A long time ago my friend asked me what the best ways were to get free stuff and so I googled it and we debated for many hours on what the best ways were to get free stuff. Here are easily the best ways to get free stuff posted so that everyone can learn the secrets to getting free stuff.

Number 5: Make It Yourself

A lot of people would be surprised to realize that a lot of the stuff they buy can be made for free. For instance I own a table which I made myself using some spare wood from a construction site. The fact of the matter is that with the internet you can literally learn how to create anything easily. Need a table? Just google how to build a table and you’ll find thousands of tutorials at your fingertips. Most furniture can be made at no cost and while obviously you can’t make technology you can furnish an empty room or pick up some spare change at a garage sale by putting in a little effort to make your stools, coasters, hot pads, and even shelves out of materials which can either be found lying around the house or in the garbage bin at a construction yard.

Number 4: Find It

It’s quite remarkable really how much stuff gets thrown out and one of the easiest ways to get free stuff is to drive around on spring cleaning day and pick up other peoples junk. A cool thing about this is that a lot of the time even if you don’t need what you find you can sell it for some spare change. Also a lot of the time people throw out stuff which can easily be made usable again. For instance I found someone who was throwing out a computer monitor. I took it home, took it apart and found that one of the power wires had become unplugged. Quickly repairing the wire with duck tape I now have a second computer monitor at absolutely no cost! This is one of the best ways to find random free stuff, although if you’re looking for something specific then you may be out of luck. This is also a great way to capitalize on a job in which you repair devices like TV’s or computers or a job which involves physical repair such as construction. You can use the skills learned on the job site to repair a broken TV or a broken shelf so that it can be used again for a fairly minimal cost. This is easily one of the best ways to get free stuff.

Number 3: The Free Refills Trick

This is my favorite way to get free drinks although it can also be used to get free food. All you do is find a restaurant such as McDonald’s which sells you a cup or container and tells you to fill it yourself. When you’re finished your meal don’t throw the cup or container away, save it. This may seem silly but the next time you walk past the McDonald’s stop by and refill your cup. Since the cup is for that store and since so many people move in and out each day no one is going to remember that you didn’t buy the cup that day and as a result you can get free pop. Every time I go on vacation in the states I go to McDonald’s on the first day, get a cup, and drink free pop for the rest of the week. The great thing about this trick is that with chain’s like McDonald’s and Seven Eleven is that you can find them anywhere so free food and drink is always close at hand.

Number 2: The Renovation Trick

Stores renovate there look a lot. And as a result they often throw out items which can be potentially useful. All the lighting in my room once belonged to Save-On-Foods but after they renovated and threw out all there fluorescent lights complete with casings ten minutes of wiring has given me a nice, well lit room to study in. Watch stores in your area carefully, especially restaurants, and if one undergoes a major renovation make sure to watch the dumpsters. This is a great way to pick up bar stools, lights, cupboards, and a variety of other useful household products. Also the stores condone the picking of this stuff up. I saw that Save-On was changing there lights and asked what they were doing with the old ones and the service clerk practically handed them to me. Most definitely the second best way to get free stuff!

Number 1: Ask Around

My Papa always told me that if I ever needed something before running out and getting it to always make sure there weren’t any extras around. And you would be amazed at what you can get if you just ask your friends. My buddy was throwing out a LCD computer monitor because he was getting a bigger one. Of course I’ll take that! Another friend of mine who had to do a school project where he built a trebuchet ended up with a ton of extra wood that he was just going to get rid of. It truly amazes me what people throw out and asking your friends if they happen to have something or asking co-workers, teachers, even store clerks can sometimes get you big rewards. Through school I have now received several computer cables and a printer complete with more ink then I will ever use. I work at a bakery and have received bread, buns, even cakes that were just going to be thrown out. So pay attention to what’s going on around you and make sure your friends realize that you enjoy repairing and relieving them of outdated or worn down items. This is definitely the best way to get free stuff.

So there you have it, the top 5 ways to get free stuff. I hope that they serve you as well as they have served me.