If you’ve followed my blog very long, you know I love to sign up for freebies in the mail! If you get freebies too, here’s some ideas for how to tastefully give them as gifts this Christmas.
Toiletry bag
A lot of the free samples I get are small shampoos and conditioners, perfect to make a little toiletry bag, especially for those traveling during the holidays.
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A nice little gift made from 100% freebies!
Just fill a bag (I’ve gotten 2 free make-up bags that would be perfect) with any samples like, shampoo, conditioner, soap, perfume, chap-stick, tooth paste, mouthwash, lotion, ect…
Drink Mug
Fill a cute mug with any beverage samples. I’ve gotten teas, coffee (both instant and regular), emergen-c, 5 hour energy and even creamer!
Fill out a Gift Basket
It might be hard to make a full gift basket with just freebies, but they can certainly help fill one out. For example, you could fill a basket (look at Goodwill for cheap baskets) with home-made cookies and hot chocolate, then add free coffee and tea samples too.
Baby Gift Basket
You could make a gift basket for new parents with free diapers, wipes, formula and baby magazines. If any of your samples come with coupons throw those in the gift too!
Snack Pack
This is a great idea for people traveling, especially with little kids. Get a paper bag and decorate it, then fill it with any free goodies you have. I’ve gotten free granola bars, mini boxes of cereal, gum and 5 hour energy (that one might not be good for the kids in the back seat though)!
Laundry Gift
I’ve gotten free laundry detergent, dryer sheets and scent boosters. These would be great for a college student. It’d be easier hauling a small pack of laundry soap to the laundromat than a whole jug of it. If they need quarters for doing their laundry, save up some quarters to add to the gift too.
Stocking Stuffers
Since stocking stuffers are usually small, free samples are the perfect size! Pretty much any free sample can be used as a stocking stuffer: recipe booklets for the cook, windshield wipes for the guy, diapers for the baby, little boxes of cereal for the toddler, make-up samples for the teen girl and even dog and cat food for the pets!
Shoe Box Gifts
Free samples can also be used in shoe box gifts like Operation Christmas Child. One year our church did shoe box gifts for women. Perfume samples and tea would have been perfect things to add to something like that.
Donate
Most of the samples I get I keep for myself, and I try not to sign up for samples I know I won’t use (like wrinkle cream, hopefully I won’t need that for another 20 years!). But if you do end up with something you wont use, you may be able to donate it, especially if it’s a big size. I received a can of baby formula I knew I wouldn’t use, someone on Money Saving Mom suggested I donate it, so I took it to the local pregnancy crisis center and they happily took it. I was glad that it didn’t go to waste, and I was able to help out a cause I believe in! This idea has nothing to do with Christmas, but thought I’d share it anyways.
College Survival Kit
My last idea I thought of while I was looking over all the samples I have. Since college students generally don’t have a lot of money they’ll usually take whatever they can get, and a lot of samples are great for them, like car windshield wipes, laundry soap like I mentioned above, drinks for when they’re staying up late doing homework (especially emergen-c, if they’re living in a dorm during flu season) and any toiletry items.
Happy gift giving!
