Deepak Tailor, who starred on Dragon's Den, is a professional freebie hunter whose recent haul includes a £50 free printer and a giant Yankee candle worth £24.
The 31-year-old, of Ilford, manages to get free stuff by testing items out for companies and by scouring the web for giveaways by brands promoting their products.
He said: "When the freebies arrive through the door, it's like someone is delivering presents to you everyday."
He added: "Everything I get really does help me day-to-day. It might not change your life, but it's a little addition to your life that's really positive."
The entrepreneur has been blagging free stuff for 10 years, and went professional in 2012 when he set up a website dedicated to freebie hunting called LatestFreeStuff.co.uk.
In 2016, he successfully pitched his freebie business on Dragon's Den and won a £50,000 investment from business mogul Deborah Meaden.
One of Deepak's best ever freebies was a Colgate electric toothbrush worth £180 a few years ago, and this year, he's blagged a £50 HP printer, a large Autumn Night Yankee Candle, perfume, chocolate and cans of Coca-Cola.
How to hunt for the best freebies
1. Send letters to your favourite brands – Say how much you love their products and would love you to try some samples
2. Check apps and websites everyday – Spend five to 10 minutes everyday checking a range of websites that regularly hand out freebies. These include SuperSavvyMe, 02 Priority, Three's Wuntu priority scheme, Vodafone's VeryMe, Quidco and Shopmium.
3. Join testing panels – Panels will send you products if you then write reviews about them – and you get to keep them after. Try Philips Product Tester Program, The Insiders, and Pinecone Research.
4. Search Twitter – Search Twitter for "Free Samples" with a location parameter of UK so that you can see which companies are handing out freebies.
5. Sign up to LatestFreeStuff.co.uk – Deepak and his team spend all day everyday hunting for freebies. You can sign up to the website, and they will send you the latest freebies in a daily newsletter. The latest freebies will also be uploaded to the website so it's worth checking regularly.
He thinks his hauls are worth between £1,000 and £1,500 every year.
Now Deepak, who is also the co-founder of deals website LatestDeals.co.uk, wants to share his secrets to bagging the best freebies to help people struggling with the financial strain of Christmas.
Deepak first started hunting for freebies when he was a student.
One of the entrepreneur's friends received a free sample of Marmite in the post, and it made Deepak curious about what other free stuff he could blag online.
How to become a top freebie hunter
1. Apply for freebies as soon as you can – Freebies are on a first come first serve basis, so it is better to apply as soon as you see them.
2. Get a second email address – Set yourself up with at least one email address that you use just for applying for freebies so you do not have to worry about spam.
3. Download auto-fill software – Use software on your phone that automatically fills in your delivery address. It will save you so much time filling in forms especially if you're applying for five or six freebies everyday. On Android, you can do this by opening the Settings app, going to System>Language & Input. Expand the Advanced settings at the bottom and tap Autofill Service. On the Autofill Service, select "Autofill with Google".
4. Use reputable websites – Try to only search for freebies on reputable websites and brands as other deals might be spam.
5. Check terms and conditions of offers – You don't want to sign up to stuff where they sell your details.
He said: "I was living at home and didn't have much money.
"I wanted to try new products but couldn't afford it, so I started to look online."
A hobby turned into a passion for Deepak, and in early 2012 he set up LatestFreeStuff.co.uk as a one-stop-shop for freebies telling people about the best freebies around in one place.
The website now has 600,000 members, making it one of the largest freebie sites in the UK.
Deepak has a strict policy about only featuring genuine freebies on his website, and he doesn't feature deals that require you to pass on your personal details that will then be sold on to data companies.
Deepak's freebie Christmas list
- Free Schweppes Gin & Tonic
- Free Hugo Boss Fragrance
- Free DKNY Perfume
- Free McDonald’s Fairy Lights
- Free In The Night Garden Picture Book
- Free Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
- Free Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Set
Deepak spends all day everyday hunting for freebies, but he says you only need to spend a few minutes everyday searching for free stuff to benefit.
He said: "It's very easy to do.
"You just need to have the dedication to spend five or ten minutes everyday to look through different websites and check your email."
He added: "A big element of it is being able to try products without going to buy them to see if you would buy them in future. And the freebies often come with coupons for the next purchase."
If you follow Deepak's tips, you could blag a free Christmas just like one savvy mum who bagged £400 worth of presents by filling out online surveys.
Another mum who would usually spend £2,000 on presents used coupons and entered competitions to score presents free of charge this year.
Last month we asked money savers to reveal their top tips for earning cash without leaving home, and it could earn you up to £1,000 a month.
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