Social Freedia

Ever since I started my current position, coworkers have a tendency to ask me how I seem to afford everything I do, and everything I eat, because I am paid at the poverty line (not a joke, it's on purpose). More often than I like to admit, it's social media. My current position is based in a metropolitan area, which means a few different things: lots of companies, lots of events, and lots of marketing. That being said, I've gotten to do some crazy fun things for free because of these three things.

Over the last summer, Ben and Jerry's had a free carnival where they had a swing ride and ice cream and prizes. My friend and I probably went on the swing ride 6 times and about half way through our fourth sample (a full size one of those wannabe Klondike bars) we could not possibly eat anymore ice cream. Of course this is a marketing tactic, but hey, free ice cream is free ice cream.

One day I got off the train, and there was a Verizon Fios truck handing out free ice cream that everyone seemed to be avoiding, again, a marketing tactic. I went up, got an ice cream sandwich, and walked away; I told my new in town coworker and she had no idea how to get there so I promised her another free ice cream event, and low and behold, a 2 minute Facebook local search landed me on an event were going to next week.

Facebook local is an app—you guessed it—developed by Facebook, and it's how I find a lot of my free events. Free beer samplings. Free game events. Free food samples. Free museum nights. Free festivals. Yes, all of these are marketing tactics, but being conscious of these things makes these things more manageable.

The thing is, you have to do a little work; and by work, I mean searching. It's not just opening up the app and BAM, exactly what you're looking for. Summer is coming! Which means public events are too. I’m already finding events and saving them to my calendar to make sure I get all the free ice cream I can this weekend.

The flip side of this: metadata is real. Ads are going to come up for things in your area—your social media platforms are going to suggest events that they think you’re interested in. Most recently, I was suggested an event where you put together a presentation on your friend and help them find a date with your advertising skills (Kirsten, get ready).

Speaking of marketing tactics, recently I developed a Starbucks addiction because I found a way to get tons of free Starbucks (and this offer may or may not have expired, I maxed out). G2 Crowd let's you do reviews in exchange for gift cards. It's real. And I now have Starbucks gold status because of it. One of my coworkers was most taken back by the amount of Starbucks I was drinking, and even commented on it; I had to explain that I wasn't paying for it. She immediately got on board and tried to get herself gift cards too.

That being said, if you haven't already caught on, there are Uber and Lyft coupon codes online too. Most big name "cheap alternatives" have easy to find coupons. I recently received my first wish order and made an informed decision, and I'm very happy with my order (brand new pillow topper for my secondhand mattress).

Just remember to tell yourself: "this is a marketing tactic, I don't have to change what I'm doing just because of this experience."