Kun én ting slår at få en god pris på noget, og det er at få det gratis. Vores liste over freebies er spækket med 70 noget for ingenting-tilbud. Vi tillader ikke noget ubrugeligt skrammel på vores liste – kun kvalitetsvarer og -tjenester som du med glæde ville betale gode penge for (det gør du måske allerede). Fra gratis mad til gratis investeringer og finansielle tjenester til gratis teknologi og underholdning, her har vi noget for enhver smag.
Fortsæt. Læg din pung væk. Vi insisterer!
Uanset om du er fan af podcasts af ægte kriminalitet, komedie eller personlig økonomi, er der apps og websteder, der hjælper dig med at undgå abonnements- og downloadgebyrer, så du kan tune ind på dine yndlingsafsnit, mens du er på arbejde, i biblioteket, eller tager fat på et boligreparationsprojekt i weekenden. Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, Pandora og Spotify giver dig mulighed for at lytte til ubegrænsede podcast-episoder uden at betale. Du kan lytte online eller installere deres gratis apps for at lytte på farten.
Har du altid ønsket at lære et instrument, eller klør du efter at gense dine glansdage med at spille trommer i din bedste vens garage? Disse drømme kan blive til virkelighed med gratis websteder og apps, der hjælper dig med at slå de ofte høje priser på private musikundervisning og optage- og redigeringssoftware. Hoffman Academy og Drum Ambition tilbyder gratis tutorials og øve noder til begynderelever. MusicTheory.net tilbyder gratis lektioner i musikteori for dem, der leder efter en mere avanceret forståelse, og MuseScore er et gratis, open source-websted til at komponere og notere noder.
Du skulle tidligere betale for kreditstop hos de tre store kreditbureauer. En føderal lov vedtaget i september 2018 forbyder Equifax, Experian og Transunion at opkræve et gebyr for at fryse din kredit. En kreditstop forhindrer nye kreditorer i at gennemgå din kreditrapport, hvilket gør det sværere for identitetstyve at optage kredit i dit navn.
Gå til Equifax, Experian og Transunion for at starte fastfrysningen og finde ud af mere om, hvordan det virker.
Tjek også med dit statsadvokatkontor eller forbrugerbeskyttelsesbureau for at finde ud af, om din stat tilbyder yderligere forbrugerbeskyttelse i forbindelse med sikkerhedsfrysninger ud over, hvad den føderale lovgivning giver.
For mere, se Gratis kreditrapport fryser.
Nogle gange har man bare brug for nogen at snakke med. Hjemmesiden 7 Cups tilbyder gratis rådgivning og lyttetjenester til dem, der har behov. Siden (og dens tilhørende app) er baseret på en instant messaging-model, hvor du enten kan være frivillig som lytter eller sende en fortrolig besked med en frivillig. Siden har en premiumversion, hvor du kan chatte med licenserede terapeuter, men den er designet til at være et indledende skridt for dem, der søger hjælp.
Svarende til 7 Cups tilbyder Blah Therapy en premium-version, hvor du betaler et månedligt abonnementsgebyr for at sende besked til en autoriseret terapeut. Den har dog også en helt gratis version, der forbinder dig med en trænet lytter, som højst sandsynligt også har fået diagnosen angst, depression eller posttraumatisk stresslidelse. Selvom We Are More ikke er designet til at erstatte personlig terapi, er det et netværk af mennesker, der er diagnosticeret med kroniske sygdomme, og som giver peer-rådgivning til hinanden.
Ifølge National Fire Protection Association sker tre ud af fem dødsfald ved brand i huse, der ikke har korrekt fungerende røgdetektorer. I januar 2018 vedtog Maryland en lov, der kræver, at alle beboere skal have en fungerende røgdetektor installeret, og Virginia lovgivere har nu gjort det lovligt for lokaliteter at implementere lignende politikker. Hvis du er bosiddende i en af disse stater – eller du bare vil spare $15, når du udskifter eller installerer en røgdetektor – så tjek organisationer i nærheden af dig, der tilbyder gratis røgdetektorer, gratis installation og gratis batteriudskiftningstjenester.
Flere lokale brandvæsener tilbyder gratis røgdetektorer og vil endda komme hjem til dig for at installere dem. For eksempel kan beboere i Baltimore City eller Fairfax, Va., ringe til brandvæsenets ikke-nødtelefonnummer for at anmode om en gratis røgdetektor (kontakt dit brandvæsens ikke-nødberedskabsnummer for at se, om de tilbyder gratis røgdetektorer og installation). Gennem sin Home Fire Campaign leverer det amerikanske Røde Kors gratis røgdetektorer til indbyggere i 12 stater. Du kan indsende din anmodning via GetASmokeAlarm.org.
De 4 millioner kunder hos online- og mobilmæglerfirmaet Robinhood modtager ikke investeringsanalyse eller porteføljeværktøjer, der tilbydes af mere etablerede mæglerselskaber. Og nej, mæglerhusets app lader dig ikke stjæle fra de rige for at give til de fattige. Men Robinhood tilbyder fri- og gebyrfri handler for alle amerikansk-noterede aktier og ETF'er. Der er også en gratis handel med optioner og i nogle stater handel med kryptovaluta . (Robinhoods indtægt kommer fra salg af premium-abonnementer, der tillader handel efter arbejdstid og marginhandler.) Der er intet minimum at investere. Bare tilmeld dig, tilknyt din bankkonto og nyd besparelserne.
Tjek også med mere traditionelle online-mæglere såsom Fidelity eller Charles Schwab for at se, om de tilbyder kampagner.
Du kan finde millioner af sider med gratis information online, men hvor mange af dem gør det muligt for dig at høste en håndgribelig fordel? Overvej vores foretrukne gratis kilder til begrundet diskussion og svære at finde økonomiske data for indkomstinvestorer. For eksempel har Foreningen Closed-End Fund et værktøj til at sortere og screene mere end 600 lukkede fonde. InvestinginBonds.com tilbyder markedsdata i realtid om handel med obligationer og priser. Screen det skattefrie obligationsunivers for topafkast med systemet Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA). Og få månedlige opdateringer efter sektor (såsom opdateringer af højrente- og realkreditmarked) fra TCW.
Jo mindre du betaler i investeringsgebyrer, jo mere skal du faktisk investere – og vokse med magien ved sammensætning. Så det kan virkelig betale sig at fokusere på handel med provisionsfrie børshandlede fonde. De fleste online mæglere tilbyder et væld af provisionsfri ETF'er, og Vanguard tilbyder mest med omkring 1.800 fonde, inklusive navne fra iShares og State Street.
I de sidste par måneder begyndte en række af de store online-mæglerhuse at tilbyde kommissionsfri handel på alle aktier, ETF'er og optioner (teknisk har optionerne et separat lille gebyr, men det reducerede stadig omkostningerne på dem betydeligt). Blandt de store spillere, der gør det, er Vanguard og Fidelity.
Du kan score alt fra små tuber med tandpasta, flasker shampoo, mundskyl og deodorant til bøger, blade, mad og tøj. En af de nemmeste måder at finde gratis prøver og produkter på er at besøge blogs og websteder, der henter freebie-tilbud fra en række forskellige kilder, såsom I Love Free Things og FreeSamples.org. Producenter som Betty Crocker, Pillsbury og Procter &Gamble tilbyder regelmæssigt et begrænset udbud af prøver og produkter i fuld størrelse til gengæld for at abonnere på e-mail-nyhedsbreve . (Pas på tilbud, der kræver, at du betaler for forsendelse.)
At tilmelde sig belønningsprogrammer er en anden nem måde at få gratis prøver leveret til din dør. For dem med en sød tand giver deltagelse i Godivas belønningsprogram dig gratis chokolade hver måned samt gratis forsendelse ved onlinekøb. Og følg dine yndlingsmærker, firmaer eller forhandlere på Facebook og Twitter for at høre om freebies fra første hånd.
At passe Fido kan være dyrt, men der er masser af gratis varer og tjenester, som hundeejere bør benytte sig af for at spare penge . Hundeelskere kan abonnere på BringFidos ugentlige e-mails for at modtage gratis prøver til godbidder, mad og hundeshampoo. Derudover tilbyder nogle restauranter gratis godbidder til hunde under happy hour. Og nogle hoteller, såsom Red Roof Inns og Kimpton-hotellerne, opkræver ikke ekstra for kæledyr. For mere, se Gratis til din hund.
EyeCare America, som er et offentligt serviceprogram under American Academy of Ophthalmology, giver gratis øjenundersøgelser og op til et års pleje for enhver sygdom, der er diagnosticeret under denne eksamen for dem uden privat forsikring, der er 65 år og ældre og ikke har set en øjenlæge i tre eller flere år. Besøg EyeCareAmerica.org for programretningslinjer og for at se, om du er kvalificeret.
Som en del af Affordable Care Act skal de fleste sundhedsordninger nu tilbyde en række gratis fordele ved forebyggende pleje - også selvom du ikke har opfyldt din plans selvrisiko for året. Blandt de fordele, der er fuldt dækket:screeninger for forhøjet blodtryk, mammografi til kvinder over 40 og rutinevaccinationer til børn, samt en lang række andre tests og tjenester. Se siden med forebyggende pleje på Healthcare.gov for en komplet liste over disse forebyggende tjenester og berettigelseskrav.
Flere supermarkedsapoteker tilbyder gratis recepter . For eksempel tilbyder Meijer apoteker gratis generiske antibiotika, prænatale vitaminer og meget mere. Hos PriceChopper kan du få adgang til gratis diabetesmedicin og -forsyninger (inklusive en blodsukkerovervågningsenhed) gennem butikkens Diabetes AdvantEdge Plan. Og Publix's gratis medicinprogram tilbyder både udvalgte antibiotika og diabetesmedicin (Metformin), samt Amlodipin og Lisinopril mod forhøjet blodtryk, uden omkostninger. Du skal muligvis tilmelde dig et apoteksloyalitetsprogram for at modtage de gratis lægemidler. Også:Tjek med dit supermarkedsapotek for at se, om de tilbyder gratis receptpligtig medicin eller forsyninger.
Farmaceutiske virksomheder tilbyder også gratis og billig medicin til folk med lav indkomst uden receptpligtig medicin. Du kan bruge RxAssist-databasen til at finde gratis medicin gennem lægemiddelfirmaers patienthjælpsprogrammer.
Har du brug for hjælp til at holde dig til en kost- og træningsplan? Brug apps som MyFitnessPal.com, Sworkit, Nike+ Run Club og Runkeeper for at få gratis madplaner og kalorietællere, planer for at spore dine fremskridt og for at få hjælp til at kortlægge løbeture og designe daglige træningspas. Selvom disse apps tilbyder premium-abonnementer, har de alle gratis versioner til Apple- og Android-telefoner. Og hvis du ejer Apple Watch, er der indbygget gratis fitnessapps.
Du kan også få gratis kost- og fitnesshjælp fra din arbejdsgiver; spørg, om din arbejdsplads har en wellness-plan . Disse programmer kan omfatte gratis adgang til fitnesscenter, vægttabsstøttegrupper og rygestopprogrammer. Nogle vil endda betale dig for dine fremskridt.
Du kan muligvis finde gratis fitness- og wellness-klasser undervist af eksperter i dit område. For eksempel tilbyder visse Lululemon Athletica-butikker gratis yoga undervisning ugentligt. Mange lokalsamfund er også vært for gratis træning i offentlige parker, biblioteker eller samfundscentre.
Vil du prøve meditation? Centrene tilbyder ofte gratis introduktionskurser. Shambhala meditationscentre placeret over hele landet tilbyder gratis "lær at meditere" klasser. Vi fandt også gratis introkurser på Zen-meditationscentre i Houston, Des Moines, Cambridge, Mass., og andre steder.
Du kan også prøve at surfe på nettet for at få gratis træning. YouTube er vært for et væld af instruktionsvideoer til yoga, Pilates, Zumba og andre fitnessøvelser.
Vores nationalparker kan prale af smuk natur, og du kan nyde seværdighederne uden at betale en skilling, herunder Great Smoky Mountains og Blue Ridge Parkway. Plus, på flere dage i løbet af året kan du komme gratis ind for alle nationalparker, der normalt opkræver entré . Her er tidsplanen for gratis adgang.
Adskillige statsparksystemer - blandt dem Maryland, New Hampshire, New York og Texas - tilbyder ældre voksne gratis adgang eller gratis årskort. (Nogle kort kræver et lille ekspeditionsgebyr.)
Mange førsteklasses museer, gallerier og zoologiske haver tilbyder gratis adgang året rundt , herunder Smithsonian-museerne i Washington, D.C., Getty Center i Los Angeles og Chicagos Lincoln Park Zoo. Andre, inklusive Museum of Modern Art i New York, lader dig komme gratis ind på bestemte dage i ugen eller måneden.
Bank of America-kortholdere kan få gratis adgang til mere end 200 museer den første hele weekend i hver måned.
En fantastisk måde at se forestillinger gratis på er at melde sig frivilligt som betjent på et lokalt teater . Ring til teaterchefen for at finde ud af, hvordan du tilmelder dig.
Hvis du ikke kan forpligte dig til en langvarig frivillig koncert, udnyt de lejlighedsvise gratis koncerter, som nogle scenekunstcentre afholder . For eksempel er Kennedy Center i Washington, D.C. vært for en gratis koncert hver aften. (Og for dem af jer uden for ringvejen kan mange af koncerterne ses online.) Fællesskaber over hele landet har gratis frokost- og aftenkoncerter i parken i sommermånederne. Tjek webstederne for din lokale regering eller udviklingsdistrikt i centrum for detaljer.
Du behøver ikke betale en lille formue for at se verdensklasseatleter i aktion. Få et nærmere kig på dine foretrukne baseball- og fodboldhold i aktion under forårstræning til Major League Baseball og sommertræningslejre til National Football League. I de fleste tilfælde skal du stadig købe billetter, men kampene er langt billigere end i den regulære sæson, og stadionerne er mere intime. Og dine chancer for at komme helt tæt på stjernespillere er langt større i preseason.
Du kan se olympiske atleter træne i Park City, Utah, Colorado Springs, Colorado, og Chula Vista, Cal., gratis.
Grib din stang og hæng et "Gone Fishin'"-skilt på døren. De fleste stater har udvalgte dage, hvor du kan fiske gratis uden en licens , hvilket sparer dig omkring $7 til $30, afhængigt af din placering. Du finder en liste over stater og datoer på TakeMeFishing.org, eller spørg dit lokale fiske- og dyrelivsagentur for detaljer.
Mange steder lader børn fiske gratis året rundt. Aldersgrænsen varierer efter stat, men er normalt i teenageårene.
Vil du lære noget nyt i din fritid? Mange lokale forhandlere tilbyder gratis workshops . For eksempel kan du forbedre dine kulinariske færdigheder på Williams-Sonomas gratis teknikkurser (nogle klasser opkræver et mindre gebyr eller kræver et køb). Hos REI kan du tage gratis klinikker om cykelvedligeholdelse, rygsæk, lejrmadlavning og mere (du skal muligvis betale for visse klasser og mere, hvis du ikke er REI-medlem). Apple, Home Depot, A.C. Moore og Michaels butikker tilbyder også gratis undervisning for voksne og børn.
Tjek også dit lokale bibliotek. Vi har set praktiske workshops til computere, skak, strik og meget mere. Eller tjek en bog eller dvd om et emne, der interesserer dig, såsom origami, pilates eller international madlavning.
Kabel- og streaming-indholdsabonnementer kan tilføjes. Se gratis film og tv-serier online på SonyCrackle.com eller gå til tv-netværkets hjemmesider. Du kan også teste Hulu.com og Netflix i en måned, før de begynder at oplade dit kort; bare glem ikke at annullere inden prøveperioden slutter. Sørg også for, at du er på din kabeludbyders e-mail-liste; de vil ofte sende dig datoer, når folk som HBO, Showtime og Epix er gratis; ingen tilmelding nødvendig.
På Gutenberg.org eller University of Pennsylvanias onlinebogside betaler du ikke en cent for lovligt at downloade tusindvis af bøger, der er udløbet ophavsret , herunder Krig og Fred , Moby Dick og Små kvinder . Du kan også søge efter gratis e-bøger på Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com og iTunes.com.
Hvis du har en Kindle eller den gratis Kindle læseapp, kan du bytte e-bøger med dine venner i så længe som 14 dage pr. bog.
Hvis det er hurtigere at lytte til historier, kan du downloade gratis lydbøger på lovlig vis fra Digitalbook og Loyal Books. (Begge websteder tilbyder også gratis e-bøger.) Webstederne tilbyder klassiske bøger med udløbet ophavsret, inklusive værker fra Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Ayn Rand og andre kendte forfattere. De har også børnetitler, såsom De tre små grise og Den hemmelige have .
Få ro på med musikstreamingtjenester , såsom Pandora, iHeartRadio og Spotify. Alle tre tilbyder gratis versioner samt premium-abonnementer. Du kan lytte online eller installere deres praktiske apps for adgang på farten.
Du behøver ikke at tjene et fireårigt stipendium for at få en gratis tur på college.
For eksempel giver Berea College i Berea, Ky., alle studerende et fireårigt undervisningsstipendium, der beløber sig til næsten $100.000. Alice Lloyd College - en anden Kentucky-skole - kræver ikke, at elever fra et område med 108 amter i Central Appalachia betaler undervisning, men det kræver, at eleverne arbejder mindst ti timer om ugen for at kompensere for deres uddannelsesomkostninger. College of the Ozarks i Missouri kræver også, at studerende deltager i et arbejdsprogram i stedet for at betale undervisning. City College i San Francisco begyndte for nylig at tilbyde gratis undervisning til byens indbyggere. Og New York er den første stat, der gør det gratis at gå på sine offentlige gymnasier for indbyggere med indkomster på under 125.000 USD om året.
Typisk kræver arbejdsgivere, der hjælper medarbejderne med at betale for gymnasiet, at de opretholder et bestemt klassetrin og forbliver ansat i virksomheden i en periode efter at have afsluttet en uddannelse.
Og mere erfarne vidensøgende kan endda nyde gratis kurser offline. Mange akkrediterede, gradsbevilgende institutioner tilbyder undervisningsfritagelser for ældre voksne for at optjene kredit- eller revisionsklasser. Faktisk fandt vi gratis eller billigt college for pensionister i alle 50 stater. Flere stater har love, der kræver, at statsstøttede højere læreanstalter giver afkald på undervisning for ældre indbyggere (normalt 60 eller 65 år og ældre). For eksempel giver adskillige Kentucky-institutioner, herunder University of Kentucky og University of Louisville, afkald på undervisning og gebyrer for alle 65 år eller ældre. Indbyggere i Ohio på 60 år og ældre kan auditere klasser gratis som en del af Kent State Universitys seniorgæsteprogram.
Opfrisk dine computerfærdigheder på dit offentlige bibliotek, som kan tilbyde en række gratis computer- og teknologikurser . Nogle almindelige kurser omfatter grundlæggende internet og e-mail, regneark og tekstbehandling, digital fotografering og billedredigering og slægtsforskning. For eksempel kan newyorkere, der leder efter gratis teknisk vejledning, deltage i New York Public Librarys TechConnect-program, som tilbyder mere end 80 tekniske klasser på bibliotekets afdelinger over hele byen.
Hvis du ønsker at tilføje et par nye færdigheder til dit CV for at holde trit med teknologibølgen, tilbyder Khan Academy, Codecademy og Coursera gratis undervisning i programmeringssprog, datavidenskab og andre STEM-fag. Bemærk, at nogle websteder også opkræver penge for premium klasser, men alle har omfattende biblioteker af kurser gratis.
Uanset om du vil lære et nyt sprog for at booste dit cv eller forberede dig på en rejse til et fremmed land, kan du tage gratis lektioner online . Gå til Open Culture for at få en liste over lektioner rundt om på nettet. Duolingo tilbyder spilbaserede lektioner online og på deres populære app på sprog, herunder spansk, walisisk, hebraisk og endda klingonsk.
Dit offentlige bibliotek tilbyder muligvis også kurser eller software, der hjælper dig med at lære nogle få nøglesætninger eller endda blive dygtige til et andet sprog.
Whether you’re applying for an internship, searching for your first job out of college or polishing a seasoned résumé, you can get free help with your job hunt . Stop by a One Stop Career Center (a service provided by the U.S. Department of Labor) in your area. Trained staff can help you with résumé writing, interviewing skills and online job searching techniques. The centers also offer job training programs, or they can arrange on-the-job training and apprenticeships with local employers.
You can also watch for workshops at your local library, community center or college.
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Who wouldn’t love to let their investments grow 100% tax-free? Take a pass on paying capital-gains taxes by investing in a Roth IRA. Any money you put into your Roth grows tax-free, and you won’t owe Uncle Sam a dime when you cash out in retirement . It’s all yours.
Middle-income families spend $12,680, on average, for food, housing, health care, clothing and more in just the first year of a child’s life, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Expenditures on Children by Families annual report. Fortunately, there are a variety of freebies that can help keep down the costs of having a baby .
Cribbing off Finland, 10 U.S. states — including Alabama, California, and Virginia — have introduced a baby-box program that provides new parents with caretaking education and a safe sleep space for newborns (literally just a nice cardboard box with some padding) that comes filled with baby care essentials, all for free. Residents of those states just need to view a series of short online videos about infant safety from Baby Box University and take an easy quiz. Once you score 100% on the quiz, the baby box is all yours, though it’ll take several weeks to reach you.
You can also score free samples of formula, diapers, wipes, diaper cream and many other baby items from your hospital and doctors’ offices. Many companies also provide free samples of their baby products. Hit up their website or contact customer service.
Are your investments as diversified as you think they are? You needn’t pay a financial planner to evaluate your holdings. Simply use Morningstar.com’s Instant X-Ray tool to check for balance among stock sectors, investment styles, geographic regions and more. Many online brokerages provide similar tools for their account holders, too.
For ideas to round out your portfolio, consider Kiplinger’s 25 favorite no-load mutual funds, Kiplinger’s top ETF picks and our list of top dividend-paying stocks.
A free tool at Fidelity.com enables everyone, not just Fidelity customers, to estimate future retirement expenses and income. It recommends appropriate investment strategies to generate steady income (with or without using annuities) and provide growth to keep pace with inflation.
The days of paying $20 for a peek at your credit score or waiting a year to order a new batch of credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com are over. Now you can visit a number of websites to get your FICO or VantageScore credit score free. And you can get at least one of your credit reports from the three major bureaus, updated on a weekly or monthly basis, whenever you want. On top of that, some sites will monitor your reports for suspicious activity and ping you via e-mail as soon as changes appear.
To join an online service that grants access to your scores and reports, you’ll have to enter a few personal details, including the last four digits of your Social Security number, and answer questions to verify your identity. Because you’re handing over personal information, stick to reputable, well-known sites (we trust the sites listed below). Be sure to enter the URL exactly, to avoid ending up on a “copycat” website that lures you into paying for these products. One dead giveaway that you’re at the wrong website:It asks for a credit card number in order to see basic credit information. The site is probably trying to sell you information that you can find free elsewhere.
At Credit.com, you can see your Experian credit score, view your personalized “report card” that shows how you're doing in five key credit areas and receive alerts when something changes on your report. Credit Karma offers weekly updated free credit scores and reports from Equifax and TransUnion and will monitor your reports daily and notify you of any significant changes. Credit Sesame offers a free credit score from TransUnion and free monitoring.
Also check with your bank or credit-card company—some provide FICO scores to their customers pro bono. Even if you don't have a Discover card of your own, you can get your FICO score for free at Discover.com.
Using your credit card may entitle you to some valuable freebies. For example, most credit cards come with free rental-car insurance. Some will cover the cost of your vacation if you have to cancel your trip or reimburse you for luggage that is lost, stolen or damaged during flights purchased with eligible cards. Other credit card perks include free extended warranties, free cell-phone replacement and free museum admission. Contact your card issuer to find out what perks you qualify for.
Check out 14 Little-Known Credit Card Perks for more.
Check out Best Internet Banks, 2019 for more.
You have to buy groceries and gas anyway; why not use those purchases to get a little more green in your wallet? Sign up for a rewards credit card to get free money, gift certificates, airline miles or other perks . (Of course, it's only free if you pay the balance in full each month without incurring interest charges.)
You can get even more free cash when you shop online by starting at rebate portal sites such as BeFrugal.com, Ebates, and Extrabux. You select a retailer from their lists, and they pay you back a percentage of your purchase price (typically between 1% and 10%).
Your favorite snack shop or fast-food restaurant may have an annual freebie day. And some places offer freebies on certain holidays or special days, such as tax day, Mother's Day and Veterans Day. Here's a list of what you might expect throughout the year:
Check with your favorite establishment to see if it offers any freebies throughout the year.
Several ice cream—and frozen yogurt—shops offer freebies throughout the year. Some require you to join a club and sign up for e-mail alerts, but others simply give it away . For example, participating Bruster’s Real Ice Cream stores offer free mini ice cream cones to children shorter than 40 inches. You can join Dairy Queen’s Blizzard Fan Club to get a buy-one, get-one-free Blizzard coupon. And Ben &Jerry’s scoop shops have a Free Cone Day each year in the spring—usually April. For 2020, it's April 9
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Run by so-called urban foragers, FallingFruit.org has an interactive map that shows where you can harvest your own fruit —as well as herbs, nuts and vegetables—from trees and plants that grow mostly on public lands. You can sort by location or fruit type. Then you can drill down to individual locations to see what type of fruit grows there, when it’s in season and whether it’s on public or private land. You also can see reviews by other foragers and a street view image courtesy of Google.
Don’t you hate buying a $12 entrée for a picky 6-year-old? You can stop throwing away that money (if not the leftovers) at participating locations of many national chains including Applebee’s, TGIFriday’s, IHOP and Denny’s on select nights. Visit KidsMealDeals.com to find restaurants where kids eat free. Better yet, call your local eateries or connect with them on Facebook to find out if they offer kids’ deals. Some do but don’t advertise them, so it’s worth asking.
A number of eateries offer birthday freebies to customers who sign up for their e-mail lists or join their clubs. For example, you can get a free scoop of ice cream on your birthday if you sign up for the Baskin-Robbins Birthday Club, a free beverage from Dunkin’ Donuts if you sign up for their rewards program, and a free waffle from Waffle House when you join their Waffle House Regulars Club. Or at Ruby Tuesday, So Connected members can celebrate another trip around the sun with a free burger or garden bar entree.
Traveling is expensive enough. Don’t get nickel-and-dimed every step of the way. You might know already that many hotels offer free breakfast, basic Wi-Fi, fitness facilities and parking. But did you know you may be able to borrow bikes, enjoy happy hour or upgrade your room—also all for free? See 15 Things Hotels Give Away for Free for more information.
Traveling with kids? You deserve even more freebies. Children under age 2 can fly any airline or ride Amtrak free of charge when they sit on a paying adult’s lap. Also, watch for kids-fly-free, kids-cruise-free and kids-ski-free promotions, and ask the cruise or resort in advance about free supervised kid programs so you can have some much-needed grown-up time.
Check out The Travel Tipping Quiz for more.
If you tend to stay at one hotel chain’s properties more than others, sign up for its loyalty program to rack up points for your stays and earn free nights. For example, Hilton Honors members earn 10 points for each dollar spent on room rates and other eligible room charges. Earn a free night’s stay with as little as 5,000 accumulated points.
There are other ways to score free hotel stays. Stash Hotel Rewards offers members who stay at more than 150 participating inns, resorts and boutique hotels in 100 cities the ability to earn points for free nights. And with the Hotels.com Welcome Rewards program, you can earn a free night after booking ten nights through the site.
Or get a hotel-branded credit card to earn points toward free stays every time you make a purchase. Just watch out for cards with annual fees, and make sure you pay off your balance each month so you don’t incur interest charges. See Best Rewards Credit Cards for Your Wallet for more information.
Domestic airlines are stingy with giveaways. But some airlines still offer a few freebies for fliers. One of our favorites:Southwest lets you check two bags for free —which can save you up to $130. JetBlue gives you access to free TV, satellite radio and all-you-can-eat snacks .
Don’t you hate it when you pay for a flight, and then the price drops? Enlist the help of Yapta.com, which tracks your flight’s price after you buy your ticket. If the fare drops, it will notify you and help you collect a refund or travel vouchers from the airline. (Note:Yapta only kicks in if the price drop exceeds the ticket-change fee you’d be obligated to pay.)
AutoSlash.com offers a similar service for rental cars. For hotels, try SmarterTravel, which automatically rebooks your room at the lower rate if the hotel drops its price. You'll get a refund for the difference.
Everyone knows crashing at a friend’s place is a good way to save money on travel. Well, what if you had millions of friends all around the world? Couchsurfing makes it kind of possible. The global network allows you to search for hosts in more than 2,000 cities who can offer a place to hang your hat along your travels. It may sound a bit sketchy, but the group offers certain features—such as verified reviews and references, messaging systems to communicate with potential hosts and secure payment options— to help ensure your safety. Want to travel the world with a buddy and a backpack? Hostelz.com has listings for nearly 50,000 hostels across 9,000 cities, and provides its users with professional reviews.
Looking to avoid the high membership fees of an online house swapping community? HomeExchange is a completely free house swapping network with a presence in 187 countries. You aren’t sacrificing security to ditch the fees, either. They offer home, cancellation, and travel insurance.
To get a real feel for a city when you’re traveling, team up with a local. The Global Greeter Network organizes volunteers in several cities worldwide to show you around, give you the inside scoop and answer your questions. Tours can last a couple of hours, and there’s a strict no-tipping policy.
Prefer to explore at your own pace? Browse the free audio walking tours available for download at iTunes.com, Audisseyguides.com and iAudioguide.com. You can also search the web for walking tours of your destination. In our simple search, we found free audio tour downloads from Boston and Chicago to Dublin and Jerusalem.
Several free mobile applications can help you save time and money when you travel by car. For example, GasBuddy helps you find the cheapest gas prices near you. Waze provides real-time traffic information contributed by users, so you can find the best route and avoid backups (so you don’t waste gas). You also can use Waze to find the cheapest gas station along your route. Yelp is great for finding restaurants, shops, attractions and more because it provides reviews, star ratings and directions to help you get to the place you want to go. And the Last Minute Travel app offers travelers access to wholesale prices for hotels in more than 150 countries and discounts on theme parks, sporting events and similar activities.
You’ll pay about $15 at the post office (or $4.99 at Costco) to get your picture taken for your passport. Instead, take your photo with your own digital camera, then upload it to ePassportPhoto.com, which will help you size it properly before printing on your home printer. The Passport Booth app works similarly. The best part:With either, you can redo your picture as many times as you like. After all, who wants to get stuck with a bad photo for the next 10 years?
Don’t own a shredder, or don’t want to clog yours up shredding a stack of papers a mile high? Local governments, police departments and solid-waste agencies in at least 23 states offer free shredding events once or several times a year to help residents keep documents with personal information out of the hands of identity thieves. Shredding companies such as Shred-it also organize free shredding events in cities where they have a presence.
To limit your landline costs or avoid using precious minutes on your mobile-phone plan, use a free calling service such as Skype, Viber or Vonage Mobile. All three allow you to make free calls to other users of these services. Skype and Viber can be installed on mobile phones and computers. Vonage Mobile is available only for iPhone and Android users.
Save money on your cell phone plan by using a free texting service such as Textfree. It assigns you a free phone number through which you can send and receive texts as much as you want on your Android and Apple devices. Or try WhatsApp, which lets you send messages to other users for free over a WiFi connection. Is a relative traveling abroad? Get the whole family on WhatsApp to message that traveler without paying steep international texting rates through your phone provider.
Nolo has been Kiplinger's go-to source for legal information for a long time, and it's still the best. The publisher does sell books, software and other products, but the site is also packed with free advice on a wide range of legal issues, such as estate planning, buying and selling real estate, managing a business and more. Nolo is authoritative, yet clearly explains when your situation calls for hiring a lawyer.
Preparing your income taxes doesn’t have to cost a lot. A number of tax software providers offer a free product for filers with simple returns. Even with a more complex tax situation, you have a few free options to consider. For example, check out the IRS’s Free File program. If your adjusted gross income is $69,000 or less, you qualify for free tax-prep software and filing. If you make more money than that, you can still file for free, but you don’t get the free software to prepare your return.
If you made $56,000 or less last year, you may qualify for free tax help from the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Through this program, IRS-certified volunteers help taxpayers prepare their tax returns for free. At some locations, qualifying taxpayers can also e-file their returns through one of the IRS Free File software partners.
With free online backup storage, you can share files and protect them from computer crashes, theft and natural disaster. Google Drive offers 15 gigabytes of free, secure digital storage space . Windows OneDrive and Apple iCloud both give you 5 GB for free. You can also use Dropbox (2 GB free).
Auto service chain Pep Boys offers five free services:battery tests, code retrieval, windshield wiper replacement, brake inspections and alignment checks. No purchase is necessary to take advantage of any of the services, but free brake inspections are limited to Pep Boys Rewards Members. At Advance Auto Parts, you can get electrical testing, wiper installation, loaner tools, and oil and battery recycling for free.
If you’re buying a new car, consider the value of free maintenance programs offered by various automakers . New cars typically don’t require a lot of upkeep, so a nonluxury brand, such as General Motors, Toyota or Volkswagen, with a free maintenance program might not offer you a lot of savings and shouldn’t sway your purchasing decision. But free maintenance on a luxury brand, such as BMW, Cadillac or Volvo, can save you a lot because service costs are much higher than they are for nonluxury brands. See The Value of Free Maintenance Offers on New Cars.
Some utility companies offer customers free trees to help reduce energy use through strategic planting, so check with yours to see if it offers such a program. Local governments and conservation districts also give away seedlings on Arbor Day (April 24 in 2020) or during other events. For example, the Sacramento Tree Foundation gives residents of Sacramento, California, up to 10 free shade trees through a partnership with a local utility company. Residents can select their free trees from a list of 30 deciduous trees, and can receive guidance on planting and tree care through virtual or in-person appointments.
Many cities, counties and utility companies also offer residents free mulch , made from recycled leaves or wood from tree trimmings and tree removals, if you pick it up.
National auto-parts retailers, such as Advanced Auto Parts, AutoZone and O’Reilly Auto Parts, let you borrow expensive-to-own, specialty tools to repair your car. You’ll have to pay a deposit (which varies depending on the tool), but you’ll get it back when you return the tool.
Several cities also have tool lending libraries that let residents borrow tools —from plumbing tools to circular saws to demolition hammers and more—free. Check this list to see if there’s one near you, but note that some of these libraries require a membership fee.
If you love to shop online but hate to pay for shipping, go to FreeShipping.org. The site can direct you to retailers who offer free shipping on every order, big or small. The site also gives you coupon codes to snag free shipping at other retailers.
Another option:Many retailers’ sites offer free shipping if you’ll pick up the order at a local store, including AceHardware.com, BestBuy.com and REI.com.
The chance to make purchases free of sales tax isn’t technically a something-for-nothing deal, but it’s definitely a money-saving opportunity you don’t want to pass up. More than a dozen states have sales-tax holidays in July or August that allow consumers to make noncommercial purchases of back-to-school items, such as clothing, computers and school supplies, tax-free.
A few states exempt purchases of Energy Star products on certain days of the year. And three states have sales-tax holidays for hurricane preparedness items. See a complete list of sales tax holidays from the Federation of Tax Administrators.
Are your key ring and wallet getting crowded? Use the free Key Ring app to store all of your bar-coded loyalty, membership and library cards on your phone. You simply scan your phone at the point of service. Online shoppers can stay organized with Slice, an app that tracks packages and notifies you of price drops on items you already bought so you can recoup the difference from the merchant.
To help you get the best price, use ShopSavvy, which scans any bar code in the store and instantly compares prices for the same item online. For in-store coupons, try Coupon Sherpa or RetailMeNot.
If you sign up (for free) for cosmetics store chain Sephora’s Beauty Insider rewards program, you’ll get a free beauty product during your birthday month, and you can take free beauty classes at select stores. You can get a free gift during your birthday month from Ulta by signing up for emails from the beauty retailer. Allure magazine periodically gives away free beauty product samples while supplies last; you just have to fill out an online form. And, several makeup companies alert their Facebook fans to free samples, so check with your favorite brand for offers.
State treasuries and other agencies are holding billions in unclaimed assets , and some of it could be yours. Accounts that have been inactive for at least a year are considered unclaimed assets and can include checking and savings, payroll checks, utility deposits and tax refunds. They may also include stock certificates, certificates of deposit, insurance benefits, pension payments and safe-deposit-box contents.
Anyone can search a state’s unclaimed property database (go to Unclaimed.org for links) or go to Missingmoney.com to search 40 states’ databases at once. See 8 Places to Find Free Money for more.
Homeowners may be able to get a free energy-saving or water-saving kit from their utility providers. For example, Duke Energy provides free energy kits every 36 months to customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The kits include LED bulbs, an energy-efficient showerhead, a kitchen faucet aerator, switch and outlet insulators and more. (Non-Duke customers are eligible for partial kits.)
Saving energy could also save you money. Check with your utility providers, as well as your state’s department of energy and dsireusa.org, to find rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives for residential energy efficiency improvements. Your electric or gas company might also offer free energy audits.
Don’t discount the kindness of strangers—after all, it’s free. If you’re in need of assistance with transportation, running errands or even simple medical care, you may be able to tap into a local care circle. Especially useful for our aging population, these networks of volunteers offer free help with a variety of simple tasks, whether it’s for a one-time call or an extended period.
Residents of San Francisco’s Bay Area, New York City, Atlanta, and Philadelphia (and a handful of other cities) can try the Transition Network’s Caring Collaboratives. Also check with your local government, religious groups and other community organizations to see what volunteer services are available to you (or whether you might organize a new group yourself).
Long-term care can be as complex as it is necessary. No wonder every state is required to have an ombudsman who can help you, at no cost, navigate difficult LTC issues, such as assessing and selecting facilities and resolving complaints you might have about a particular facility. Visit the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center to find your state’s LTC ombudsman and other local resources.