Freebies - should we think again maybe?

rizla01

I'm sorry Vellum but to me, that sounds a bit like 'It's not OUR problem. Let others sort it.

A bit of 'passing the buck' maybe.

If YOU or I do nothing then no-one else will learn from US!

We ALL need to lead by example for others to follow.

Not to the extremes, I agree or you will be thought of as a crank but I think that the best step is to do what this thread is already doing - Talkng about it and trying to encourage others to do the same.

I am particularly frugal with my purchases and Freecycle what I don't need.

As you pointed out, there are a lot of jobs created in making, marketing & transportation of goods in general. We on the other hand are be the unpaid & unthanked employees of the end cycle.

But one day, what our GC's & GGC's will think of us will depend entirely on our own actions.

grateful_dead

i dont think the postal network would need any less trains/ vans if we stopped ordering freebies.

the packaging yes, but i only buy recycled envelopes now,, hopefully others do the same......

vellum

i agreed with rizla01 that we all have social responsibility and be the role model for next generation, as everything starts from family, children learn from parent. we are very concious with this in our everyday family life, from food to car to holiday, we are making a concious choice down to details. being on MSE and share this experience with family is one of the positive moves.

all i mean is people need encouragement and make them feel confidence by gaining control of their life through choosing a lifestyle with conscience. nobody likes to be threathen, undermined, made to feel guilty.

i applied for free stuffs knowing they will be utilised and be part of the non-wasteful lifestyle that i chosen.

what in question are those with double standards who stand high and dry accusing other for being wasteful, when they themselves sending out dozens of paper xmas cards, flight holidays, performance cars, throw away food and clothes because they were forgotten in the cupboard and now expired and outdated.

my family make our everyday choice carefully and clearly understand that we will still produce waste no matter how minor it is. it is all about balance, not going from one extreme to another.

paddock_2

well i dont really care about the future . i just want everything thats going FREE if its for nowt send me loads even if i cant use it , GIVE ME !! more .

L.O.L.

CVID

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I've been through the thread to leave thanks everywhere except the last one where I don't see any thoughts to be thankful for.

I'm not sure but I think I'm going to make it a resolution not to bother with freebies unless we're talking about some 'mega' offer. When I've added up all the ones I've had over the last few months, I doubt whether their combined value actually comes to a fiver.

rainbowrisin

This may be a topsy turvy way of looking at things, but I tend to send off for any freebie that I know myself, or a friend / relative, can use. However, I only apply for freebies to big businesses who I feel don't have an ethical way of conducting themselves. I very, very rarely buy the product as a result of a freebie, as TBH most freebies are for products way beyond my budget or needs, and I try not to buy from exploitative companies anyway.

Everytime I have one of their free samples and then don't buy the product, I like to think i'm nibbling away at their profit margins a tiny bit. Obviously I recycle the packaging.

I would agree that it does leave a small carbon footprint, but am not sure if me doing my tiny "anti-multinational" bit by getting a freebie for a product i'll never buy outweighs this. Obviously I do lobby multi-nationals in a more overt way (I'm the mad woman that unwraps shopping at Tescos due to the excess packaging:o ), and having actually written this I wonder if the carbon imprint of a freebie outweighs the -ve impact on the multi-nationals?

What does anyone else think - I'm open minded on this and prepared to be persuaded either way. From the posts i've read I'm still not really sure.
Sorry to have waffled.

MrsTee_2

When I first joined MSE I was daft enough to send for anything and everything that was free, however now I've realised that half the time its not worth all the effort for just a sachet of shampoo or a 2 use tube of foundation. Half the time you need to use stuff several times in order to judge whether its the sort of stuff you like or it works.

I did send for some envelopes that I didn't want, but passed them onto my son who is ordering some for his business, so they weren't so useless.

MrsTee_2

When I first joined MSE I was daft enough to send for anything and everything that was free, however now I've realised that half the time its not worth all the effort for just a sachet of shampoo or a 2 use tube of foundation. Half the time you need to use stuff several times in order to judge whether its the sort of stuff you like or it works.

I did send for some envelopes that I didn't want, but passed them onto my son who is ordering some for his business, so they weren't so useless.

grateful_dead

oh also forgot to say, it is often possible to reuse the envelopes we get sent stuff in, bubblewraps etc. i try not to throw away any (except ones that get torn too much)

very useful for ebay goings on : )

James_Bond

I have absolutely no concience for the enviroment at all.

Why should I? Previous generations have made it harder for others to live, why should it stop here? Look at the greed involved in house prices for intance, the petrol prices, the previous 40+ years of pollution....etc,etc

Why should my generation have to clear up this mess that as been left to us by our kind predisesors ?:rolleyes:

Enviroment - NO. Freebies - YES


Long may it continue.


I'll only start to change when the government make fossil fuels a thing of the past, and make electricity for cars etc, standard. But why should they? One Word....

MONEY.

Like a previous poster mentioned, I will not be one of those "Plebs" who fall for the enviroment malaky. It's a joke and complete and utter waste of time. - A drop in the ocean upon ocean.