Renuzit Crystal Elements, free after mail-in rebate.

I have to confess I'm not really on board with plasticky air fresheners, which are not very environmentally friendly. But if you simply MUST have some smelly Jello bits in a glass bowl in your home, at least get them for free with this mail-in rebate offer.

"Try For Free! Renuzit Crystal Elements Air Freshening Crystals (Up to $2.99 on the 9 oz refill and Up to $5.60 on 18 oz refill). Purchase at your favorite retailer between 11/14/11 and 2/28/12 and postmark your rebate form by March 31, 2012."

Download the form and prepare to surround yourself with fragranced crystal chunks.

Free Cottonelle TP roll cover.

TP is gross, you guys - cover it up! When I was a kid, one of my grandmas used a scary crocheted doll for this purpose and the other one had a stand that looked like a miniature flagpole that could stack four (!) extra rolls. Cottonelle's modern-day solution is a discreet and tastefully patterned roll holder, which you can get free by entering the UPC of a qualifying 12-roll purchase.

Of course, only a cheating cheater would enter the numbers 3600013396 instead.

The patterns are cute, but I'm concerned this may be a little too clever. If I was at someone's party and the TP roll ran out, I would assume this canister just held Q-tips or makeup or something, so I'd still be rummaging around under the sink cabinet anyway.

Pier 1: $10 off any purchase of $10 or more.

Pier 1 has a pretty good online coupon: $10 off a purchase of $10 or more. Looks like there's no minimum purchase, so you could theoretically get $10.01 worth of stuff and get out of there for a penny. It's up to you whether you want to be charitable and throw them a bone by buying a few extra bucks' worth of stuff.

Lowe's: 1 million free trees on April 23.

Free tree. Free tree! FREE TREE!! That's what you'll be saying on April 23 at Lowe's when you celebrate Earth Day by picking up your free tree. They're giving away a million of them - literally - and it doesn't say any purchase, coupon, etc. is required to get one.

Happy early Earth Day!

Free CFL bulb.

Rodney Strong Vineyards is apparently the first "carbon-neutral winery" in California's boozy Sonoma County, and they're spreading the planet-friendly vibe with free CFL bulbs. Just fill out the form and you'll receive a free CFL bulb of your very own!

Note: for some reason (I guess because this is a winery?), you have to be 21 or over to receive the free sample. So just, uh, make sure that your information on the online form matches up with that.

Free sample of Kirkland Household Surface Wipes.

This is a Costco freebie, but you don't have to be a Costco member to get it. Just fill out the form for your free sample of Kirkland Household Surface Wipes. It's been a while since there were any good cleaning-product freebies, so this will have to do for today...

Free Yankee Candle votive on Nov. 20.

If you happen to be near a mall this weekend - and you like smelly candles - you should print out this coupon for a free Yankee Candle votive, good on Nov. 20 only from 10:00 am to noon. They have some festive holiday fragrances, and as you know if you've ever walked past that store, the candles are strong enough to work like potpourri even when they're not lit, so a votive would be the perfect size for a bathroom or guest bedroom.

Amazon: Real Simple for $10.

Amazon has a deal on Real Simple magazine this week - $10 for a one-year subscription. That's a pretty good price, although I have a feeling it's not the lowest it's ever been, because I currently subscribe to it and I'm fairly sure I did so when it was even less than that.

Remember that insane magazine-sale rampage last holiday season, when seemingly everything was $4 and $5 for a year-long subscription? I think that may just happen again, and the deals might get even better if you're patient. But if you need your Real Simple fix, this is a fairly cheap way to keep it coming.

Free Annie's hippie lunch bag.

Back when I was in school, this organic cotton lunch sack would totally have marked you as a social-outcast child of hippies, but I guess times have changed. Now it's cool to reuse, and Annie's does have that cute bunny-shaped mac 'n' cheese... or you could just type in the numbers 013562300983 and 013562302109 if that's how you roll. It's your karma, man.

Free bottle of Advil.

Well, readers, you may have noticed that I haven't been posting for the past couple of weeks... and that's because I took all the $$$ I've saved up and headed on vacation! But I'm back now and ready to get back on the freebie wagon. Are you?!

Getting back to regular life routines is already giving me a headache, so it's a good thing that Advil is offering 500,000 free bottles of painkillers when you sign up via online form. That should just about do it, I think (along with the contents of my duty-free bag).

Amazon: Sunset magazine for $5.

Here's a nice gift for the homeowner in your life... a one-year subscription to Sunset magazine for just $5. Based right here in Seattle, this magazine has lots of tips for homeowners, landscaping and gardening guides, architectural and renovation-project photospreads, upcoming events, and even some recipes and shopping tips. 

(Note: There is both an auto-renewal and a non-auto-renewal option, so make sure you've chosen the one you want in the Subscription Options box; auto-renewal will renew your subscription at whatever the going rate in 11 months is.)

It's definitely more for people who own their own home and have the ability to knock down walls or remodel a walk-in closet - something my landlord wouldn't be too thrilled about - but for the price, you apartment-dwellers might find it a fun aspirational leaf-through too.

Tanga: Garden Design subscription for $5.

Tanga has another fine magazine deal for us today... a one-year subscription to Garden Design magazine for just $5.  The product page shows $19.99, but use promo code GARDEN to snag the discount.

I'm pretty gardening-indifferent myself, but I know a few avid gardeners who might really enjoy this deal, and maybe you do too! Let those gardeners get started now on their ambitious backyard plans for next spring...

Walmart: Free 11 oz dish soap samples.

If this isn't a typo, then it's one heck of a free sample... stop by your local participating Walmart from 7/22 to 7/25 to get a free 11 oz. bottle of Gain dish soap. The dates and times vary by location, so make sure to check your local store to see when they'll be handing out free bottles.

Seattleites, here's the info for us:

34520 16th Avenue
South Federal Way, WA 98003
(253) 835-4965

7/25/2010
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM

I usually don't ever shop at Walmart, but I might be willing to walk in, take a free bottle of dish soap, and walk out.

Tanga: ReadyMade 1-year subscription for $3.

Tanga's magazine deal of the day today is pretty good: a one-year subscription to ReadyMade for $2.99. It's on their website for $20, but with promo code READY it comes down to a mere $3. This magazine has 6 issues per subscription and you can buy up to a 3-year subscription.

I've always been a little curious about this one - it gets mixed reviews on Amazon as far as the usefulness/practicality of the projects. And since I'm a renter and not an owner, I'd be hesitant to tackle any projects that involve permanently altering my home. Anyone ever subscribed to this one and liked or disliked it? Leave it in the comments!

Free Glidden paint samples.

This one seems to be showing up all over, so if you're into free paint samples, you might want to strike fast - the offer is good through June 7 or (that ominous phrase) "while supplies last."

The bottles look pretty tiny, but if you're a crafter or you just have a tiny touch-up job, this might come in handy. You can pick from lots of different colors - I went with a couple of oranges to cover this curio cabinet I got at a thrift store a while back. We'll see how it goes.

Free sample of The Drops.

I can't decide whether this toilet-related product's name is sheer brilliance or the worst thing ever. It is called "The Drops," as in, "Add The Drops™ and the smell stops!" Here is a helpful and also kind of icky graphic that further illustrates. The company's name is Toilex, so you know they're serious about this.

I still think Poo-pourri wins for Best Toilet Product Name, but if you're curious, send away for your free sample. Your choice of Fresh Lavender or Citrus Bubble.

THE DROPS!

USPS Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is May 8!

The USPS "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive is this Saturday, May 8. Over the last 17 years, they've collected nearly a BILLION pounds of non-perishable food to donate to food banks across America, and they're hoping to pass the billion-pound mark this year.

While this may not be a freebie per se, it is a good thing to do, and you could consider it a free clutter-removal service. Just because you got eight cans of kidney beans on sale a year ago doesn't mean you're ever going to use them, and a streamlined pantry is a happy pantry. Take a look at your cabinets and see if you can't fill up a bag or two - then, just leave it next to your mailbox, and your postal worker will collect the food and take it back to the post office, where it will be sorted and delivered to a local food bank.

Remember, though, if you want to donate money to a food bank, it's better to give them cash directly than to buy food yourself at retail prices - they can get more for the $$$ buying in bulk than you can at the store. This is a great opportunity to unload food you already have and won't use, though!

Seattle: Free gardening classes, composting kits.

The City of Seattle wants you to go green, and they will accept no excuses!

• Free "Green Kitchen" Kit - Evidently you'll be receiving coupons for free Green Kitchen Kits are in your CurbWaste & Conserve newsletter, which arrives in mailboxes this week! (This may be more for homeowners - I live in an apartment building and don't recall ever getting one of these.) Starting April 15, you can redeem your coupons for free Green Kitchen Kits, including an EcoSafe Kitchen Collector, compostable bags for storing food scraps, a food scraper, a CFL light bulb, and a reusable shopping bag, at various neighborhood service centers.
• Free Gardening Classes - Starting April 3, the City of Seattle will be offering free gardening classes. Savvy Gardener classes will focus on native plants and food gardening, encouraging gardeners to make choices this spring that will help them save water during Seattle’s typical dry summers. Check out the class schedule here.

(Thanks, Laura P.!)

Free seeds for gardeners.

Has the mild spring weather gotten you eyeing your backyard or windowsill box? The Dinner Garden wants to give you some free seeds! If you don't live in one of the locations listed, you can email a request and they'll send you some. (Note: it looks like they're currently backlogged while awaiting more seed supplies, so be patient if you do request this one.)

Pets: Free Beneful IncrediBites sample.

It always bums me out when pet food sounds fancier than what I'm eating. I'll be sitting at lunch with a tuna fish sandwich or something, reading a magazine ad that rapturously describes "succulent plank-smoked salmon fillets served in a rich sauce over tender rice," and feel some definite speciesist resentment. Why should cats and dogs get all the best morsels?

Well, I guess I could sign myself up for this free sample of Purina Beneful IncrediBites dog food, which certainly sounds quite fancy. Perhaps I too would like "a variety of crunchy and tender pieces, small-sized and easy to chew," Purina. Did you ever think of THAT? *sob*