The Best Freebies May Be Costly

Think the best freebies will help you to stretch your budget? Maybe they will, but only if you learn to avoid the following costly freebies:

Unhealthy foods
That bag of chips that you got free from a coupon or that package of cookies that you got as part of a buy-one-get-one-free sale may sound like a great budget-stretcher, but have you considered the hidden cost? Often times the foods that are easiest to obtain for free are also the foods that are the worst for your health.

Before stocking up on any food freebie, stop for a minute to consider the potential hidden cost to your health. While most people try to avoid weight gain for matters of appearance, you should also consider the financial impact of obesity. Extra pounds could mean extra doctor's bills, prescription drugs and hospital stays. At the very least, it will mean the expense of a new wardrobe every time you go up a size.

You should also consider the cost of losing weight before you decide to take home a food freebie. Gym memberships and diet programs are far from free.

Items that require additional purchases
That coupon for a free high-dollar razor can be a real eye-catcher when it appears in the Sunday paper, but is it really a good deal? Maybe not, if it means you'll have to buy expensive blades to use it. Before you decide to participate in a freebie offer that will require an additional purchase (a razor blade handle that will require blades or a bottle of shampoo that will require the purchase of conditioner), stop to consider your out-of-pocket expense. You may just find that you come out better by purchasing your normal brands and skipping the high-dollar freebies all together.

Free trials that self-renew if you don't cancel
A free 30-day trial to an online movie-rental service or a few sample issues of a magazine can sound pretty enticing when you aren't able to afford the luxury of a full-time subscription. However, this type of freebie can get expensive in a hurry. Since many trial offers automatically turn into paid subscriptions when you don't call or write the company to cancel, you could find yourself with an unexpected bill.

Before deciding to accept any trial offers, look over the agreement to be sure you find the terms agreeable. Then, if you decide to go forward with any deal that requires a cancellation, mark your calendar and be sure to call before the trial period is up. Being even a day late in canceling could result in a monthly or even a yearly membership fee.

Items that are free with purchase
Buy a computer, get a free monitor. Spend $50, get a $10 gift card. Buy a full tank of gas, get a free car wash. These all sound like great deals, but they may cost you more than you think. Before this type of freebie offer sucks you in, stop and calculate how much you'll have to spend to receive your free item. You may just find that you could get a computer and monitor elsewhere for less than what you'll have to pay for a computer at the freebie store, or that you're paying 10 cents more a gallon to fill up at the station that offers free car washes.

You should also evaluate whether or not the purchase item and incentive item are things that you truly need and use. Too often people allow free-with-purchase incentives to persuade them to buy items that they might not otherwise buy, and that's no way to save money.

A freebie offer shouldn't cost you money. Consider each deal carefully, and only participate in the ones that truly help you to save money.