I want help wherever I can find it during the current recession. Food, housewares, toiletries and entertainment expenses are all areas where coupons are vital to my cost-cutting methods. If I can look in the newspaper, in the mail or go online and find the coupons that meet my needs, I am all over it. I’ve even relied upon instant payday loans and installment loans. But with Web sites like MySavings.com, Freebies.com, HeyItsFree.net, HeyItsFree.com and many more, you can find freebies of all types, shapes and sizes.

Millions of shoppers (myself included) are game to take advantage of deals like this. MySavings.com realizes this, and they’ve made their Web site not only a coupon depository, but a community where savers can share their experiences on forums and chat rooms. This helps newbies to find savings tips and offers that will help themselves and their families.

I mentioned the freebies, right?

Let’s take a look at some of the free samples on MySavings.com as a write this story. If I were having trouble with heartburn, I could get my hands on a free sample of Prilosec OTC. I don’t need that right now, but I have two young children. Eventually, these children will become teenagers, so I’m sure my stomach will need pharmaceutical assistance by then. I’m already going gray (you may not notice, but I know it’s there), so tasteful hair coloring may be in my future. That’s where a free box of Clairol Beautiful Collection Advanced Gray Solution could come in handy. Sure, I know that’s not a male-oriented brand, but hells bells, if I want luxuriously beautiful hair, I’m going for it!

Scanning down the column, I see a free 20-piece starter pack of Nicorette gum. I am not nor have I ever been a smoker. I will never start, either. So I’ll save this for my parents, who both smoke. Perhaps this can put them on the right path to quit, because I want my kids to have grandma and grandpa in their lives for some time. On a related note, if my parents are taken by lung cancer, there are free samples of guacamole and paper towels for the post funeral reception…

What a concept

MySavings.com describes itself as follows:

We provide a comprehensive directory of brand name free samples, printable grocery coupons, online coupons, free stuff and freebies, and other discounts and deals so that consumers can save money on products they already buy and sample and discuss which products are right for them and their family.

Visitors of MySavings.com can pick their free samples from a database that is touted as being the largest on the World Wide Web. As a community, members have the power to rate and review specific samples and deals for the purposes of steering community traffic toward the best deals. This makes MySavings a “try before you buy” paradise that no brick-and-mortar store can match. Who among us hasn’t purchased a new product, then found after using a little of it that it doesn’t work the way you want it to? Certain things can’t be returned to the store after they’re opened, so you’re out of luck in those situations.

But not with MySavings.com. New free product samples are added every day, including those for health and beauty products, food, cosmetics, make-up, perfume, baby products and much more. And you don’t have to pay anything, not even shipping and handling!

What are you waiting for?

I’m going to shop for free deals on MySavings.com, HeyItsFree.net, HeyItsFree.com and sites like them right away. If you need help saving money during this recession, do the same!

Related Video:

As you know from my other Free Earth Day Stuff article, there is no shortage of  compact fluorescent light bulbs, canvas tote bags and goodies available at no charge on Earth Day.

In fact, there are so many Earth Day giveaways going on I had to write a whole other article about it. Here’s the rest of the Earth Day giveaways and deals I read about online today.

Free services

Recycling electronics is one of those tricky things that makes you feel like you’re being punished for trying to do the right thing. Retailers usually charge environmentally friendly customers to recycle their electronic goods.

However, today ViaTekSolutions will take those pesky electronics off your hands for free, and they’ll recycle them to boot. So if your computer has lost the juice it takes to secure your online installment loans, haul it in to ViaTek.

Pro Energy Consultants will conduct a free energy audit of your home today. Homeowners in Evansville, Charlotte, Albuquerque, Las Vegas and Jacksonville can take advantage of this promotion. If you are  too late to get your free audit today, you can get a 50 percent discount on a future audit.

Odds and ends

Most of the free Earth Day stuff out there helps the planet in some way. Canvas bags replace plastic. CFLs save energy and cut down on trash. Jones Soda requires a pledge that customers will recycle.

A few items don’t have quite such a direct effect on the environment, but  companies out there are jumping on the Earth Day bandwagon to promote eco-friendly products. Butter London is giving free nail polish to the first 500 visitors to its web site. Amy Adele is offering free shipping on all products.

What’s the deal?

If you  have been wanting to replace an old, energy-sucking appliance with a new one that will save you money on energy costs, today is the day. Sears is offering 10 percent off Kenmore Elite Energy-Star qualified appliances.

Blinds.com is giving customers 15 percent off on any orders placed today. Popeye’s Chicken is having a special today. If you have a hankering for chicken, you can get eight pieces for $4.99.

Economical Earth Day

In addition to saving money by getting all this free stuff, Earth Day is a good time to be reminded of other ways we can save money and help the environment as well. Energy efficient appliances and light bulbs can save you money on your electricity bill. Getting any water leaks you might have fixed will conserve water and save money on your water bill.

Unplugging electronic appliances when they are not in use can also save electricity. Remember, even if appliances are off, or cell phones aren’t plugged in to chargers, items that are plugged in still use energy.