If there is one word that can put a smile on our faces when looking for something we need or want is the word free.

Free is free. And it saves us money.

Why pay for something when you can get it for free, or almost free.  And there are places to get things for free.

When you think about how much money we spend on things in our lifetimes, it really adds up.  How many times have you moved house and needed a new piece of furniture, or just needed to replace an old dishwasher or washing machine.  You go to price a new one and it can cost hundreds.  However, there are people looking to get rid of their old furniture and stuff, and just want it gone.  And now with the Internet, finding and accessing these people just got easier.

Web sites like Craigslist and Gumtree, have free sections on the various pages for each city or country where you may live, or want to look.

You can find everything from puppies to kittens, TV’s, stereos, magazines, coffee tables, desks, beds, cross trainer, nic nacs, clothing, I even saw one person giving away a pet monkey.

All it costs you is time to research and look on the Internet as to if what you are in need of is being offered by someone for free.  If it is a large item, like a piece of furniture someone is giving away, you may incur some costs if you need to rent a van or truck to pick the item up.  That’s still much cheaper than going out and buying something new.

Even the majority of applications for our mobile phones can be found for free.  There’s no need to buy an application as there are so many free ones available.

And what about travel?  Have you seen the recent increase in train fares.  Even public transport such as taking a bus has gone up.  There are alternatives such as ride shares and car pooling.  Not only can you get around on the cheap, you also have some company to chat with.

Other web sites that offer freebies can be found here and here and here.