5 Ways to Get Free Food

If you sit down and work out your household budget, you will probably find that apart from rent, the largest chunk of money goes to food. It is a sad fact of life that we have to spend a lot of money on just eating. But what if you could eat for free? Here are five ways to get free food, some are more . . . scrupulous than others!

Hit the supermarket on a weekend. Supermarkets often give out free samples on Saturdays. While you won't be able to fill up on just a cracker sample or two, going to a large grocery store, or two or three in one day, can be a good way to try out some new brands and more expensive food that you wouldn't normally buy yourself. Take your kids along and you might even be able to skip lunch!

Order online samples. Many food companies offer free samples of their food or beverage in order to get you hooked and wanting to buy their products. This is the ideal opportunity for you to try a whole bunch of different foods. Order a variety of the same type, breakfast cereal, for example, and you will have enough for the whole family to enjoy a meal.

Crash a big event. During the summer, there are frequently weddings and during the rest of the year you can find bar mitzvahs, birthday bashes and retirement parties going on. These things are loaded with food and for someone who isn't bothered by the idea of being a wedding crasher, they are the best way to fill up on great food. All you have to do is hang out around the event halls, dressed formally, and slip in with everyone else. Weddings and the like are usually not by invitation only, so you should have no problems getting in and enjoying the food.

Complain about your food. Everyone knows the old "fly in my soup" routine at restaurants and quite frankly, it just doesn´t work anymore. However, there is another way to get companies to send you free food. If you find that a package of ramen noodles or your favorite brand of cookies has something wrong with it, like insects, mold, etc. you can write the company and get them to send you a replacement. Sometimes they even send a whole box of replacements! You can find the contact information on the side of a package of food, they usually have a toll-free number for complaints, as well.

Visit a soup kitchen. This might not sound very appealing, but many times soup kitchens have pretty decent food! Just make sure you dress down a bit, if you don't want to be roped into volunteering. This is a good option for those who are down on their luck, but if you are just hungry and don't have high morals, you can make good use of the soup kitchens, as well. Just stay away from ones where someone might recognize you!