Top 10 Places to Find Free Snacks

Snacks: we eat them all the time… sometimes until no room remains for actual meals. But the term “snack” means different things to different people. While most of us agree that a snack is smaller and less filling than a meal, some would consider a Starbucks Frappuccino a snack, while others might opt for a pack of edamame or a half-order of buffalo wings. No matter what brings us individual snacking pleasure, there’s one other thing most people tend to agree on: snacks are even tastier when they’re free.

As a former poor college student, and a cheapskate in general, I’ve become somewhat of an expert in finding free food. Some of what I’ve found over the years has been atrocious, but I’ve found a fair amount of four-and-five star snacking destinations also. Below, I’ve compiled a list of my top ten places to find free snacks. My rankings are based on several factors including free snack variety, quality, and ubiquity of locations. May your taste buds be satisfied, and your stomach - and wallet - never empty!

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Snack Review: New Combos in Zesty Salsa and Jalapeño Cheddar Tortilla

In honor of their Ultimate ManCation Sweepstakes promotion, the good people at Combos decided to send me a few samples of their merchandise. Saturday morning, a FedEx man arrived with a decently large package which turned out to contain four bags of the beloved cheese and cracker/pretzel rolls. Three were family-sized (6.3-oz.) packs, with six (supposed) servings apiece, and the other was single-serve (1.5 oz.)

Two of the larger bags were reserved for the popular snack’s first and most beloved flavors, Cheddar and Nacho Cheese. The final large bag contained the newest variety of Combos to be released (Zesty Salsa-Tortilla). The single-serve bag held another new flavor, Cheddar-Jalapeno Tortilla. Until I searched for an image of the bag, and came up empty-handed, I had no idea how new. As it turns out, this variety of Combo hasn’t been released yet, so shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!

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Snack Review: Klondike Caramel Pretzel Bars (and the Wide World of Grocery Store Ice Cream in General)

Slightly under a week ago, our editor Caitlin committed a deed which was simultaneously wonderful and dastardly. She sent each of Snackerrific’s staff writers several coupons for free ice cream products. “But wait,” you might wonder. “That’s downright nice! Wherever does this ‘dastardly’ nonsense come into play?”

You should take into account, dear snackers, that I’m a woman. A not-so-pleasingly plump one at that; all-natural in the midst of L.A. - AKA Silicone Valley. As such, I’ve developed a bit of an unhealthy (so my boyfriend claims) inferiority complex.

I’m attempting to get into slightly better shape, with near-daily gym workouts, but - here’s the rub - I love to eat. More specifically, I enjoy feasting on loads of high-calorie, fatty snacks to the exclusion of “normal” food. So, while the weight appears to be sloooowly releasing itself from my ample curvaceous parts, I doubt I’ll attain a “Hollywood-perfect” body without drastically revamping my eating habits.

As regular Snackerrific readers know, I can’t resist a bargain any more than I can resist a rich ‘n’ sinful delight (my last name is Roth; you do the math). By default, when I see free food, I have to indulge (assuming it’s not chocolate-covered broccoli)! Naturally, coupons for free ice cream treats meant my diet for the next few days would consist of ice cream. Temptation and free review opportunities outweighing visions of a more beautiful body, I headed to the local Ralph’s.

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Combos Nation Presents: The Ultimate Mancation Sweepstakes!

Life can sometimes bring you down. Family issues, financial woes, office stress and other factors can combine to make life undesirable at best, and miserable at worst. It’s only natural to want to escape from time to time, but vacations have a way of putting serious stress on most budgets.

Lucky for you, Combos and Nascar have teamed up to sponsor the Ultimate Mancation Sweepstakes. Not only does the Grand-prize winner of this Macho dream-getaway win a trip for himself and three buddies to the Daytona 500, the winner also gets to serve as honorary crew chief at the race! This Man-tastic, once-in-a-lifetime vacation opportunity comes complete with round-trip airfare and a six-day, five-night hotel stay to beautiful South Florida. Also included in the package: totally mantacular wheels in the form of a sports utility vehicle - and $1,000 extra spending money for all the totally hot dancers you’ll be taking for rides in that vehicle wink wink.

But wait, there’s more! If you don’t win the grand prize, Nascar’s giving away tons of mantabulous manora - I mean, memorabilia to ten lucky first-prize winners. Five hundred more will win $10 VISA gift cards - the better for buying lots of delicious Combos snacks.

• Are YOU ready? Enter the Ultimate Mancation Sweepstakes!

Snack Review: Breyer’s Overload Fried Ice Cream

Okay, snackers: what’s your favorite carnival food? Are you drawn to the fleeting, airy sweetness of cotton candy? Does the gums-binding goodness of saltwater taffy call your name? Maybe you flip over funnel cakes.

I’m personally quite a fan of churros. Eggy and rich at their centers, with a perfectly warm, crisp shell rolled in sugar, cinnamon and honey, the long Mexican pastries manage to satisfy several of my cravings at once. They’re probably laden with about 700 calories apiece, but somehow I manage to forgive myself for occasional consumption. After all, they’re doused in cinnamon, and everyone knows that counteracts the negative effects of the sugar, or… something like that.

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