THEY say the best things in life are free – and that includes holidays, clothes and even pricey gadgets, if you know which sites to use.
Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements has found a whole host of freebies worth a whopping £2,027 in total that you can bag this week – from £60 massages to £100 Paw Patrol toys. Here, she reveals how to get them…
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Brits spend an average of 20 per cent of their income on non-essential goodies and treats – like clothes, homeware, games and toys.
The average weekly salary before any tax is taken is £728 a week (or £2,912 a month) according to the Office for National Statistics.
That means a typical person paying the minimum amount into their pension (five per cent of their earnings) would be left with £2,273 after tax – which would mean they’re spending a whopping £455 on goodies.
But you could save hundreds by becoming a freebie hunter – and we’ve found the best things for you this week.
Free beauty bits – worth £52
You can bag loads of free beauty swag by acting as a product tester.
All you need to do is give feedback on the items you use in return for the freebies.
Join several panels at the same time to stack the number of freebies you get.
For example, you can test and review new Elemis products by joining its review panel.
For each new product launch, the brand selects a panel of reviewers based on their demographic and provides full size items to be tried and tested.
The luxury brand is pricey meaning that you can make some big savings. Elemis’ pro-collagen cleansing balm retails for a whopping £52 alone.
To apply to join the panel you can fill out a short form online.
Boots also looks for volunteers to test products from its own brands including No.7, Soltan and Botanics before products hit the shelves.
For example, you could be trying out No7 future renew serum worth more than £30, and you get to keep all the products you’re sent to trial.
As well as testing products, you can take part in focus groups part of the concept stage.
The company is not currently accepting new volunteers but keep an eye on the website as it periodically opens for new applicants at bootsvolunteers.com.
Volunteers are made up of people of different ages, genders, ethnicity and skin types so it depends on where there are gaps as to if you’ll be accepted.
There are also agencies that send out products to willing testers on behalf of brands.
Sign up to the Glamour Beauty Club and you’ll get all sorts of face care and beauty products to test in return for honest feedback.
You could expect to test anything from Celine perfume, worth more than £200, to St Tropez tint, worth £30.
Clicks Research works with brands including Liz Earle and Sanctuary. Or try Alba Science which sends products to use at home including the likes of facial scrubs.
For example, it is looking for reviewers for a facial scrub and Vitamin C cleansing balm, which could be worth £45 from some brands.
Free beauty therapy sessions and haircuts – save £171
Beauty salons often look for models that trainees can practice their skills on before becoming fully qualified.
These sessions are typically free or are very low cost compared to the price of regular treatments.
In most cases, the trainees are supervised by a qualified professional to make sure you are handled correctly.
Ask at salons near you or enquire at colleges. For example, Champneys Beauty College in Tring, Herts, routinely looks for models for waxing, free of charge or for a token payment of £3.
The beauty brand normally charges £35 for a full leg wax, so you’d make a decent saving by opting in as a model.
There’s ways to get haircuts completely free of charge. Sometimes, salons look for hair models so you can get a fresh trim for free.
Headmasters are looking for models for their top stylists to practice hair cuts and colours. Prices for a cut and blow-dry can cost as much as £136 – so that’s a big saving to be made.
Free massages – save £60
Feeling stressed and want those knots worked out? There’s ways to get a free massages.
Colleges will often ask for volunteers to let students practice – Cotswold Academy is looking for models to volunteer for treatments including massages for sessions lasting between 1-2 hours.
If you have a skill you’d be willing to trade, you could try using a swap site in exchange for some beauty treatments like massages.
For example, if you’re a piano teacher, you can post your skills online and ask if any beauticians would be up for a trade.
An hour’s free massage would be worth at least £60 in a salon.
Free toys – save £100
Parents can join app Young Planet and put in requests for anything for babies and children from toys to clothing.
Parents looking to clear out can then pass on outgrown or no longer used items for free, helping ease the cost of children for families and avoid sending products to landfill.
A quick search near me revealed a free Paw Patrol truck up for grabs. These usually retail brand new for almost £100, giving parents a big saving.
I got £60 of freebies in a DAY including MAC make up, coffees and cakes
The Sun’s senior consumer reporter Adele Cook took to the high street to scoop as many freebies as possible .
From spring rolls, tacos, and even a cocktail, Adele managed to bag goodies worth more than £60 for nothing.
She started the day by downloading the Greggs app and signed up for a new customer account to grab a black coffee on the house.
Then, Adele grabbed a free sweet treat to go from Danish bakery Ole and Steen, through its membership programme.
The bargain-hunter then pocketed five free spring rolls for downloading the Chopstix app for the noodle bar.
She also signed for another app from Taco Bell to get a Free Crunchy Taco, as well as the MyWaitrose loyalty programme to grab a free coffee from the supermarket.
Adele also bagged free samples from Rituals, Boots, and The Body Shop.
She ended the day with a free cocktail using using the Dusk app. You can search for pubs in your area and filter results to show those offering free drinks.
Free clothes – £130
Swapping clothing is a great way to clear out clothes that no longer fit or you don’t like and get some fresh pieces for free.
Local clothing swaps pop up all over the UK, you’ll often find these advertised on community noticeboards and run by local initiatives which you can then follow to find future events.
For example, Loanhood runs events across London.
Or search Eventbrite for events happening near you.
The Sun visited a clothes swap in London and managed to bag gear worth £130 in exchange for just three items that didn’t fit, including a designer shirt worth around £100.
If you’re happy to swap online join Facebook group The Great British Clothes swap which has more than 20,000 members posting daily items available for swaps.
Or another Facebook group called Swap Family lets many people swap their clothes or list items for free, as long as the buyer pays for postage.
The Swap Shop theswapshopuk.com features a more curated list of items in top condition that you can swap.
You’ll pay a small fee for each item or you can join its £15 a month membership programme, which could save you if you’re swapping at least three items a month.
A free getaway in the sun – £1,000
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House sitting or swapping is a fab way to get a free break and explore somewhere new.
As a house sitter you can travel the world, you’ll usually just be tasked with feeding a pet, try registering with TrustedHouseSitters.
A quick scan of the site shows a two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Barcelona looking for a sitter for a week in September.
A similar listing on rental site Airbnb tops £1,000.
Or if you are willing to have people come stay in your home, you could do house swaps through sites such as HomeExchange.
Free homeware – £200
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Many people know there is free food up for grabs through circular economy app Olio, but did you know you can also bag free furniture and household goods?
Neighbours list items they no longer need such as coffee tables, irons and more.
There’s also a section where you can put in requests for items that you’re in need of.
Nearby users can view requests and if they have anything that matches can message you through the platform.
You can also borrow items such as jet washers or ladders that you may just need for one off use, saving either hire costs or buying an item you’ll rarely use.
And it’s worth joining app Nextdoor which links local communities to share local news and updates but users also list unwanted items, and you can make requests.
Facebook Marketplace is also a great place to find freebies locally – you’re best bet is to join local listings group.
But remember to be quick as the best items will go quickly.
A search of a central London postcode showed a working TV looking for a new home, as well as Playstation games and washing machines which could collectively save more than £200 – though the sky is the limit.
More and More ‘Library of Things’ are popping up locally, which allows local communities to hire out items for a set period of time in the same way that you would a book.
In some cases, there may be small fees for each item but can save you you a chunk if you just need a sewing machine for a couple of days, for example.
Free days out – £380
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Get free or cut-price entry to entertainment including gigs, cinema and theatre though preview sites such as See Film First.
Festivals can be pricey to attend but you can attend many of the bigger name events for free as a volunteer through charities.
You’ll need to do some work but will still have time to explore and enjoy the event.
For example, if you volunteer through Oxfam, you need to commit to daily eight-hour shifts. You could sign up to be a steward and do anything from checking tickets to patrols. As well as free entry, you’ll get a meal voucher and crew camping.
The festivals available for shifts this year included Glastonbury which cost punters more than £380 each, as well as Wilderness which were more than £200 for the weekend.
My Cause UK is another way to volunteer at festivals on behalf of different charities. Apply at mycauseuk.com.
Dinner date – £50
Head out for lunch or dinner for free through mystery dining.
You’ll just to sign up to a specialist agency which recruits people to dine and review.
They will then give you a location and a brief on what to assess on the visit.
For example, Hgem works with restaurants including Dishoom, Flat Iron and Brewdog.
The scheme means you can save on a posh meal out, which typically comes in at £50 a person.
It’s also worth saving up your Tesco Clubcard vouchers to use for top attractions where you get twice the voucher’s value to use on tickets.
A £5 voucher gives you £10 to spend with Reward Partners, such as theme parks, and wildlife parks.
Top tips for freebies
JORDON Cox, a deals expert, shares his top tips to get freebies on the high street.
“The app Olio is a great way to get free food and items in your area.
“Users list free food they have too much of, they want to give away or is close to expiring.
“Simply download it to your phone and create an account to get started.
“Another great way to get free food in the supermarket is with cashback apps.
“Shopmium, CheckoutSmart and GreenJinn often offer you free coupons to use in the supermarket.
“You need to install the app and register for an account before you can access the deals.
“It’s also worth having a look at your mobile rewards apps.
“If you are with Octopus Energy then you can register for Octoplus, which is a reward programme for customers with smart meters.
“Once you have signed up you could get a free weekly drink from Caffe Nero or Greggs.”
