A mum-of-two has revealed how she managed to save an impressive £7,000 in two years by hunting for freebies instead of buying new items.
Maria Sillaste, 33, became a self-confessed freebie "addict" in 2020 after she saw a social media post about free perfume and began searching for more to see what else she could find.
And two years on, she's bagged herself a selection of amazing items including food, drink, skincare, and even household appliances - saving herself thousands in the process.
The mum, from Liverpool, said: "One of the best freebies I have had so far is a Tefal blender which should have cost £150. And the freebies that are the most beneficial to me are free shopping vouchers.
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"I can stock up on many essential items for me, my husband, Gunnar, and our two kids, Gustav and Galifa.
"I started to get addicted to freebie hunting when I saw a post on social media about getting free perfume. I started searching for more, and then more and more things started appearing on my feeds."
Maria also said that freebie hunting has become "part of her life" now, and that she always starts her day by going online to investigate what free items she can bag herself.
She added: "I am always so surprised at how much I can get. I've had free snacks, drinks, skincare, free sample of perfumes, items from big brands, household appliances, full-size nappies, wipes and vouchers to spend.
"I then began searching for what the freebies of the day are, so since then it has become a habit to look for freebies every day when I wake up."
"Freebie hunting is part of our life now. My family loves it because we are able to experience a product for free together.
"My husband is very supportive of what I do. We unbox the parcel together and he is just as excited as I am to see what's been delivered.
"The exciting part is that you sign up for a lot of freebies but you won't know what is getting delivered first."
And the mum is eager to share her tips with others too, as she said the most important thing to do is to follow big brands on social media so you can keep up to date with what products they have to give away.
She explained: "To find these amazing freebies I follow big brands on social media so if they have a giveaway or free samples, I will see that on my newsfeed. It's also helpful that I do lots of searches for freebies on my own social media pages as that signals my interest in finding freebies.
"This addiction is all positive because I can guide newbies on how to get their freebies too, plus I love to share what I get each day. It's been amazing."
Maria's top tips for how to get the best freebies:
- Support the big brands by following their pages on Facebook and Instagram so you will see their giveaways
- Join Facebook groups for freebie hunters
- Be active on Facebook and Instagram because you need to be quick in applying for the free stuff
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