“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.” – Bo Derek… Yes, things aren’t what bring real happiness to our lives. But getting things that are fun, pretty, helpful, and needed – and getting them for cheap, or even FREE – does bring me some serious happiness. And, since I’ve learned quite a few savvy shopping tips over the past two years since becoming a momma on an incredibly tight budget {learn why our financial situation changed so drastically here}, I put together this awesome list of all of the sites that I use to shop for free. Seriously. Keep reading to learn my 15 ways to shop for free – this is especially helpful during the holiday season!

15 Awesome Ways to Shop for Free – Perfect for the holidays!

Ok – here’s how it works. All of these sites work really similarly, and I’ve given some details on each one listed. Each site finds new products, often designers and high-end brands, and offers a limited selection of those products at rock bottom prices. The brands benefit because they get their products seen by a ton of new people – and while they’re selling their products below cost, they’re hopefully reaching loyal new customers. You benefit because you get introduced to amazing new products and brands you might not have found on your own, and you get access to them at prices you can actually afford {versus the regular designer brand prices that most of us just can’t fit into our budget!} And…. You can share the awesomeness with your fave friends and family, and earn rewards for it. Every single one of these sites will give you free money to spend when you refer your friends to join.

I {obviously} love sharing cool things that I find

Whether it’s a super helpful product, a smart resource or site, or a fab deal, I’ve always been the social type that says, “I can’t just keep this to myself, this is too awesome.” It’s why I used to post stuff to my personal Facebook page like crazy, why I love having mommy parties at my house to share products, and why I started this site – To share those amazing finds with you ladies. Because as I always say – “Friends don’t let friends pay full price.” Right?

Love our Frugal tips? See my Awesome Tips for Frugal Moms board on Pinterest!

Avoid the Holiday Overspending Trap!

It’s hard to believe, but it’s just a little over a 100 days until Christmas! Crazy, right? {Today is September 12th, 2012, to put it into perspective whenever you might be stumbling across this post…} Using sweet deal sites like these listed is a great way to save a ton of money on holiday shopping on it’s own {plus, it helps you find more unique gift ideas then you’d come across at your local mall.} – But it can be a total LIFE SAVER when you have tons of free credits at each one, and use those to do almost all of your holiday shopping for FREE. For reals. Last year I hardly spent any money at all, and was still able to do gifts for my friends & family, host parties, and donate to non-profits in my area – without breaking our budget. If you’re ready to jump in and do the same, these links will get you rockin’ in no time. Yes, I’m a blogger, so I have a wider network than some, making it a little easier to share & earn. But honestly – I started doing this years ago before I had a blog, and was still able to get loads of amazing free stuff for my family. Enjoy!

1. The Mini Social: This site is totally focused on the best sample sales for everything baby, kid, and mom related. You’ll find really great boutique brands here – but the steep discounts means that sales sell out quick! Every time you share a deal with a friend who makes a purchase, you’ll get a free $10 credit to spend. There’s no limit. Join The Mini Social.
2. Treehouse Tykes: This site finds awesome children’s furniture, bedding, gear, accessories and apparel, then sells it at up to 70% off. Plus, 10% of net proceeds go to the school or charity of your choice, which is so great. At this site, you get to share a free $10 shopping credit with new friends who sign up {yep, you get it too when you click that link. Awesome, right?} – Plus, you get $10 in free credit too when they make their first purchase.
3. Plum District: This is one of my faves, and I shop here a lot. Great deals on a really wide variety of family products – and I like that the “fine print” is very easy to find and understand, with any limitations clearly stated, to make sure you’re getting exactly what you think you are. So helpful. Join today, and every time a friend you refer makes a purchase, you get a $5 credit to spend!
4. Zozi: Ok – this is a ROCKIN’ site. They have incredible deals on amazing adventure trips, and super sweet savings on local day trips, events, and attractions too. At Zozi, you get a $10 thank you gift credit when a friend or family member that you invite makes their first purchase. And your friends will LOVE you when they find out how cool these deals are.
5. Open Sky: This is a ROCKIN’ site – You choose which of your favorite designers, chefs, or celebrities you want to follow. Then each week you get to purchase their fave finds at a BIG discount. And – you get your own special invite link to share. When someone clicks it, they get a free $25 credit to Open Sky {Seriously, click it and get it added to your new account today!} – PLUS, you’ll get a free $25 credit as soon as they make their first purchase. Uh-MAY-zing.
6. Totsy: This one’s been around for a long time, so many of you are probably members already. If not – join today, and invite your friends! When their first order ships, you get a whopping $15 bucks in free credit to spend on your next Totsy shopping spree. Sweet.
7. Moolala: This site is a little different – in a good way! It has sweet daily deals {the iPhone accessories lately have been amazing!} – and you can easily share the direct links to those cool deals with your friends. As they sign up, they go into your “Pay Matrix.” As they invite their own friends, those peeps also go into your matrix. Then every time people make purchases, you earn a little percentage of that into your account. Then you can request a check anytime you’ve got more than $5 in your account {sweet} – or spend it on the Moolala site to get a bonus bit of cash back! So cool.
8. Spotted Fox: This is a really cool new site that I’ve been working with lately… I love that unlike most of the deal sites, this one actually has MY city available! They’re getting new smaller markets in all the time, so it’s a great one to sign up with and enjoy the cool “Everywhere” deals until your city becomes available. When you click this link, for a limited time you’ll get a free $5 credit when you sign up. Then get an extra $5 bucks in credit every time a friend you refer makes a purchase!
9. HomeSav: I’ve shared these amazing home deals with you guys a few times now – VERY cool stuff. They find seriously cool collections for every part of your home, and offer them to you in limited quantities at deep discounts. And you get bigger rewards the more people you share your fab finds with – 3 friends join, get $10 in free credit. Once 10 friends join the site, you’ll get another $15 bucks in credit. And if you reach 25 friends total who set up a free account on HomeSav to get access to the awesome buys, you’ll get ANOTHER bonus of $40 in free credit – for a total of $70 dollars in freebies. Sweet.
10. Bloom: Get $1 in free credit every single time a new friend you refer sets up a free page. What is Bloom.com? I’ll let them explain it: “A place where real women and beauty pros share visually-inspiring beauty trends, tag products they use to achieve those looks and solve beauty dilemmas. Finally, one unbiased source that makes beauty fun and simple.” Join me at the web’s biggest beauty social network today!
11. Sharing Spree: When you refer friends to this site and they make a purchase, you’ll get a free $10 credit to spend on one of their amazing daily deals. What’s even better than that? Well, every purchase made on Sharing Spree means a donation to a local non-profit! So far, they’ve raised $352,519 for great causes!
12. Daily Deals for Moms: This is exactly what it says it is – A fun site with new deals each day, targeted towards busy moms like us. Share the family-friendly sales with friends and get $10 bucks to spend for yourself!
13. Moo.com: Everyone knows that Moo makes the best business cards, right? I love their super fun inspiration in each email newsletter, and that they have so many cool tools and options available to help you create incredible cards to show off your business. But, did you know that you can earn free credit to spend there too? Refer friends to Moo.com, and get $7.50 in your account when they make a purchase! {Plus, they get a sweet 10% off on their purchase when they shop from your link} – And, you don’t need a business to benefit from their cool cards – use them as “Mommy Cards,” with your name, number and email to connect with other new moms you meet at the playground. Make emergency contact cards, to give to babysitters, daycares, or inside kiddo’s backpacks. They could be super fun little mini-invitations. With the gorgeous quality of Moo printing, you could even use them to make little “baby update” cards to send out monthly to friends and family – Pic of baby on the front, growth and milestone updates on the back. So fun!
14. Zulily: This is one of my personal favorites to shop at – For me! They have great sale events on shoes, fashions, and accessories for me. Love that. And – share your faves with your girlfriends, and get TWENTY BUCKS in free credit as soon as they make their own first order. Sah-WEET!
15. Adore Me: This is a super fun site – Showrooms filled with pretty new bras, undies, and sleepwear pieces at really affordable prices. I’ve been really happy with the quality of everything I’ve ordered, and I can be pretty picky about undergarments! Also, free shipping – BOTH ways, in case you need to return ’em. And get $10 in free credit when your friends join and shop too.

What do you think? Are you crazy-super-excited to start earning free credits to shop for you and your family? Ready to do this year’s holiday shopping for almost FREE? Awesome, because I’m excited to SHARE this with you guys. I’ve been meaning to write this post for months – but when I realized how quick the holidays are approaching, I realized I needed to get on it asap. Because not only do I want you guys to be able to shop free this year, but I’m also excited for you to be able to share sweet deals with your friends, and help THEM shop for free too!

Because Friends Don’t Let Friends Pay Full Price…

Do you have any other sites to add to this list? If so, I’d LOVE to learn about them! Leave your referral link in the comments below, so that we can all sign up and get YOU some free stuff too! And, if you have any great tips, stories of how sites like this have helped you, or other info to share – please leave a comment. I’d love to feature some great stories on this site!

{Disclaimer: Post contains referral links, which means I earn the same credits that you can, when you use my links to join these sites. But they are all sites that I am personally an active member on, trust, and can honestly recommend. Photo credit: AntwerpenR.}