Freebie Friday: a little something to cheer you up

At the end of a long week, you deserve a treat. Of course, at the end of a long week in the middle of an expensive summer, there's a reasonable chance you can't afford one. Fortunately, that's where freebies can come in handy. We have a handful of freebies designed to offer a pick-me-up at the end of the week. Whether you'd like a snack, a cocktail or a pampering session, there's a freebie to suit.

Free Cocktail
If you sign up for the Pitcher and Piano newsletter, you can head down to your local branch after a long Friday for a Southern Comfort Peach Punch or bottle of Old Mount Cider. After you sign up, you'll get a code that you can just show to bar staff for your freebie. And because you're now signed up for newsletters, every month you'll get another new freebie dropping into your inbox

Free cereal bar
Kellogg's has launched Special K bars - designed for peckish people who are watching their weight. To spread the word, they are currently giving away the red berry versions of the bars. All you need to do is sign up online and you'll get a free bar to try.
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Free £5 voucher
Debenhams is trying to promote its click and collect service, which you can cash in on if you're planning to shop at the store this weekend. If you place an online order worth £30 or more, and opt for click and collect by Sunday (9th August), Debenhams will give you a free £5 voucher. So if you know what you want before you hit the shops, you can pick up the shopping you were going to buy anyway, and get a voucher for nothing.

Free vouchers
If you're a keen bargain-hunter, then the chances are that you already know about a huge number of voucher codes for bargains online. If you choose to share them at vouchercodes.co.uk, you could be in line for a gift card for any retailer ranging from John Lewis to Amazon. Unfortunately they hand these out as 'random acts of kindness' instead of letting you earn them sensibly. However, if you have the time to share your codes, and you share enough of them, you stand a decent chance of a freebie.

Free beauty sample
Lancome counters in department stores and branches of Boots are currently offering a 5ml sample of Advanced Gentrifique serum - a skin serum that usually costs almost £60 for a full sized bottle. It means your freebie is worth the best part of a tenner - assuming you buy into the idea of expensive beauty products. The counters are also offering a free 15 minute facial - which you can just turn up and ask for. However, there's a good chance they will use the opportunity to try to sell more products to you, so it's worth avoiding if you're worried you could be persuaded into spending your money.

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