Trust me, I know personal finance conjurs up visions of absolute boredom, punctuated by brief daydreams and the occasional doodle. But I'm here to prove to you that personal finance isn't nearly as boring as your Crocs wearing, sweater vest donning, toupee wearing math teacher made it sound. There aren't many better ways to save money than by getting something for free (and if there are better ways, let me know). So, in consultation with some other brass staffers, I've put together a list of fantastic websites to help you get your FREEk on:
- heyitsfree.net: This site has links to more free offers than a flea market has bargain hunters. What isn't there to love about a site that offers everything from "Free BFF Wristbands" to " Free Ziploc Vacuum Bags?"
You might be asking yourself, "Ya, but is there a catch." Of course, what doesn't have a catch these days? Most of the free offers require you to fill out a survey(s) and/or provide your email and address. I keep one email address that is strictly designated for junk email, and I figure I can always toss out any real junk mail I receive. In my opinion, a quick survey is a small price to pay for a free subscription to U.S. News & World Report (see, the free offers aren't all just random stuff). Maybe you're looking for something a little more substantial than just a free magazine or USB thumbdrive. Don't worry, I talked to Big Suit, one of our resident computer geek... er, champions, and he pointed out these sites to me:
- download.com: Get your free software here. Last week, some of the most popular downloads were: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, Ad-Aware 2008, and WinRAR 3.80. They also have all sorts of other cool stuff such as the image-editing program IrfanView and media player GOM.
- SourceForge.net: This site has all sorts of open-source software available for download. But, as Big Suit said, "It's a little less user-friendly" than download.com. Don't let that discourage you though--they have software for everything from multimedia to finances to games.
Take advantage of free stuff. That's a motto that even your math teacher can get behind. If you have a favorite free-stuff site, leave me a comment. Oh, and this is where I sound like the uncool guy: don't forget to use a little caution when it comes to free-stuff sites--scams are out there. Never give out personal info such as your credit card or Social Security number unless you completely trust the site. If the site looks about as legit as your math teacher, then steer clear.
--Jens
The picture is taken from this photostream, and used with permission of a Creative Commons license.
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