Give Us Free Fridays – Feed Me, Teach Me, Heal Me

Yes, I know that it’s Saturday but accuracy is the enemy of alliteration so…

This was a week of unexpected treasures as other people’s folly turned into my gain. My freebies ran the gamut from food to health and wellness. Let’s dive in.

Free bread at Jimmy John’s – After a week off I went back to the well for more fresh baked goodness. My eyes were bigger than my stomach the last time I took home free bread and I could not finish all that was loaded upon me. My trick for reviving stale bread could not resuscitate the last two loaves so they went in the garbage. I’m not a fan of wasting food but since I didn’t pay for them

I have this one down to a science. I call my neighborhood location about two hours before closing and ask if they’ll have any bread leftover. The manager tells me when to swing by and then gives me as many loaves as I want. I limited myself to two this time and have been on a turkey, egg, and cheese sandwich kick all week. (Value $5.00)
Free pizza – Usually my free pizza comes from mystery shopping but there weren’t any good assignments this week. By Tuesday everything in my refrigerator looked unappetizing so I used my takeout budget to order a pizza. Since the pizzeria is right down the street I decided to save myself a delivery fee and the need to tip and chose to pick it up myself.

I didn’t realize it until I got home, but I walked out of the restaurant with the wrong pizza. I called the restaurant to let them know of the mix up. Because they could not deliver a new one and I wasn’t going to get my Black ass off the couch to get it, they refunded my money instead. I still got to keep the pizza I didn’t order. Not paying for it made it taste extra yummy. (Value $16.50)
Prescriptions – I mentioned in a previous post that I have great health insurance coverage that comes with an out of pocket max after which all in-network covered care is paid at 100%. Well, I reached that promised land earlier this month. Although, I am in overall good health I do have a chronic condition. Since 2013 I have dealt with hair loss due to scarring alopecia. It is caused when inflammation in the hair follicle leads to scarring which makes the hair fall out permanently. It took me a very long time to love my hair the exact way it grows out of my head so losing it has taken a huge toll on my self-image. I have always had a lot of hair so to many people it is unnoticeable. However, since I see the difference I am super self conscious about the thinning and small bald patches. In order to keep the condition from progressing and to keep as much of my hair on my head as possible I’ve been combatting it for years with a combination of diet, supplements, topical aids, and meds. I had to refill two scripts this week, both of which normally have copays. Thanks Premera! (Value: $75.00)
Brunch – Now this one was a mystery shop. I brought along the world’s greatest ex-roommate for a brunch assignment at a casual dining spot. Was the food good?
But two entrees, coffees, and a dessert were covered, so that works for me. Check out Best Mark.* They have a good variety of assignments where you can get everything from discounted (or even free) meals to auto services. Their shops tend to be very straight forward and the evaluations require minimal long narratives. (Value: $35.00)
Groceries – So technically, my groceries were not free. However, the cashier accidentally entered his employee discount when ringing me up so I got 10% off.
(Value: ~$4.00)
Consulting services – It just so happens that the world’s greatest ex-roommate is also a digital marketing expert. Since I fed her this afternoon, she spent an hour helping me set up Facebook and Twitter pages for Open Mouths Get Fed. Real talk…I had absolutely no clue what those icons in the masthead were supposed to do. Thanks to her, now those buttons lead somewhere (please like, follow, share, etc.). I consistently attest to the fact that the best thing I have received from going to college was not the classroom knowledge but rather the network. I have so many incredible, brilliant women in my life who give me the benefit of their passions and expertise if all I do is ask. I am forever grateful for all they give to me and hope that my ability to sell Cheerios and software has benefitted them too. (Value $100)

All in all it was a pretty damn good week for free stuff with little effort expended to get it. Next week will definitely bring more mystery shopping and hopefully a few more surprises.