WHO doesn’t love a freebie? There is no better feeling than getting your hands on a coffee, meal or drink without spending a penny.
That’s why I spent a day hoovering up bargains along my local high street, from spring rolls, tacos, and even a cocktail – and managed to save £60.44.
Shops often offer customers freebies to promote new products, reward them for their loyalty or to attract new shoppers.
Getting a good deal is now more important than ever as households continue to battle with the rising cost of living.
Food and drink prices have soared in the past few years, and it’s becoming even more expensive to grab a treat or enjoy a meal out.
Grabbing a takeaway coffee will now set you back £2.95, while a main course at a restaurant costs £15.74, according to the Office for National Statistics.
I was eager to see how many freebies I could get my hands on, so I headed to the shops to put my bargain hunting to the test.
8.30am
I woke up hungry for deals, so I popped into my local Greggs to grab my first freebie of the day – a black coffee.
I had downloaded the Greggs app the night before and signed up for a new customer account.
All I needed to enter was my email address, password, postcode and birthday.
Claiming my free coffee was easy and I just needed to open the app and activate the reward.
The app generated a barcode, which I showed to the person behind the counter.
Within five minutes I was out of the door with a coffee in hand – result!
Saving: £1.90
8.45am
Next, I headed to the nearby Danish bakery Ole and Steen to grab a free sweet treat to go with my coffee.
The posh chain regularly rewards its members with vouchers for food including pastries and tarts.
This week it’s a free scoop of cinnamon ice cream.
I had already downloaded the app and entered my email address, birthday and phone number to register for an account. This is where you get the vouchers for freebies.
But tragedy struck when I got to the counter and tried to redeem my voucher.
I clicked on the reward tab in the app, where it said I had seven days to claim my free scoop of gelato.
But it turns out I hadn’t read the small print properly and the deal was only available in certain stores.
But just as I was about to walk away, I noticed that I had another voucher in my account – this time for a free pastry.
My freebie tips as a deals expert
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.”
I managed to redeem it and grabbed a free blueberry muffin to celebrate my birthday.
The cake was moist and sweet, with lots of blueberries and an almond and sugar dusting.
Not my most nutritious breakfast but my bank balance looks very healthy.
Saving: £3.75
1pm
At 1pm, the hunt began for a bargain lunch.
I had heard about a deal at Chopstix Noodle Bar, so I headed over there to try my luck.
The staff told me I could get five free spring rolls for downloading the Chopstix app, so I downloaded it from the app store.
To create an account all I needed to do was enter my email address and choose a password.
Within minutes the coupon for five free spring rolls appeared in the app and I walked to the counter to redeem my lunch.
The man behind the counter handed me the bag of spring rolls, which were still warm from the oven.
The spring rolls were crunchy on the outside and were filled with vegetables including cabbage, carrot, green beans and mushrooms.
Saving: £2.50
1.10pm
I was still feeling peckish, so I walked 15 minutes down the road to Taco Bell.
I had not eaten at the American fast food chain before, but its rewards offer was too good to miss.
Customers who sign up for its app can get a Free Crunchy Taco, which comes with beef, lettuce and cheese.
I downloaded the app to my phone and entered my email address and password.
After setting up my account I checked the rewards section of the app, where I found a coupon for the free taco.
I was impressed by the size of the taco, which was definitely big enough to fill me up.
The taco shell was crunchy, while the beef was packed with flavour, although I could have done with a bit more of it in the shell.
Saving: £3.49
1.20pm
My next stop was Waitrose, where I washed my taco down with a free coffee in my reusable cup.
I’ve been a member of the MyWaitrose loyalty programme for several years, and never miss the chance to grab a free coffee while I’m shopping in store.
To join MyWaitrose you need to create an account online or using the app.
You will be asked for your birthday, email address and phone number.
To claim your free coffee you need to go to the coffee station in store.
Next you will need to scan your MyWaitrose card or the digital version in the Waitrose app.
You can then choose between coffees including a latte, cappuccino or Americano.
I went for a cappuccino, which would normally cost around £4.10 from Caffe Nero.
Saving: £4.10
1.30pm
I had plans to go to the pub with some friends after work, so I decided to grab some new beauty products so I look my best.
There is a Rituals shop near the office, so I decided to see what I can get my hands on.
I asked the staff if they had any free samples and they were happy to hand over a miniature Invisible Sun Protective Face Cream.
A full size of the sun cream would usually cost £18.90, so my sample is worth £3.78.
They also gave me a tester of the Glow Radiance Anti-ageing Night Cream, which usually costs £41.90 for a full size tub.
I work out my sample is worth around £4.19.
I left the shop with a big smile on my face, having saved £7.97.
Saving: £7.97
1.40pm
I was feeling confident so I decided to call into the Mac Cosmetics shop next door.
I looked at some of the products in the shop before walking to the till to ask if there were any testers available.
The team were equally happy to hand over two samples of the Hyper Realism Serum, which is a best seller and costs £80 for a 50ml bottle.
This means my 10ml samples are worth £12.80.
Saving: £12.80
1.50pm
As I headed back to the office, I realised I had run out of my favourite foundation.
I walked to my local Boots and headed straight to the Estee Lauder beauty counter.
I asked the assistant for help choosing my perfect shade.
She matched the foundation colour to my skin with a special machine before giving me a ten day supply of the Estee Lauder Skin Tint foundation.
It would normally cost £49 for a full size bottle.
She also gave me another sample in a lighter shade to make sure I had the perfect match.
I decided to use one tonight and save the other for holiday once I’ve caught the sun. Result!
Saving: £4.90
1.55pm
The Body Shop was handing out free samples of two of their most popular products, so I couldn’t resist asking for a sample.
I pocket a Camomile Sumptuous Makeup Cleansing Butter, which usually costs £13 for 90ml and a Hemp Hand Protector, which costs £16 for 100ml.
Get freebies for your birthday
SEVERAL shops, restaurants and cafes will give you freebies for your birthday.
You could get a free medium size Dunkin Donuts birthday frappe in the run up to your birthday.
Meanwhile, Costa Coffee will give you a free sweet treat, such as a muffin or cake, in the week before your birthday.
Or grab a free bake, breakfast roll or regular coffee with any purchase from Greggs.
To get them you will usually need to download their app and register for an account.
You will be asked for your name, phone number, email address and date of birth.
When your birthday is close you will be sent a voucher to redeem the free item.
Some chains will send you the voucher at the beginning of the month your birthday is in.
Others will send it to you on the day of your birthday.
One of the assistants told me that they often give out free samples when the chain launches a new product.
If you want to get your hands on the goodies then sign up for marketing emails or ask a sales assistant when new products will arrive in store.
Saving: £2.24
3pm
I had caught the bargain hunting bug, so when I got back to my desk, I decided to scour the internet for deals.
After a quick search I found some free Spearmint Nicotine Pouches from the Nordic Spirit website.
A pack would normally set me back £6.50 but I claimed a sample for free.
I also managed to grab a free Felix As Good As It Looks Chicken in Jelly sachet for my boyfriend’s cat.
It would usually cost around £7.50 for 26 sachets but I ordered a free sample from the Purina website.
Saving: £6.79
6pm
After work I met my friends at the pub for a drink.
The weather was nice so we all decided to order a cocktail.
I’ve been using the Dusk app for months to save money on cocktails.
The app helps you to find free drinks and unlock rewards at different pubs and bars.
To sign up you just need to give your email address, gender and date of birth.
You can then search the app for pubs in your area and can filter the results to only show ones offering free drinks.
The Pembroke in Earl’s Court was giving away one free Hugo Spritz to every customer, so I claimed mine. Cheers!
Saving: £10
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