Passing on Freebies

In light of the many free opportunities over the next few days, I wanted to share a few thoughts. I don't take advantage of every freebie I find (or even all of the ones I post here!). Depending on what is being offered for free, I consider what it is going to cost me to get that freebie before I dive right in.

Have you been enjoying free iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts every Monday? I've only been once! Why? Monday is usually my home day where I try to get things in order from the weekend. Since I don't usually plan to be out on Mondays, it would be a special trip for me to go get coffee. With the price of gas skyrocketing, it would cost me about as much to drive to Dunkin Donuts for my "free" coffee as it would to buy a coffee the next time I drove past a store.

The Rite Aid I use is across town, and I often find myself tempted to make a special trip for a small free item. If I know I am going to be near the store, it may be worth it for me to stop in Rite Aid. But I have to consider the time it takes to get my two small children out of the car for a special stop. Maybe the same item costs me a dollar or two more at another store, but it saves me the time of that extra stop, as well as the gas to get there.

Sometimes a sale (or freebie) is good enough to make a special trip. I've gotten a lot better about calling ahead to make sure its in stock in those situations, which saves me time, money on gas, and a lot of frustration!

I'll be getting my free Starbucks tomorrow on my way to our Easter party, but I'll probably not be able to get a free tree from Lowes.

What freebies do you choose not to grab? How do you capitalize on freebies - combining errands? having a friend pick something up for you? walking?