Mooching and the Art of Freebies

I was watching the Today show this week and was delighted to see a segment titled "The Age of Mooching" from Today's Consumer Smarts segment. You can access the video "How much can you get for free?" at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30453083#30453083. A lot of the information they gave is the same stuff as I have written. One of the suggestions they gave was to use a different email address that is not the one you normally use. I agree in principal with that suggestion, however, not everyone has the luxury or time to set up multiple email addresses and then, more importantly check them daily. Sometimes our lives can get so complicated with a never ending list of things to do that we may forget to check an obscure email address that we set up for the purpose of answering surveys. One of the tricks I use to make it easier is to set up the second email address on a free site like Yahoo or Google and then configure it up to have my mail forwarded directly to the email address I check daily. That way, I don't have to remember to go to another site to check the mail, I get it delivered on a timely basis, and I don't get spammed. So if you are worried about giving out your normal email address, do as I do and make life easier on your self and have it forwarded automatically.

Some of the other things they talked about are important to remember. You will need to give a valid address if you want to receive free items or to get paid. However, do not give out your credit card information or other personal information including social security numbers. A site that says they need that information may be fraudulent and is certainly not worth your while.

Keep Your Options Open!

Once you get started taking surveys lots of opportunities to sign up for other offers start pouring in. Weigh each offer and sign up for the ones you find most interesting. I recently started with AC Neilsen's Homescan, a consumer panel that tracks what you purchase, and have found it very interesting.

The program requires you to sign up and then your name is put on a waiting list under the "Reserve Status Waiting List".  Homescan then randomly selects households to join. Once you are accepted you will get a handheld scanner (and a lot of other information about the program)  that you use to scan the barcodes from products you buy for your family. It doesn't matter what you purchase since the whole purpose is to track everyday consumers preferences.

Homescan is truly an easy way to share your opinions in the marketplace. As part of the program you accumulate points to spend on a variety of products from a special catalog Homescan provides you. The products or rewards include small appliances, children's items, electronics, recreation products, kitchen items and travel items to name a few. 

The program starts you with a 1000 points and you get additional points on a graduated scale for weekly, monthly, and yearly transmissions. You can also get points for answering surveys and joining their online panel. (Mac users beware: the online panel is only for PC users)!