Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Land of the Free

We've seen free hands-on workshops for computers, chess, knitting and more. You can learn a new language at FSI-language-courses.org, learn to draw at Drawspace.com, or improve your golf game at Golf.com, just to name a few resources.

Free Hobbies
Want to learn something new in your spare time? Many local retailers offer free workshops. For instance, you can improve your culinary skills. At REI, take advantage of free clinics on bike maintenance, backpacking, camp cooking and more.

Free Investing Apps
Stay up to date on the financial markets with free apps on your iPhone, Blackberry or Android.

Bloomberg for up-to-the-minute stock quotes and breaking news, Morningstar for mutual fund research at your fingertips, and Yahoo Finance for the latest financial headlines, stock news and videos.

Free E-Books
If you own a Kindle, iPad or other electronic reader, you can populate your e-library without breaking the bank. E-books commonly sell for $9.99 -- less than hardcovers but about as much as paperbacks. But at Gutenberg.org or the University of Pennsylvania's online books page, you won't pay a cent to legally download thousands of books whose copyrights have expired, including War and Peace, Moby Dick and Little Women.

You can also search for free e-books at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, iTunes.com and Kobo.com. Or check your public library, where you can get newer titles for free too.

Free Tax Help
Understanding the U.S. tax code can be, well, taxing. But Kiplinger.com is here to help. During tax season, we publish a tip a day to make sure you get every dime you're due. Also check out the discussion board at HRBlock.com, which is monitored by tax professionals during tax season.

The IRS wants to help, get answers from the people who enforce the rules. You may also qualify for free face-to-face help from a tax pro volunteer. See the IRS's list of free tax return preparation resources for details.

Free Outings
You can entertain friends, family or even a date for free -- without looking cheap. Many top-notch museums, galleries and zoos offer free admission year-round, including the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Others, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, let you in for free on certain days of the week or month. And many college campuses host free concerts and student art exhibits.

Every October, select theaters nationwide give free performances. 
Go to FreeNightofTheater.net to learn more. 


Enjoy the Savings