Want Some Free Stuff?

I like saving money as much as the next guy. OK, probably more since I have spent the last year working on what I initially called “an experiment in social media." 

With any spare time that I get, I post deals on the Internet, specifically my website, Twitter, and Facebook, via a side-project that I started called “Tim’s Deals."

While my path has been windy and my end goal is still relatively unknown, I’ve gotten pretty good at uncovering brick-and-mortar deals in the D.C.-metro area.

Anyway, enough about me.

Here is one of the easiest ways to save money on your next visit to a restaurant, hair salon, department store, clothing store, movie theater, service station, dry cleaner, pet store, garden center … you get the picture.

Email lists or newsletters

I understand the hesitancy to sign up for a bunch of email lists and clutter your inbox. But if you’re diligent, you can sign up for a bunch of email lists, <save money>, and not clutter your inbox.

Big Tip: Many restaurants, stores, salons, and such offer you something just for signing up for their newsletter. If it’s a chain, your chances of getting something free just went up exponentially.

Go to http://www.tims.us/Rockville.php and http://www.tims.us/Chains.php and note the businesses that have a "(Email)" designation next to their names.

Why not tailor your next few lunches or dinners around these establishments and save $5 or $10.

You might not be interested in a weekly or monthly update from these restaurants, or you might simply not want to clutter your email box any more than it already is.

No big deal.

Unsubscribe to the newsletter in the same email in which they send you your gift. It might sound unsavory to some, but I can rationalize it pretty easily with the fact that I’ll be there soon spending more than $5 or getting a free appetizer. My family just filled three seats in their establishment. Maybe I’ll even like it so much that that little email provokes me to become a regular customer. Whatever it takes.

Of course, make sure you read the fine print as most of these gifts assume you'll be making another purchase. Again, you most likely went there for more than just a free appetizer anyway, so probably not a big deal.

One last tip is that while some gifts arrive in your email immediately, some might take up to a day to arrive, so try to plan your establishment one day early just in case. But not too much in advance. Most of these deals expire within one week and one month.

I hope these tips save you a few bucks and help the D.C. economy at the same time. In a future column, I’ll point out how you can find even more savings via Twitter. I ask the Twitter holdouts to withhold judgment until they’ve seen what I have to say.
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Tim aggregates DC-area deals on a per-city basis daily at www.tims.us, featuring daily deals, current promotions, regular promotions, introductory offers, daily specials, discounts, coupons, email club offers, Facebook offers, Twitter offers, Foursquare offers and more.