I'm a big fan of frequent flyer miles/shopper rewards/shopper points...you can fill in the blank. Bottom line is, I like free stuff. Better yet, HIGH QUALITY free stuff.And it seems the best time to get free stuff is during the Christmas holiday season (or whichever winter gift-giving holiday you celebrate).

I do a fair amount of shopping the other 11 months of the year and I appreciate places where I can accumulate points or rewards or whatever for my purchases that I can later cash in to get stuff when I REALLY need it - which is during December. I have two children whose birthdays are in December as well as Christmas, so, as you imagine, my wallet empties out fairly quickly starting on Black Friday right on through the New Year. However, I've found a few pretty good free stuff sites that I've been using throughout the years to help with those expenses and I will share them with you. Here's how I'll be shopping for Christmas this year:

MyPoints (www.mypoints.com) allows members to earn points that they can redeem for gift cards. This can be done twofold. First, you can go to their website if you are doing some online shopping, and click on one of the affiliated merchants. Everyone from CVS to JCPenney to Office Depot has a link through the MyPoints site (called click-thrus) You are awarded points based on how much you spend with the affiliated merchants. You can also buy stamps, business cards, DirectTV subscriptions, magazines, and much more through their site.

Secondly, you can earn points simply by clicking on the links that are emailed to you daily. I usually get 3-10 emails per day from MyPoints and I get 5 points each time I click on an ad. You don't have to read it or anything; just clicking on it will get you the points. Sometimes you also get surveys that, if you qualify, can earn you 50 points or more. If you answer a few basic questions and still don't qualify, you still earn 10 points.

This site has a large number of merchants who offer gift cards redeemable with points. Different gift card values are worth different levels of points. Again, everyone from iTunes to Omaha Steaks to Bloomingdale's is represented in the 'Redeem' category. On average, it takes about 3,000 points to get a $25 gift card to a restaurant or store. But it doesn't take that long to earn that number of points. I usually save my points and cash them in November to use as Christmas gifts. iTunes are very popular in my house so I'm banking all my points to redeem for as many iTunes gift cards as possible. I have about 7200 points accumulated since Nov. of last year, so I am on track to get two or three of the popular gift cards.

Earning points does take some time, but if you are on your computer a lot anyway, or do a lot of online shopping, it's a good way to get a little something back for your time and money.

Another site I'm using a lot this year is www.mycokerewards.com. This site requires you to enter the codes from purchases of Coca-Cola products. We drink a lot of soda and Dasani water in my house (also a Coke product) and I've accumulated over 1100 points thus far. It doesn't take long to type in the codes from the bottle caps or carton flaps (on the 12 and 24 pack cans). Their prizes are a little quirkier; you can redeem them for free bottles of drinks, or more unique things like charm bracelets, notebook skins, sweepstake entries for a variety of contests, movie tickets, downloadable workout videos, American Idol merchandise, and the list goes on. They also have small household appliances and gift cards available for redemption as well. When I was on there today I saw a gift card for something called www.campusfood.com. It's a website for college students at 300 affiliated schools who can go to the website and order food for delivery. I guess if you had a college student, it would be a great way to send them money for food that would ensure (possibly) that they wouldn't blow it on beer. LOL...A $5 gift card costs 100 points. I received an email recently that said the mycokerewards program would run through the end of this year, but you should double-check that prior to registering.

For beauty and make-up fans, there is no more enchanting place than Sephora. As a member of their Beauty Insider club you earn points with every purchase in store and online at www.sephora.com. Up until recently, those points could only be spent on samples (or "Perks), for 100 points each. Members also receive a free beauty gift on their birthday (a full-sized Sephora product). Recently they started a "500-point-perk" for Insiders who prefer to bank their points (like me). Their first "Perk" at that level is a make-up kit full of eyeshadows, blushes and lip glosses. THEN, if you are reach the "VIB" level, which stands for "Very Important Beauty" Insider, the rewards continue to increase. VIBs are notified and get first dibs on the most sought-after beauty products of the season before they hit the stores. Points are earned for each dollar spent, so one dollar = one point. Again, I'm saving my considerable point balance to cash in this holiday season. I can either redeem them for a boatload of samples to put in my kids' stockings, or use them for one or two pricier, nicer gifts.

I know there are numerous credit cards who do the point thing now as a customer perk and I have a couple of those as well. Again, gift cards reign supreme in these programs, so if you are a credit card holder and want to save a little money this holiday season, cashing in points is a great way to do it.

Spare yourself the January hangover and make those dollars spent this year work just a little harder for you - after all, you earned them!

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