Is this a good way to conserve?

I am a regular at FatWallet.com. FatWallet.com is a site that helps consumers save money when they shop online, save money by getting items at discounted prices or for free, and in general, save money. My personal M.O. is to sign up for free stuff: samples of existing products, trials of new products. Every time I can save a couple bucks on a bar of soap is indeed a couple bucks earned, no?

So this morning's free temptress is this free shopping tote from Earthbound Farm. The deal is: take a quiz, and get a free shopping tote! It's emblazoned with Earthbound Farm's logo and tagline, but it's cute, so what the heck. I already use shopping totes at my grocery store, but I only own two, so I began to take the quiz for the free tote that could potentially decrease my paper/plastic bag consumption even more.

But then I realized that these things cost only $1 at my grocery store. Is it really a better idea to have the tote packaged and mailed to me than it is to just pay the $1 next time I'm shopping? Is that any way to conserve? I guarantee the free tote packaging will result in a whole bunch of trash. Even if it's recyclable, the packaging manufacturing and recycling processes will waste resources. On the other hand, picking one up at the grocery store will cost me $1, but will save the planet all these other costs.

I'm foregoing this particular free item. Of course the next free sample of wrinkle cream that I sign up for will also waste resources, but as the product isn't *intended* to conserve, well, it won't feel like such a waste.

Free stuff rulz

For a few months I have been subscribed to FatWallet.com's Free Stuff RSS feed. If you're new to FatWallet, just a quick glance at their home page will tell you that the site is about big fat deals, hot deals, and thousands of deals at hundreds of stores ... it's safe to say that the site is about getting you a deal. After fiddling around with the site for a couple days, I personally decided that free deals are what I will spend my time on.

So every day, a dozen or two deals turn up in my RSS feed. Some of it is spam. A lot of it is crap. But there are a few diamonds in the rough, and when I discover one, I sign up for it right away. Since this is still relatively new to me I've been wondering if the effort will be worth it, as I do believe that time is money. (At least, time expressly devoted to saving money is money. If that time is lost, then it's money lost.)

As it turns out: it's worth it! The free booty has been turning up in my mailbox every few days. It feels a bit like what I always imagined the riches of a pyramid scheme would feel like, except totally legal. Items that I signed up for 4-6 weeks ago, previously lost in my memory, are materializing on my front porch. Things I had forgotten I even wanted ... now owned. It's like pennies from heaven.


Look at this photo of what I just received the other day. Some pet effects. A gym bag. And a bottle of Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator. Free. Delivered right to my house for no good reason apart from my having asked. Did I mention, for free?

That's not all I've received. Of note, I've received some yummy garlicky oil and some feminine products. All have already been used and enjoyed.

So if you can take a few seconds to sort through the crap, I highly recommend FatWallet.com. Any ounce of garlicky oil enjoyed for free is an ounce of garlicky oil earned, after all.