Free TV, Movies, and Books???

It always makes me giggle just a little bit when I see those pre-printed family budget forms that leave huge allowances for entertainment. It's not that I don't like being entertained; on the contrary, my husband and I are rabid entertainment-philes, desperately swallowing up anything and everything the producers of such material can throw at us. Now, we don't have a problem or anything...really, we can quit anytime. We'll tell you when we've had enough!!!!

In truth, it can get expensive devoting so much time to the consumption of movies, books, television shows, and other such life-enhancing (or brain-rotting) stuff. But with a little research, and a little innovation, you can find literally thousands of sources of absolutely FREE entertainment when the belt has to be tightened (as it sometimes must). Please note that this list only highlights my favorite sources for free entertainment. There are many, many more out there!

Books: I am an avid reader, but even as the public's general readership declines, the price of books seems to be skyrocketing all the more. Here are some ways to beat it:

1. Librivox.org - I love this site so much. Librivox.org is a not-for-profit project in which people volunteer their time and audio equipment to record themselves reading or reciting classic literature - everything from Jane Austen to Thoreau to the Bible. It is often broken up into easy-to-digest chapters, and usually the voice talent is fun, crystal clear, and interesting. Since they only read books that can be found in the Public Domain, they need not charge a dime for their services. This is an EXCELLENT way to help the time go by while doing a monotonous task, such as sweeping, sewing (I hate sewing), or in some cases, even working. Before you know it, you'll be discussing the classics with all those crazy literature-heads!
2. Podiobooks.com - If you have an iPod or other type of mp3 player, or if you spend hours at a time on your computer, and you're looking for something to listen to that's a little more modern than the classics at Librivox, you may be interested in podiobooks.com, an absolutely brilliant concept in which authors serialize their fictional and non-fictional books as free-to-download podcasts! You can subscribe to your favorite books and authors just as you would to any other podcast, and listen to some of the most cutting-edge writing available - at absolutely no cost to you.
3. Google Books - There's no doubt about it: I am the ultimate Google fangirl. If they needed the advertising (and something tells me they don't) I would flounce around the nation wearing Google hats and sunglasses and t-shirts with Google bumper stickers on my red and blue Google car. One of the most brilliant things Google has ever done is scanning the pages of hundreds and thousands of books and making them available (usually as "limited previews") to anyone who happened by. This has been a tremendous resource for me, in particular the fact that most magazines are available, in full, often going years and years back into the magazine's archives, all for free!
4. The Library - Ah, yes, the old standby. Don't skip over this point, because I gotta say - the library is back, with style. With new updated computer systems throughout all the major public libraries, gone are the days of dusty card catalogs and a need to remember the Dewey Decimal system. And since most libraries receive copies of new releases within a few weeks of their publish date, you can stay on top of the Oprah Book Club like never before - for free! Hands down, the library is still the best place to go for free reads.

Movies: There's no doubt, this one is tough. I certainly can't advocate illegal downloading or theater-hopping (because that's just wrong!), and although services like Netflix and Blockbuster Online are very beneficial to all things frugal, they still aren't free. So after some careful thought, I've come up with the following suggestions:

1. Trade - Remember school lunches? Remember how that kid with the freckles always had a better-looking lunch than you, but no matter how tempting you tried to make your own lunch sound, he never agreed to trade? Luckily, most of us are grown ups now and are a bit less possessive of our beloved items, including our DVDs. Get with your friends, throw a party, invite them to bring along a stack of movies that they could stand to be without for a while, and get your own stack ready as well. Then, let the swapping begin! Not only is this a great way to view new movies that you might not have seen before, but it can inspire some really interesting discussions to boot (if your friends are anything like ours).
2. Scan the paper - Every once in a while, some fancy-schmancy arthouse theater will have a free showing of an old classic. I remember seeing Citizen Kane for the first time at a free showing, and it was the start of a beautiful friendship. If you have an arts district in your town, see if the theater is planning any free events. Alternately, if their events aren't free, see if you can volunteer your services to sell tickets or popcorn. You'll be doing them a service and you'll get a free show out of it.
3. The Library - Yes, there it is again, the library, and once again I'll say it's the very best way to see free movies. You might be surprised at how many options your library might have as far as films and documentaries are concerned, and once again, it's completely free (unless you're an idiot like me and forget to turn the movie back in on time).

TV Shows: Some may have heard about a new trend sweeping across America; money-conscious television consumers everywhere are shutting off their cable service! How could they do that and still get all their favorite shows??

1. Check out the network's website - More and more major networks are airing new and archived episodes of their nightly lineup on their websites for free. All you have to do is be willing to sit through some obnoxious advertising before you get to the good stuff, and good it is.
2. Hulu.com - Possibly the greatest thing to happen to television since hi-def. I can't tell you how many times I've thought, "Man, that one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was so great. I'd like to watch it right now." I jump on Hulu.com, and a quick search reveals it to me. There it is, the whole episode, and the quality ain't bad either. It's GREAT for hours of mindless TV watching, and since my computer desk is set up to be more comfortable than my couch, I'm even suffering less back pain for it.
3. The Library - Man, that place just keeps popping up, doesn't it? Turns out that right there in the movie section you'll also find television series. I've personally checked out the first two seasons of House, the first season of Deadwood, and a few seasons of Nova, with the glorious results of having an uninterrupted, absolutely free television viewing experience.

If you absolutely positively need more entertainment than that, you may have too much time on your hands. Enjoy!