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23 Surprising Things You Can Get for Free |
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Sometimes you get what you don’t pay for. Here
are nearly two dozen of the best freebies and — most important — how to
score themFree Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Get your geek on: MIT offers a far more comprehensive selection of free
online courses than other universities — nearly its entire
undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Downloading materials takes
minutes. A newsletter highlights new offerings, from Quantum Physics to
American Women Authors.What’s the Catch? Users can’t enroll, take classes on campus, or earn degrees. Find Out More: www.ocw.mit.edu. BBC, FrenchPodClass.
The BBC offers top-notch online and MP3 lessons in languages familiar
and obscure, including French, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, Greek, and
Urdu. FrenchPodClass has easy-to-use, enjoyable podcasts that allow you
to learn French while you do errands or go for a run.What’s the Catch? Classes are one size fits all, which fast learners may find sluggish (and slow learners may find difficult). Find Out More: www.bbc.co.uk/languages, www.frenchpodclass.com. Free Classes
U.S. Small Business Administration.
Learn how to write a business plan, register your company, and deal
with the tax details of running a home business at your local Women’s
Business Center evening classes (men are welcome, too).What’s the Catch? Novices and more advanced learners share the same classroom. Find Out More: www.sba.gov (click on “Local Resources” for a nearby center and for financial and marketing information). Apple Stores.
Apple gives excellent classes on business and entertainment software,
music programs, and computer basics, all remarkably free of sales
pitches. There are also classes on how to use Apple hardware, like
iPods. Most of the company’s stores — there are more than 170 — offer
several classes a day.What’s the Catch? All classes relate to (often pricey) Apple products. Find Out More: www.apple.com (click on “Visit an Apple store”). Free Culture
Museum visits.
While some museums don’t charge an admission fee, others can cost $20
and up (more than a movie!). Take advantage of free days, half days,
and nights that take place weekly or monthly at various institutions
throughout the United States.What’s the Catch? The free-admission times tend to attract large crowds; expect long lines and less
of an opportunity to get up close and personal with a Cézanne. Find Out More: Check out the websites of your local museums. Music Together, Music for Aardvarks, Gymboree.
These three companies all offer a complimentary peek at exactly what
baby music classes entail (hint: plenty of drumbeating, rattle shaking,
and scarf throwing). It’s a great way to introduce your little one to
the experience before shelling out $135 to $255 for a full term
(generally 10 to 12 weeks).What’s the Catch? Many
parents have been taking classes together for a while, so they can be
quite chummy. As an observer, you might feel left out and too shy to
participate fully. Find Out More: www.musictogether.com, www.musicforaardvarks.com, www.gymboreeclasses.com. Kids’ Night on Broadway.
Once a year (this year it was in late January), children ages 6 to 18
can experience the Great White Way for free with a full-paying adult.
There are also Kids’ Nights for nationally touring shows throughout the
year.What’s the Catch? Tickets go very fast, especially for the most popular shows. Find Out More: www.kidsnightonbroadway.com. Tip:
To find out about free movies and concerts in your area, go to Yahoo or
Google and type in the kind of entertainment, “free,” and the name of
your city. Free Gyms
Health-club trials.
LA Fitness, Bally Total Fitness, the Sports Club/LA, and Gold’s Gym
have a range of free-trial offers, from one day to two weeks, for
prospective members, as do many other gyms throughout the country.
Rules vary.What’s the Catch?
You often have to tour the health club with a sales representative,
which sometimes takes as long as an hour. Some gym companies may
require you to prove nearby residence with a driver’s license. Find Out More: Go to the gyms for details. Free Photos
Adorama, Dotphoto, Kodak, Snapfish. In addition to photo sharing and online albums, these popular services provide 15 to 50 free prints when you sign up.What’s the Catch? You have to pay for shipping, which usually isn’t more than a few dollars. Find Out More: www.adorama.com, www.dotphoto.com, www.kodakgallery.com, www.snapfish.com. Free Pets
Craigslist Community Pet Listings, Petfinder.com.
Unlike shelters, most of which charge a small adoption fee, these sites
feature numerous free-pet notices posted by owners, usually as a result
of an impending move or an allergic family member.What’s the Catch? Not all the owners who post notices are as honest as you’d wish. Out-of-control animals can be listed as “friendly and calm.” Find Out More: www.craigslist.org (click on your city, then on “Pets”), www.petfinder.com (click on “Classified Ads”).
Free Phone Services
The Popularity Dialer.
Want to flee that meeting? Get out of lunch after an hour? The
Web-based Popularity Dialer can place one of five fake calls: the boss
call, the cousin-in-need call, the male-friend call, the female-friend
call, or the affirmation call (reminding you that you’re wonderful).
Each recording includes convenient pauses for your side of the
conversation.What’s the Catch? You need to know
beforehand that you’ll want rescuing — and you have to be willing to
break social graces by taking a phone call in the middle of a meeting
or lunch. Find Out More: www.popularitydialer.com.
800-FREE-411.
Instead of dialing 411 and being charged 50 cents to $1.50, call this
service, from a cell or a landline, for free nationwide directory
assistance.What’s the Catch? You have to listen to a 20-
second ad before receiving your number. Find Out More: 800-373-3411 (800-FREE-411). Skype.
Download and install free Skype software and call other Skype users,
computer to computer, at no charge, anywhere in the world. If you have
a webcam, you can see whom you’re chatting with, too.What’s the Catch?
If you don’t have DSL or a cable modem, it may be more cost-effective
(money- and sanity-wise) to dial up the old-fashioned way. Find Out More: www.skype.com.
Free E-Mail Reminders
Memo to Me.
Avoid visits to the “belated birthday” or “so sorry I missed our
anniversary” section of your local card store. Memo to Me reminds you
before the event. Just plug in your e-mail, choose a password, and
program the events you need to be reminded of and when you need the
reminders. Whether it’s Grandma’s 80th or your own anniversary, no one
wants to be the one who forgets.What’s the Catch? There’s some innocuous advertising on the website. Find Out More: www.memotome.com. Tip: E-cards have gotten less corny. You can find witty
and well-designed cards at
www.hipstercards.com, vintage ones at www.cardcow.com, and photographic ones at ecard.digiart.ee. Free Pets
Craigslist Community Pet Listings, Petfinder.com.
Unlike shelters, most of which charge a small adoption fee, these sites
feature numerous free-pet notices posted by owners, usually as a result
of an impending move or an allergic family member.What’s the Catch? Not all the owners who post notices are as honest as you’d wish. Out-of-control animals can be listed as “friendly and calm.” Find Out More: www.craigslist.org (click on your city, then on “Pets”), www.petfinder.com (click on “Classified Ads”).
Free Phone Services
The Popularity Dialer.
Want to flee that meeting? Get out of lunch after an hour? The
Web-based Popularity Dialer can place one of five fake calls: the boss
call, the cousin-in-need call, the male-friend call, the female-friend
call, or the affirmation call (reminding you that you’re wonderful).
Each recording includes convenient pauses for your side of the
conversation.What’s the Catch? You need to know
beforehand that you’ll want rescuing — and you have to be willing to
break social graces by taking a phone call in the middle of a meeting
or lunch. Find Out More: www.popularitydialer.com.
800-FREE-411.
Instead of dialing 411 and being charged 50 cents to $1.50, call this
service, from a cell or a landline, for free nationwide directory
assistance.What’s the Catch? You have to listen to a 20-
second ad before receiving your number. Find Out More: 800-373-3411 (800-FREE-411). Skype.
Download and install free Skype software and call other Skype users,
computer to computer, at no charge, anywhere in the world. If you have
a webcam, you can see whom you’re chatting with, too.What’s the Catch?
If you don’t have DSL or a cable modem, it may be more cost-effective
(money- and sanity-wise) to dial up the old-fashioned way. Find Out More: www.skype.com.
Free E-Mail Reminders
Memo to Me.
Avoid visits to the “belated birthday” or “so sorry I missed our
anniversary” section of your local card store. Memo to Me reminds you
before the event. Just plug in your e-mail, choose a password, and
program the events you need to be reminded of and when you need the
reminders. Whether it’s Grandma’s 80th or your own anniversary, no one
wants to be the one who forgets.What’s the Catch? There’s some innocuous advertising on the website. Find Out More: www.memotome.com. Tip: E-cards have gotten less corny. You can find witty
and well-designed cards at
www.hipstercards.com, vintage ones at www.cardcow.com, and photographic ones at ecard.digiart.ee. Free Pets
Craigslist Community Pet Listings, Petfinder.com.
Unlike shelters, most of which charge a small adoption fee, these sites
feature numerous free-pet notices posted by owners, usually as a result
of an impending move or an allergic family member.What’s the Catch? Not all the owners who post notices are as honest as you’d wish. Out-of-control animals can be listed as “friendly and calm.” Find Out More: www.craigslist.org (click on your city, then on “Pets”), www.petfinder.com (click on “Classified Ads”).
Free Phone Services
The Popularity Dialer.
Want to flee that meeting? Get out of lunch after an hour? The
Web-based Popularity Dialer can place one of five fake calls: the boss
call, the cousin-in-need call, the male-friend call, the female-friend
call, or the affirmation call (reminding you that you’re wonderful).
Each recording includes convenient pauses for your side of the
conversation.What’s the Catch? You need to know
beforehand that you’ll want rescuing — and you have to be willing to
break social graces by taking a phone call in the middle of a meeting
or lunch. Find Out More: www.popularitydialer.com.
800-FREE-411.
Instead of dialing 411 and being charged 50 cents to $1.50, call this
service, from a cell or a landline, for free nationwide directory
assistance.What’s the Catch? You have to listen to a 20-
second ad before receiving your number. Find Out More: 800-373-3411 (800-FREE-411). Skype.
Download and install free Skype software and call other Skype users,
computer to computer, at no charge, anywhere in the world. If you have
a webcam, you can see whom you’re chatting with, too.What’s the Catch?
If you don’t have DSL or a cable modem, it may be more cost-effective
(money- and sanity-wise) to dial up the old-fashioned way. Find Out More: www.skype.com.
Free E-Mail Reminders
Memo to Me.
Avoid visits to the “belated birthday” or “so sorry I missed our
anniversary” section of your local card store. Memo to Me reminds you
before the event. Just plug in your e-mail, choose a password, and
program the events you need to be reminded of and when you need the
reminders. Whether it’s Grandma’s 80th or your own anniversary, no one
wants to be the one who forgets.What’s the Catch? There’s some innocuous advertising on the website. Find Out More: www.memotome.com. Tip: E-cards have gotten less corny. You can find witty
and well-designed cards at
www.hipstercards.com, vintage ones at www.cardcow.com, and photographic ones at ecard.digiart.ee. |
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