Five Fabulous Freebies for Savvy Penny Pinchers

Business Wire, Sept 30, 2008

With most of us watching our budgets and pinching pennies these days, here's a spot of good news: there is still a ton of great stuff you can get for free ... if you know where to look. Here's the scoop on five fabulous "freebies" you may not know about yet. Why throw your money away when the best stuff in life is free?

Free Directory Assistance and Directions

We've all been there: you're late for lunch with a friend or a business meeting and you forgot the phone number or directions to the restaurant. Instead of paying $2 to call 411 or stopping at a gas station for directions - just call 1-800-FREE411 (1-800-373-3411), the free directory assistance service for any business, residential, government or toll-free listing in the U.S. And they offer voice-activated MapQuest directions sent by text message to your cell phone. You'll listen to two short ads on the call, but the savings can add up to hundreds of dollars a year.

Free (Legal) Music

These days there is no need to shell out extra cash for CDs or MP3s. imeem (www.imeem.com) is a social network that offers millions of songs and videos for free on-demand streaming. You can upload your entire music collection, easily discover new music through friends, and make music playlists that you can embed across the Web. Another site, Pandora.com, offers free internet radio that creates new song choices based on the artists you like.

Free Furniture

Couches and tables are easy to refurbish and restyle to make your own - and it's easy to find them for free on your local Craigslist site (www.craigslist.com) or Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) sites, which help people give and get free household items.

Free Legal Advice

Avvo.com offers a question-and-answer forum where people can ask real attorneys - anonymously if desired - any legal question and receive personalized answers. Avvo also offers ratings and profiles for every lawyer, as well as client reviews, peer reviews and attorney disciplinary records.

Free Kids Meals

Kids eat free at Denny's and Lone Star Steakhouse every Tuesday night (and some Saturdays) with a paying adult. IHOP, Golden Corral, Hooters, Red Robin and Roadhouse Grill restaurants offer kids-eat-free deals at select locations. You can search for eateries in your area at KidsMealDeals.com.