Times are tough. Prices of everything are rising and the average family is being squeezed financially. As we try to fill our gas tanks and pay for groceries, we all wonder where we can cut costs and help stretch our dollar. I have a dollar stretching idea for you ? free samples. Many companies give away free samples of their products and will mail them to you at no charge.

There are two reasons why this is helpful to the family budget. First, there are so many companies giving out free samples that there is a large quantity of samples available. Second, most companies now offer their samples over the internet making it easier than ever to order them. Just for spending a few minutes a day filling out simple online forms, one can have free samples in their mailbox nearly every day. The items that are available include free health and hygiene items, free household stuff, free beauty stuff, free kids stuff, free baby stuff, free pet stuff and much more. Sometimes you can even find the occasional shirt, hat, or coffee mug.

Where do you find all of this great free stuff? Websites have sprouted up to provide links to all of the companies currently sending out free samples. Be careful however, many sites claim to offer free stuff when they actually want you to take long surveys, sign up for services you don't want, or buy things you don't need in order to get your ?free item?. Don't get scammed by these sites when there are so many reputable sites that will link you to totally free stuff. If a free stuff site requires that you pull your credit card out of your wallet, the items you are getting are not free.

In addition to the financial benefits of getting lots of free stuff, you will also find it to be fun. Just observe normal precautions to protect yourself. Here are some ideas to help make your free stuff experience a less stressful one:

?Make sure you have good anti-virus and spyware software installed and properly updated. This is a suggestion that applies to all web surfing, but whenever you do anything on the internet that requires entering personal information, it is a must.

?Get a separate e-mail address. Much of the free stuff available on the internet requires signing up for e-mail newsletters and many forms of spam. This a fair price to pay for the amount of free stuff you can get, but don't clog your primary e-mail address with the resulting spam. With a separate e-mail address, you can check it once a week or so and delete all the junk to make room for more. Personal note: Don't delete the e-mails mindlessly. I've found some pretty interesting newsletters as a result of ordering free stuff and have decided to keep some of them. The ones you don't want should have an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Use it wisely.

?Download and install the Google toolbar. In addition to a popup blocker, it has the autofill feature. Enter your personal information once and then you can fill out most forms with one click.

?Don't give out your phone number. Let me rephrase that so there's absolutely no confusion. Don't give out your phone number! Getting phone calls from solicitors at dinner time (or any other time) is too high a price to pay for getting free stuff. Check and see if the phone number field on the form is required. If not, leave it blank. If you are required to give your phone number, lie.

Once you have started down the free stuff road, get a larger mailbox and empty out some cabinets to make room for all the stuff you'll be getting. The possibilities are endless. Companies love to give out free samples to promote their products and I love getting them. Just use your common sense and have fun.