For Free Foragers Everywhere!

There's no such thing as a free lunch, right? Well maybe free can rarely be applied to lunch, but it hardly has to be a myth across the board. Most of the time the word free is overused in advertisements and marketing schemes, where by the time you read all of the fine print, what you were after is only legally eligible to squeak by with such a label, after not so free requirements are met. For this reason most people tend to overlook it. After all, if it looks to good to be true... the fine print will often confirm that it is. In this jaded mindset you can really miss out on the true gems though. So herein let the diamonds sparkle, and the Free Foragers benefit!

Freecycle

Freecycle.org is a grassroots program aimed at keeping our dumps as debris free as possible, and turning one man's junk into another man's priceless finds. By visiting the web-site, you can search for local chapters in the Freecycle family, or find out how to start your own. People list everything from furniture, appliances, pets, clothing, computers, services, books, etc. It makes a great way to clean out your garage, and face it... everyone has stuff that won't sell on e-bay. Rather than haul it to the dump you can Freecycle it. Interested parties respond to the listings, and the Lister chooses who the honored recipient will be among them. Or if you find yourself in desperate need of something (or not so desperate need of something) you can also list that you are interested in acquiring such an item. What makes Freecycle truly wonderful though is the opportunity it provides to people who are disadvantaged in some way. Several times there have been posts in the local chapter in this area in search of items for families who have been displaced from their homes, or who have new babies and can not afford the things they need. Generally pick up arrangements are the responsibility of the interested party selected, unless otherwise worked out with the person listing the item. It's a great way to clear clutter, and find great treasures.

Unusual Greetings

Want to wow new parents with a memorable gift to commemorate the birth of their baby? Do you have relatives that are celebrating 50 or more years together in wedded bliss? Maybe there's a special elderly person (80 years or older) that could use a bit of birthday cheer. In these cases why not send a card to commemorate the occasion from the Commander in Chief himself... for free! (Political pundits hold your tongues!) Simply visit www.whitehouse.gov/contact, fax information to (202) 395-1232, or send a postcard with your name, phone number and the recipients information to:

The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington DC 20502-0039

All you have to do is submit a small amount of information to have such a note worthy greeting (Pundits, Silence!) sent to the person that qualifies as listed above.

On the note of unusual greetings, the Walt Disney corporation makes sure that new babies and continually committed couples are not the only recipients of noteworthy well wishes. As always Disney has the kiddos covered. An autographed photo of a favorite Disney character makes a spectacular gift and is free to obtain for any occasion. A Birthday greeting from Mickey Mouse and his pals is sure to make for some excited conversation over the cake and juice. For the Birthday greetings you can obtain it electronically at www.Disney.go.com. (Also be sure to check out the free games on this site.) To receive an autographed photo of a favorite character, snail mail your request to:

The Walt Disney Company
Attn: Fan Mail Dpt.
500 South Buena Vista St.
Burbank CA 91521

It's free, and it will make a kiddo's day. What more could you ask for?

Musing Moms

Mothers listen up! You ladies whose talents fall to the fine arts, there is a contest specifically for you! The Cultural and Creative Arts competition has awards ranging from a few hundred dollars on up to $1000. It's sponsored by Mother's Inc. National. It is a great way to be recognized for your talents and a chance to win some walking around money.

Free Samples

Where would the world be without samples. The ability to try a product before actually buying it can save a consumer a tremendous amount of money, and the information garnered from product surveys can save companies billions in marketing costs. A few large corporations do offer to send free samples. Wal-Mart and Procter and Gamble not only offer information about the products they market, but each site has a link for free samples of new products. They also often contain links to other sites that they affiliate with that also offer free product samples. They request but do not require a product survey after you have had a chance to try the product, but even if you choose not to participate, the use of these samples at least educates you in where to and not to spend your money, without being out of anything but a little time.

Electronic Literacy

Books are usually an expensive, but necessary commodity. For education, the Literary classics (and some not so classic) are a must. There are several sites that allow free unlimited downloads of a large variety of e-books. Among the sites are Librivox, Bookyards, and Gutenberg. Each of these sites has an expansive library of authors and genres available for download. Whether you're a student doing a book report or a literary hobbyist looking for that classic you might have missed in school, you're sure to find the piece of literature you're looking for on one of these sites.

Blogs Beautified

Blogging has become one of the main things on the information superhighway over the last several years, much to the chagrin of those who were blogging before it became a fad. After all, who can turn down an avenue of expression that can instantaneously reach an inordinate amount of people? What some bloggers lack is the simple web-design knowledge required to create a look for their blog, that matches the wit and personality (or for some bloggers the lack thereof) of those authoring the blog. For this there's three options. 1) Pay someone with the knowledge of design and flair for aesthetics to design a lay-out for you, (generally this is the most satisfying route at least initially) which can range from $10 up to hundreds of dollars.) 2) You can learn to do it yourself. (A very tedious and frustrating process.) Or for those that are too stingy to support their blogging addiction with anything but their time and talents, you can... 3) Visit BlogSkins and select from the templates that free lance designers are generous enough to share with the world wide web. You won't have a unique look, and you will be expected to leave links crediting the original designer with the work on the template, and host the images yourself, but they are a huge leap away from the blase stock templates offered by most blogging services. (For image hosting try Photobucket. Another free service!)

Foundations For Castles In The Sky

Many families dream of owning their own homes, but with down payments and closing costs it can seem an impossible dream to achieve. For qualified individuals there may be free assistance though. AmeriDream Inc. is a charitable group that promotes home ownership. If you qualify they may provide up to 10% of the contract sale's price as the down payment with no repayment expected. Please click the link above for details.

That concludes this month's edition of "For Free Foragers Everywhere!" Be sure to check back for more free stuff in the months to come. There may be no free lunch, but there's free stuff out there brought to you here for your foraging frenzy. Forage on frenzied friends. Until next time!