Yahoo Finance 8 Awesome Freebies That Everyone Can Enjoy
You don't have to wait until your birthday for free dessert at your favorite restaurant or pay a single dollar to take a class on a topic you've always wanted to learn more about. If you're feeling adventurous or just want to try something new, jump online to take advantage of some fun free deals and special offers with no strings attached.
Here are eight free things just waiting for you to grab.
[See: 10 Fun, Frugal Ways to Spend Your Free Time.]
1. Free ice cream from Baskin-Robbins. If it's time for an ice cream fix, get yours on the house at Baskin-Robbins. All you have to do is download the free mobile app and you'll get a free scoop of your favorite flavor from the 31-flavor menu. You'll get several coupons and deals sent straight to your phone as well as flavor updates and discounts on ice cream cakes.
2. Free ebooks on Google Play. When you're in the mood for a quick read or just have some time to kill, check out some of the latest free books available on Google Play. You can read them right on your smartphone or from a desktop or laptop. Just download the app and add your mysteries, thrillers, romance novels and other favorite reads to the library for easy access to the works of soon-to-be favorite authors.
3. Free online courses. Services, such as ALISON, edX and Coursera provide free online courses from top schools and publishers. Unlike traditional schools, no application is required, and you can access the classes from anywhere 24/7. There is something for everybody -- Coursera alone offers over 1,000 free classes for auditing. For example, you can audit Harvard University's Introduction to Computer Science on edX, Cambridge University's Conversational German on ALISON or Yale University's Introduction to Classical Music on Coursera.
[See: How to Save $500 This Month.]
4. Free chocolate from Godiva. Join the Godiva Chocolate Rewards Club and you'll be able to enjoy a full-size Godiva truffle every month for free. You'll also get a special offer on your birthday every year and be among the first to know about upcoming sales and exclusive discounts on your next chocolate purchase. Some stores also host a number of special events over the holidays during which you can sample tasty treats from the latest collections as you shop.
5. Free audiobooks. Make a long commute a little more productive with the selection of free audiobooks in the public domain on LibriVox. This is a non-commercial, ad-free site managed by volunteers, and you'll find a diverse collection of books depending on your mood. Another site for audiobooks is Loyal Books, with titles from the likes of Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
6. Free sample boxes on Amazon. Amazon is joining the sample box game by offering a variety of themed sample boxes for Amazon Prime users. You do have to "buy" a box initially but get an instant credit on your Amazon account that you can use just like cash for other purchases. Available boxes change frequently but might include a dog food and treats box filled with pet food and treats, a whiter teeth kit with samples of teeth whitening products or a soda sample box so you can try some of the latest soft drinks on the market.
[See: 8 Purchases That Can Save You Hundreds or Thousands of Dollars.]
7. Free Kindle books. Have a Kindle? Don't miss out on Amazon's daily rotation of free books ranging from popular, out-of-copyright classics that you don't have room for on your regular bookshelf to highly rated science fiction and fantasy reads. And if the Kindle is out of the budget right now, you can still get access to these books by downloading the free Kindle Reading app.
8. Free Lego catalogs. One of the joys of Lego is discovering new Lego projects to dream about -- and one day build. Scratch that itch by picking up a free Lego catalog chock full of design ideas you can try with your existing pieces. And if you need to replace the Lego blocks the Roomba scooped up, you'll find item numbers for most sets in the catalog. If you want to save a few trees, you can always page through the catalog online.
Sabah Karimi is a columnist for the blog Wise Bread, where you can find consumer tips like how to select the best balance transfer credit cards.
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