recession-proof instant attitude adjustment!

When I was little, I was a crafty little thing, and I loved free stuff (who doesn't?) One trick I came up with, which I used on a regular basis, was sending hand-written letters to companies with products I liked or was interested in.

In the letters, I would praise the product (if I'd already used it) and ask for stickers or samples I could use to share the love for _______ (enter organization name). If I hadn't used the product because it was too expensive, I said I'd heard good things but wanted to try out the product before splurging on the real thing. And guess what -- IT REALLY WORKS!! My mailbox (not inbox -- real, good old-fashioned snail mail) was flooded with responses.

Although I received the occasional thank-you letter with nothing in it but kind words (also always nice), I usually got stickers and/or samples. In some cases (quite often, actually) I got full products from the companies I'd written to! For instance, when I was in middle school I wrote to a teen clothing company and received school supplies and a hat with their logo on it. As you can imagine, this was a very trendy set of stuff for a seventh-grader to be toting around.

But as my age changed, the products I received evolved too. Once in high school I wrote to Estée Lauder and was rewarded with two Pure Color Lip Vinyl lip gloss cubes (the packaging resembled ice cubes -- very cute), a lipstick and some samples. That's a LOT of money I saved just for showing my support for the company.

So I suggest trying this as an easy way to boost your day. It's almost free (just pay for a stamp and an envelope) and gets you cool freebies. Just log onto the company's web site and look for the link that says "Contact Us" (usually at the bottom of the page) and find their mailing address. Then start writing!

One more option: I like entering contests. Again, it's free, and waiting for a response or possible win is like waiting for Christmas morning when you're a little kid. I like the ones that let you choose whether or not to receive newsletters, etc., like the Glamour magazine one, below. I don't get spam from them, ever. Bravo!

Click on the link below for the Glamour monthly giveaway. There are products given every day of the month.

30 Days of Beauty Freebies!