LINKS to FREE STUFF!!
People with low to moderate incomes ($49,000 & less), military families & folks age 60 & older qualify for free help with tax returns from trained volunteers. At the site, locate the category that applies to you, then call the number provided.
Sign up for an online account, then enter a friend’s mobile number & carrier so you can text each other. Because the Web site, not your phone, sends & receives the messages, there’s no cost to you.
Skip the cost of a card, postage & envelope by delivering an animated e-card for any occasion. Can’t find the right note here? Check out americangreetings.com or, for a sarcastically funny selection, visit someecards.com.
If you & your faraway parents sign up for a free account at Skype, you can call (& see, provided you have a webcam) one another at no cost over the Internet rather than racking up minutes on your phone plan.
Download FREE BOOKS
Get a top-flight education without the price tag. MIT OpenCourseWare is a Web-based publication with most of MIT’s courses & exams, & it’s available to everyone. Several other first-rate universities (Harvard & Stanford, to name two) post some course material as well, but none match MIT’s extensive offering.
This site carries the best selection of TV episodes, along with classic & newer flicks. The official sites of ABC & PBS also post programming, & it’s always worth a search on youtube.com to catch a missed show or access obscure video clips.
Considering a new look? Save yourself the cash on wasted products or an unflattering hairstyle by uploading your photo here first. Try different cuts & makeup on your image & get product recommendations based on your preferences. Join the site’s social network to share images with friends, who can rate your makeover & even tweak it.
Scroll to the bottom of the home page & click on “Free Books.” There you can access more than 5,000 full classics―from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Charlotte Bront’s Jane Eyre―to enjoy right on your screen.
When the itch to play Monopoly or Texas Hold‘em strikes, there’s no need to run to a toy store or even pay for a download. Pogo.com boasts more than 100 games that you can play alone or with friends.
Enroll your kids (ages 1 to 10) in Geoffrey’s Birthday Club, run by Toys “R” Us. Every year you children will receive a card and a gift around their birthday. Geoffrey himself will even give them a call!
Rather than buying a book of puzzles for your three-hour flight, choose from a wide selection of free printable crosswords (with solutions) or fill them in right on your computer.
This radio site plays music based on your personal tastes. If you’re a serious rock aficionado, check out last.fm.
After signing up for an account, you can manage your health (keeping track of your weight, for example, & how much water you drink daily), watch health-related videos, read articles & send any questions or concerns you have to certified specialists, who will answer you in a timely fashion.
Ask real attorneys any legal question & receive a personalized answer, or find a dependable lawyer.
Select an attorney-vetted document―such as a living will or power of attorney―from a database of hundreds.
Never forget an appointment! With this calendar you can color-code the kids’ schedules, a grocery list, a to-do list & more. You can even access data from your phone or set up reminders so nothing slips through the cracks.
Protect your documents, photos & music, up to 2 gigabytes, without buying a backup drive. Need more space? Sign up for another 2GB account atspideroak.com or myotherdrive.com.
Hate to spend $400 on a program just to create documents? Download free quality software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics & databases at openoffice.org. The suite of programs works on most computers.
The cost of a financial planner is typically from $150 to $250 per hour. Mint.com takes your banking information & compiles a financial profile so you can keep track of your spending, saving & more. The site also gives advice on getting a new credit card, negotiating lower interest rates, allocating your investment portfolio & other money matters.
You’re entitled to one free report per year from each of the main credit bureaus, & you can access all three―Equifax, Experian & TransUnion―through this reliable site.
When the kids could use a little assistance―but not enough to justify hiring an expensive tutor―they can ask real educators questions at this study guide site. There’s also a section for parents, so you, too, can brush up on topics from biology to math.
Most of the reputable services include a hefty price tag, but this free site gets high marks for making terrific matches according to your personality profile, & boasts a fun & interactive experience as well
Who doesn’t want to add a personal touch to her cell phone, but those ringtone fees add up! Scan Myxer’s free database of thousands of ringtones (& wallpaper) or use its tools to customize your own & download it to your phone in a snap.
This site’s free, dependable package also includes spyware removal, a spam killer, a scam shield & more.
Generate free printable graph paper for lists or homework by choosing the size & grid color, then save your choices so you can quickly access it again.
Get your kids ready for the SAT, ACT or GRE with these preparation courses, complete with vocabulary builders, practice sessions & tutorials.
If you’re looking to break into the business world but aren’t sure where to begin, start at this site. Budding entrepreneurs (or those who are simply curious) can take advantage of a wide range of self-paced courses, including How to Prepare a Business Plan, Marketing 101 & Introduction to Accounting. The courses are offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, free of charge.
Always wanted to speak a foreign tongue? Whether it’s Spanish or Swahili, become fluent & get the chance to interact with other language learners around the world. Practice conversation with a native & help others with their English.