If you have decided that you really want to make finding free things one of your main goals, then you need to become a detective.  You really need to acquire all of the skills of a talented sleuth.  You need to learn skills that are specific to your trade.

One of the first skills you will need to acquire is how to tell the deals from the scams.  If the deal sounds way too good to be true, then most likely it is not real.  Read the offer carefully.  Some of the offers have requirements, and they are pretty simple to do.  Others make you jump through hoops, and walk a tightrope and then they enter you into a drawing.  That is fine, if you realize ahead of time that you are in a contest and you might not be the winner.

How often have you been offered a free trip to a spa, hotel or vacation attraction?  We get several of these offers each week.  We have actually gone to a few.  We have sat through sales offers and hard pressure salesmen, to end up with the free item that they promised.  You have to decide for yourself if you want that item bad enough to spend the time it takes to listen to the pitch.  This is not a scam, they are going to give you a free gift, but you have to decide if you are able to say no to the sale pitch and also how valuable is your time.  Is it worth it to sit and listen to a 2 hr talk to get a small grill?  Maybe not, but it might be worth it to you to listen to the same talk if they are offering you a weekend for free at a luxury hotel.  You have to become aware of what the deal is going to “cost” you.

Don’t be afraid to investigate!  Ask others if they have had the same offer. Ask them what they had to do to get the “reward”.  If you are doing an on line offer, look at the privacy details as well.  I have found that many of these offers are really great.  If you ask in a forum if anyone has tried the offer, most of the time people are happy to tell you if they have been “burned”.

I have gotten free things from offers.  I have a free TV in my family room right now that came from a free offer.  I have a wonderful picnic set and a clock, several T shirts, baseball caps, headphones, an MP3 player and other items that have come from free offers.  I know that they are real, and I know that you can find lots of these, but you need to be a detective and search out the good ones.

Get ready to become a great Detective! Use the techniques and principles of a great sleuth, interview and investigate.   There are lots of great deals out there that are waiting for you to reap the rewards, don’t get taken in by a scam.