS...we set a timer (usually about 10 minutes...depending on how many people there are) and continue rolling the dice. When someone rolls a double, they get to take a gift from someone else...get the idea?? When the timer goes off, it's time to open what's in front of you. Of course, if someone hasn't got anything to open, we usually toss them a gift to make things fair. My kids have really learned to share this way.

It's really fun, and you get a good laugh out of it. Of course, we are all mature about it and you will find that one or two of the gifts become quite popular and will be taken from person to person. My Dad is famous for wrapping "cool" gifts...like one year he did a roll of toilet paper and of course we all knew what it was, so no one wanted it...but the person who ended up with it at the end got a surprise lottery ticket rolled in the centre of it!! So, now we all go for toilet paper (which could or could not have something in the middle!!). Take your chances!!

That's what I do with my samples!!

P.S. It's hilarious to see my teenage son's face when he opens a tampon sample pack :0)

[Julie Andrews]

cats-mac... that's so cool!

[roseofblack25]

ya that is a really cool idea! I want to do that now lol

[koala]

I like the dice game. I have done it with the deck of cards. Dice sounds less complicated. Thanks for the idea.
Buy the way at Christmas, our family is getting so large that it is too hard and expensive to buy for all the kids. We have limited ourselves to the game and doing exchanges through this game. The kids have learned that they do not need all these extra and sometimes senseless gifts under the tree.

[BlondeCanadian]

I love that, im going to try it this year.

[qraham]

LOL... Sorry Chip!