Using “free” stuff - Do you?

If it's something useful I will use it. They sent it out knowing only a fraction of people will make a donation so the items are obviously cheap enough that they can afford to do that. It's too wasteful to just throw something in the trash when it could be used. I do not like to send more items to the landfill than I have to. Which is part of the reason why I'd never donate to an organization that does this.

Yes, I didn’t ask for the free stuff. Most of my reusable grocery bags are from
Trade shows, etc.

I haven't gotten those free address labels in years, maybe three addresses ago? I wouldn't mind having some.

My grandma used them for decades. I think they even donated to keep them coming. My mom used them. I'm pretty sure Mil and her parents used them as well. Other free stuff? All depends on what they are. I have a few reusable bags from events that we used for picking produce, going to the farmer's market, or putting stuff in it to donate. There's at least two in each car. The mortgage company sent us those little magnet calendars. I have a bunch of free pens. I keep the ones I like and toss the others.

My MIL was the queen of getting that kind of stuff. She donated to every so-called “charity” imaginable and received piles of those labels, calendars, umbrellas, greeting cards, tote bags, stuffed animals, t-shirts, magazines, I can’t even remember all of it. After she passed away we recycled and donated as much of it as we could but some smelled so bad of cigarette smoke that it had to be tossed. Such a total waste, especially since we knew she had to have sent those places thousands of dollars over the years to get all that stuff.

About the only thing we get are address labels from Ducks Unlimited. They send them to DH a couple times a year looking for donations. I think he might have donated once or twice years ago and has been on their list ever since. I use them for the handful of generic bills or things I need to mail. Anything sent out to personal friends I use cute custom labels I print myself.

I use the labels. I didn't ask for them any more than I ask for all the other junk mail in my mailbox. I can throw it away or use it.

Absolutely!

If it arrives unsolicited it is yours! I get all kinds of junk. My info for sure was sold by a organization I did donate to or  political campaign, that's one way the get monies, ALL of them!!  They have all now lost more donations from me..

I'm retired. In the evening while sitting watching TV or whatever, I open their envelopes, write stop on the donation portion and stuff ALL their stuff back in their postage paid envelope and mail it back on their dollar.
I resent having to shred all their numerous printing my name on every page etc. Next I will cut up the address labels and send them back, again on their dime.

Last batch of stuff sent back I wrote this is harassment. I have not received as many of late, but that could be it is summer...

Is it working? I don't know, but I have to recycle less here..

I use the address labels as did my mom. She got so many that she used them to label all sorts of things (umbrellas, camera bags, luggage, etc).

I only use free stuff if it's something I genuinely like it and/or if it's something I would have purchased on my own. I've been known to 'accidentally' leave the player goodie bag behind in a tournament locker room if it was full of crap that neither my kid nor I would use ... like, sure, a drawstring bag comes in handy for dirty gear, etc, but there is no way in hell that my kid was going to use a drawstring bag that had the host/opposition team's name/logo on it, no matter how nice it was! Not to mention all the lip balm, pens, water bottles and assorted crap they were always filled with--we only like one kind of lip balm (Burt's Bees cucumber, thank you very much!) and everyone already has a high quality water bottle that they carry everywhere. In the same vein, if I need address labels, it's super easy to print my own, and then they look exactly like I want them to look!

Yes.  I am in the camp they send those out as a gift, and as I learned from here a gift should be given freely and without expectation of a thank you or donation.  😉😄

I am a believer in energy exchange.
If the labels have a company name on them you are helping them advertise by using them.
Sounds pretty win win to me.

I use free stuff if it is iseful to me. Otherwise it is going in the trash.

As far as address labels, I rarely get any, and I don't mail much anyway. But If they look tacky or shiney, they are going in the shredder.