DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, MEANING I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS, AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.
Everyone likes free stuff.
Below are 80 Things You Can Get For Free Or Do For Free.
Start a blog! It’s not free, but it’s a great way to get started sharing your ideas with the world and maybe even earning a living from it in the future. Make sure to check out Bluehost for your hosting needs.
I use Bluehost to run this blog, and that is an affiliate link.
Consider using a Temp-mail when signing up for freebie to help decrease the number of spam emails in your email inbox.
Top Favorite Things for free
Open Source Software – contains a list of useful open source and other free software.
Below are some of the best ways to save money that I have found
80 things you can get/do for free
- USDA Farming Help: Provides help to those who are starting a farm.
- Baker hotline: Get help from a baker.
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing: Get your damaged or mutilated currency or need currency replaced.
- Blahtherapy: a place you can vent to people or listen to other people vent to alleviate a stressful day a bit.
- 7Cups: offers free online therapy chat sessions with trained volunteers.
- Freeonlinetherapy: Connect with Sympathetic Community Members to Chat free.
- Clubhouse International helps people with mental illnesses get jobs. Being a member is free, and all you need is a referral from a medical professional to join.
- Mental Health help: List of 100% Free Mental Health Self-Care Tactics, National Directory of affordable and sliding scale counseling services, Mentnav Mental health resources with free and low cost mental health help,
- Mental health therapy tools for therapists by therapists.
- Free Dental Day: Get free dental work done on specific days without needing dental insurance. Dental work you can get for free can include cleanings, deep cleanings, fillings, extractions, x-rays, and even the initial whitening.
- Debt Collective We will fight to dispute your debt and get it canceled.
- ethics center is a free hotline that connects you with qualified ethics counselors to help you make ethical decisions when faced with a dilemma, big or small.
- Corporate Angel Network: a nonprofit organization that provides cancer patients access to the best treatment by providing free travel on corporate aircraft
- You can get all your travel costs covered if you are interested in donating bone marrow.
- Get a free Bible: YouVersion – Bible app, churches near you, FreeBibles, United States Bible Society
- Almost anything: Freecycle is a website that lets you find free items in your local area that people are willing to give away. Other great options are Craigslist and Listia.
- Check Facebook groups: Facebook groups, online auctions and classified websites all over the world have incredible deals often 50-90% off from original purchase prices. Search for “free stuff + name of city” and be amazed.
- Go dumpster diving for free stuff with the guidance of Mr. teeny Greeny himself, Rob Greenfield. Here is Dumpster Diver & Dumpster diver 2 making some decent money from his finds. See Trashwiki for learning about how to create value from trash. Find dumpster diving locations here. Discover some dumpster diver finds here.
- Direct Ship Freebies: These are things you can ask for from Amazon sellers, and they will send them to you for free with no strings attached! These websites have a great list of places where you can find direct shipping freebies. Consumer Queen, Internet Steals and Deals, Guide2Free
- LocalTools & Ethical consumer library of things directory & Buynothingproject – find a wide range of things you can get for free at 200 Random Things Libraries Will Let You Check Out for Free.
- Interlibrary loan: if a library doesn’t have a specific item you are looking for, they can request that item from another library be sent to them for you.
- Barter: Bartering is a great way to get new stuff at a low cost when your low on funds. Bartering to live without money. Heidemarie Schwermer uses bartering to live without money and has created an entire network: Gib und Nimm (give and take). Bartering Apps: Trademade and letgo, Trashnothing, Listia, Peerby, The Gone App and many others. Bartering exchanges: 15 Most Popular Barter Exchange Networks
- Informed Delivery See photos of your mail before it arrives.
- Free Shipping Supplies: Get free shipping supplies from USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
- Free Address Labels: Avery provides a free online tool that allows you to easily create and print custom address labels using their templates.
- Birthday stuff: Universalbasicapplebees get 365 days of free food.
- Free Fast Food: Check out Moneyinflight Fast food list & Donotpay to find free fast food list.
- Free Food and Deals: Take your coupon skills to the next level with Thekrazycouponlady and The Couponmom for a daily deal, check out Hip2Save and The Deal Guy.
- Check to see if your food bank as extra surplus free food that others are not eating as mentioned in this video how to get free food. As a regular volunteer, please use food pantries!
- Get free food at groceries stores after a big storm see here.
- Community gardens – Many cities have community gardens or urban farms that allow people to volunteer in exchange for taking home fresh produce. These are often run by non-profits or local organizations. Find a nearby community garden here.
- Gleaning Programs – Gleaning involves collecting excess fruits and vegetables from farms, orchards, or gardens that would otherwise go to waste. Organizations like Society of St. Andrew coordinate volunteers to glean and distribute this produce to those in need. Find gleaning projects near you here.
- Food Rescue Programs – Groups like Food Rescue US and 412 Food Rescue recover unsold but still edible produce from grocery stores, farmers markets, and wholesalers to provide free to communities.
- Produce Giveaways – Some churches, food co-ops, and community centers periodically host free produce giveaways or distributions, especially when there are large donations from local farms or retailers.
- SNAP/Food Stamp Benefits – For those who qualify, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at grocery stores, farmers markets, and some produce stands.
- Golden Temple – a peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals everyday.
- Coding classes: LearnToCodeWith.me for a list of 113 places to code for free.
- College Compendium CS Resources: contains a curated collection of free and open-source computer science resources from top colleges across America.
- Exercism: Coding Mentor: Get the help of a programming mentor and learn from over 67 programming languages.
- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology: Get a real person to help you with your math and science homework for free.
- Get free tutoring by using upchieve.
- Learn how to Generate leads & create amazing offers at Acquistion.com.
- Start your business with an all in one marketing tool at Systeme.
- Find free online courses from many of the top universities, like Harvard at Class Central.
- Get a free college education in certain countries.
- Parents who are at employed by colleges often get a reduced or free tuition for their kids.
- Alternatives to college – search over 6,000 SKILL PROGRAMS FROM 2,000 SCHOOLS.
- Attend a tuition free degree program with Uopeople.
- Find free video lessons for school subjects by grade with Khan Academy.
- Save money on textbooks and find them for free at Libgen, Freemedia, and OpenStax.
- Watch Documentaries: Watch tons of free documentaries.
- Transfer all your notes to a very useful and powerful free note-taking tool called Notion, which comes with a lot of customization options. If you are looking to master notions, check out the Notion Mastery course.
- Play free retro games at Oldgameshelf, Retrogames, ClassicReload, Emulatorgames, Playclassic.games, and Myemulator.online.
- Watch free local live news channels online at Newson.
- Watch free streaming shows at streaming sites.
- Watch streaming videos as a group with Teleparty.
- Watch movies from Zero Dollar Movie, which has a collection of over 15,000 movies that are available on YouTube for free. See also Streamingsites which has a ton of good places to watch free movies and tv shows.
- Play some browser games at Poki and CrazyGames.
- Concert Tickets: free concert tickets by being a seat filler at Seatstir.
- Attend free events and activities in your area, such as concerts or festivals with Bandsintown.
- Find Free tickets to movie screenings or advance premieres through websites like Gofobo.
- Cinefind – Get notifications when free movie screening tickets go live in your area.
- Text Messages: Textfree lets you send text messages from your desktop or phone. You can also make calls. WhatsApp is great for using your phone’s internet connection to send messages and make calls.
- Housesitting is a popular way to get free accommodations while traveling. House sitting involves taking care of someone’s home and pets while they are away in exchange for a place to stay rent-free.
- home exchange – involve two parties exchanging their homes for a certain period of time. This arrangement allows travelers to stay in someone else’s home while the homeowner stays in their home, providing both parties with cost-effective accommodations and an opportunity to experience life as a local.
- Find free places to camp at free campsites.
- In the US Southwest, you can legally vehicle camp on certain areas of public land, rent-free, for up to 7 months. You need a self-sufficient RV-type vehicle (no hookups available) and a permit for camping in a Long-Term Visitor Area (LTVA) from the BLM. There are currently 7 LTVAS.
- Find free overnight RV parking on private property at boondockerswelcome.
- Airports: Some airports have designated sleeping areas and lounges, while others do not allow overnight stays at all. Sleeping in the airport can be free or low-cost. A useful guide for sleeping in airports can be found at SleepinginAirports.
- Hitchhiking Ride for the Night: Sleeping in the vehicle of a hitchhiking ride is typically free, but it’s important to prioritize safety and trust your instincts. For a map of places where you can hitch hike check out the hitchmap.
- Couchsurfing is a great website that can connect locals and travelers and provide free accommodation around the world. 116. Bewelcome is the largest free hospitality community that offers travelers a free place to stay.
- Warmshower has a community of over 180,000 active members and hosts in over 170 countries. Hosts can choose to offer a warm shower, a bed, or even a meal, depending on their preferences. This is a great website where touring cyclists can find free accommodations with hosts who are willing to share their homes and their interests with them.
- Trustroot allows travelers to find hosts who are willing to offer accommodation, share their knowledge of local culture, and possibly spend time together exploring the area.
- Work for accommodation Some jobs offer housing as part of their compensation package. You can find jobs that offer free or discounted housing on Coolworks, Jobmonkey, or Resort Jobs.
- WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is an organization that connects volunteers with organic farmers who are looking for help with their farms. WWOOF participants typically work in exchange for room and board and the opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture and organic farming practices. This can be a great way to gain practical experience, learn new skills, and work with people who share your interests. WWOOF participants can work on farms in their home country or travel to other countries to take part in the program.
- Helpx: volunteer work in exchange for free accommodation and food on farms, backpacker hostels, lodges, horse stables, and even sailing boats
- Help stay – swap skills for accommodation
- Workaway offers opportunities for travelers to volunteer in exchange for accommodation and sometimes meals too.
- Aupair is an online marketplace that connects au pairs (young people who want to experience a different culture and learn a new language by living with a host family) with families who are looking for childcare services.
- How to get free: Solar panels, Free water using Rainwater harvesting, Endless Hot water of Grid, DIY septic system, Aquaponics System, $50 DIY solar furnace
- Free Compost: Nationwide sources of low cost compost.
- Free Dirt: Find free fill dirt with the earth movement Map.
- Free Seeds: Get high quality non-GMO seeds for free with seeds for the people.
- stacked camp: This helps you find free firewood near you. Other places to find free firewood
- Free Woodchip mulch: Checkout Getchipdrop for free wood chip mulch deliveries.
- Credit Report: The best place to go for a free credit report that is authorized by federal law is annualcreditreport.com. You are entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. You can check your credit score for free at Credit Karma.
- Drive for free – Get paid to deliver cars using Autodriveaway, Gettransfer, andTransfercarus.
- Explore over 2,500 free travel tips and make sure your next trip is the best by visiting Triptipedia.
- Ask for free shirts —- here is a video of a guy who got How to get free shirts.
- Download podcasts and listen to them while you are in the car with the Overcast app.
- Get Your Wedding Sponsored and have a free wedding.
- Forage for food: Falling fruit has a map of the urban harvest where you can find places to forage for food.
- Pick your own fruits and vegetables: Pick your own Farms in the U.S. Canada, Britain and other countries with Pickyourown. Get Picking Tips for fruits and vegetables here.
- Get free things with coupons using Krazycouponlady, Livingrichwithcoupons, Lozo, and Coupon Mom. For weekly coupon matchups – thekrazycouponlady & livingrichwithcoupons
- Get companies to send you coupons with livingrichwithcoupons master list of companies that will send you coupons.
- Use Flipp to see various weekly store ads and organizes the best sales, coupons, and discounts at your local grocery stores.
- Shop tax-free using the Wiki list of Tax-free shopping countries found here.
- Shop duty-free at Duty-Free Americas or Shopdutyfree.
- Get free product protection for your online purchases using Get Mulberry.
- Check out a list of over (for fun) 1,000 awesome things, and a second list of 1,000 awesome things.
- Feeling crafty try one of over 1,000 life hacks.
Reddit Hacks
- If you want to watch or download almost any movie, put ‘index’ or ‘parent directory’ after the title in google search.
- If you want a PS4/Xbox One on the cheap, check Craigslist/eBay around the time that semester report cards come out. Reddit post
- LPT: If you have a Roku device/TV, you can hide ads on the home screen by accessing the secret menu. Reddit post
- Want to be on a movie set and eat for free? Go to the city’s film commission office and ask for the year’s filming schedule for the “on location” productions. Pick up a North Face jacket and a two wire surveillance kit. Stick the earpiece in while on set and you’ll blend right in at catering. Reddit post
- wanna get into a beer or music festival for free? Show up early and tell them you’re a volunteer. Get a free shirt and walk around. No one knows what the volunteers are doing anyway. Reddit post
- If you ever need a free ride home call the police non-emergency line and act like you’re lost with no way home. They will drive you home at no cost. Reddit post
- Need help moving? Go to a couple NA/AA meetings and mention you need the help. You will get a whole group of people really easily, and the best part is you don’t even have to buy beer afterwards! Reddit post
- If you can’t get your roommate to clean up, create a fake Tinder profile, match with them and tell them you’re coming over. They’ll leave the place absolutely spotless in no time. Reddit post
- On the IKEA website, you can order spare parts for free, if you have the 6 digit code of the part so if you download the pdf of what you want and order parts one at the time, you can get any product for free. Reddit post
- In social situations, casually mention that you have never tried a certain food or drink before (even if you have). People will often insist that they buy it for you, especially if they have mentioned that it is one of their favorites. Reddit post
- Keep your card when you checkout at hotel chains. Use it to get free breakfast at other hotels of the same brand.
- It’s free to download the entirety of Wikipedia and it’s only 100G. Reddit post
- If you’re at risk of being homeless, get a library card and ask about “open access” or “after hours access”.
- Have a kindle fire with ads? Remove them for free by chatting with an amazon agent online and telling them you’re concerned about inappropriate ads and that the tablet is for kids.
These are some great ways to get things for free to help you save more money.
Final thoughts
Personal finance geek and explorer of the web who loves to post in-depth blog posts about his findings.