Free samples - Are they worth the time?

I post alot of free sample offers here on the blog.  Do you sign up for them otr do you think they are a waste of time?  I wasn't always interested in free samples myself, before I started couponing and stockpiling I thought free samples were a waste of time.

Getting free samples in the mail is fun!  It's a lot more fun going to the mailbox and finding a freebie in there instead of just bills!!  Not sure how fun my postman thinks it is on days when my mailbox is stuffed full of goodies, but I sure enjoy it!

Free samples allow you to try a new product without spending any money.  I'm sure there have been times you've seen a product that looks interesting and wanted to try it, but also thought "if I don't like it, then I've just wasted the money" Try it using a free sample and you haven't risked anything!

Free samples usually come with a coupon, and many times the coupons that come with the free samples are high value ones, one you couldn't typically get elsewhere!  There have been times I have been able to stack a coupon I received with a free sample with either a great sale or another store coupon and actually ended up with a freebie!

What to do with all the free sample items you receive?  Free samples are great to take along when travelling or camping.  Free samples make great stocking stuffers or gift basket fillers.  I use them as surprise goodies for my son, give them to friends, donate them where needed.  There is always a use for a free sample as far as I a m concerned.

When signing up for free samples, the registration form will usually ask for name, address, email, phone number and sometimes have a few multiple choice survey questions for you to answer.  Very easy to submit, especially if you have "auto-fill" enabled on your computer.

I have a seperate email account that I use only for free samples, newsletters, online offers, etc.  Free email accounts are easy to get through Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.  This way my regular email account doesn;t get cluttered with emails I'm not interested in.  I typically don't enter my phone number, but if it is a required field I put in an old phone number of ours.  I've never heard of anyone getting a phone call from requesting a free sample, but then on the other hand I've worked so hard getting our name and number on all the do no call lists that I just don't want to take the chance of getting back onto a call list! 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.  Do you sign up for free samples or think they are a waste of time?