I just sent my friend her fourth denim hat in the mail.

While I'm risking our friendship with such thoughtfulness, the point is I paid nothing to send her this thoughtful gift. You might say "nothing" sounds like an accurate price for a denim hat. You're right. The content is not the point. The point is "free."

Since BeatThat's metamorphosis to an all-encompassing, deal-fest, one trend has been very clear: Shoppers love the Land o' the Free. The content of the deal matters very little. It could be exciting, like a Snuggie or a home-delivered meals. Or, it could be a sketchy and stupid, like pregnancy tests or a denim hat. It's not about the internal organs of the deal. It's about the skin. And the skin cost me absolutely nothing.

There's a certain sense of empowerment and victory that comes with acquiring a new item without paying a dime. In fact, I can't help but yell "Freeeeedom!!" like Mel Gibson in Braveheart everytime. Maybe it's the tough Economy. Maybe it's our frugal natures. The reason is less important than the feeling we get when our wallets can just put their feet up and sit this one out.

Sure, you're probably paying a little bit in privacy by submitting your--or, in my case, my friend's--address to random sites for a free massage oil (What?! Where?!). Luckily for us, Gmail sends practically everything to my Some Pretty Annoying Mail folder, and I never have to see a newsletter or survey.

The Freebasers of The Shopping World could have their own show on A&E. It would be on sometime between Intervention and Hoarders. Our homes may be cluttered and our privacy may be a distant memory, but our cupboards are full of samples and we always know when we're ovulating.

Someone better submit a deal for some free wallets soon. We're going to need bigger ones.