How To Get What You Need....For Free

By: | News Channel 7
Published: May 12, 2009

In this bad economy, there's no better price than "free." We're all looking to save money. Did you know there are several ways of getting the things you need for free?

"Everything in this basket I got for free or they paid me money to buy it," said money saving expert Brandy Long. "I stocked up on a hair dryer just in case mine goes bad one day."

For everything from beauty products to household items, companies put coupons in the Sunday paper offering free samples.

Did you know you can get a bike for free? The Partners For Active Living in Spartanburg run Hub Cycle. They'll loan you a bike, helmet, and lock for 3 months for $15 dollars. You get the money back when you return the bike. Said John Meyer with Hub Cycle, "If they enjoyed their rental, we can extend it for three more months, for a total of six months. So its basically six months free bike." You can learn more at

Jennifer Joyner showed us stuff she's gotten for free through a website called www.freecycle.com. Said Joyner, showing us, "We've gotten this rocker we picked up in Greenwood, a coffee table, which I plan on re-doing."

People offer up stuff they don't need. You email them back and arrange to pick it up.

News Channel 7 writer Jamarcus Gaston got a variety of items free through a website called www.heyitsfree.com. Jamarcus showed us, "This is my 20 pieces of Nicorette Gum. Two weeks of vitamins, free. There's some all natural granola here from Bare Naked." It's all free stuff from companies who want you to try their products.

Enter your zipcode on www.kidsmealdeals.com. It shows you which days local restaurants let kids eat free. Some local Golden Corral restaurants lets kids under three eat free everyday.

You can get a free book for your children every month until they're five through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Said mother Melanie Pruett, "Just to be able to go to the mailbox once a month and know there is a new box in there for her. She loves to open it and she gets all excited about that."

Several Upstate communities participate. But if yours doesn't, don't forget local libraries will loan you books, movies, and magazines all for free.