In the kitchen of our house, on a kitchen pantry, sits a brown nondescript box a little smaller than a standard shoebox. It is pretty plain, with the exception of a small white label on it, and a designation written in pencil. The words read, “Free Money.”
This little free money box has come in handy on many occasion, and has helped us to buy things we needed or wanted without spending a dime. It is a place we go to first, before we get in the car.
Our free money box contains the following types of items:
Gift cards for big box stores such as Target, department stores such as Macy’s, the gas station, the food store, the home improvement store, clothing stores, mall stores such as the Disney Store, and more. Any time we get a gift card, either as a present, through a rebate or in the mail for a promotion, we put it in the box. Having one central location for all of our gift cards that is easily accessible means that we are more likely to actually use them.
Since some gift cards do expire in a sense (many still can charge a monthly fee for non-use), it makes sense to use them up when needed.
The box also contains coupons or card for free food items, such as a free sandwich at Chick-fil-A or a free coffee at Starbuck. We can visit the box if we want to eat out or if we want a free treat. We don’t put grocery coupons in this box.
Another type of item in the box are free tickets to area attractions that we sometimes receive through promotions or through friends. This allows us to have a spontaneous day of fun, if the kids have off or we find ourselves with a free weekend.
Starting your own free box is easy. The hardest part is going through your purses, wallets and junk drawers to find all of the gift cards, store coupons and tickets that you may not even remember having.
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