Archive for the ‘Freebies’ Category
2011
01.28
Tags: 20 foot tall concrete cisterns, 2010 Halloween candy, Beauty School Dropout, Cover Girl NatureLuxe, Craigslist freebies, free haircuts, free perfume samples, free sphinx, Freebie Friday, Gucci Guilty perfume, Lacost Touch of Pink perfume, Lacoste Challenge, Lacoste Essential Sport, Lacoste Joy of Pink perfume, large landscape rock, Philosophy, Thierry Mugler Womanity perfume, This Week on Craigslist, Volkswagon bug burnt in fire
Posted in Freebies, Steals and Deals | No Comments »
This week, having discovered the wonderful world of free beauty samples (thank you, Sephora!), I thought I’d share a quick round-up of some of the free perfume samples out there. These are just a few of the scents I was able to locate online with a Google search, and it seems like most perfumeries are happy to send potential customers a sample spritzer if you ask nicely.
Free Perfume Samples
In other beauty giveaways, WalMart is currently offering samples of Cover Girl’s latest product, a foundation called NatureLuxe. How much more “natural” a fake cake for your face could be, we don’t know, but if you’re into that whole concept, here’s a chance to check it out.
And over at Philosophy, if you sign up for their mailing list, a sampler of free best-sellers will be added to your first order of $25 or more. For those who like to try new things, this is a nice add-on.
Weird Craigslist Freebies
Would your week really be complete without a little good, old-fashioned Austin weirdness? We think not. Hence, our top oddities via the Austin Craigslist free section:
Get ‘em while they’re hot!
P.S. Cami is graduating from beauty school in a few weeks and needs to prove she can do 12 types of cuts, so please stop flagging her “Free Haircuts” ads, already, and get yourself a damn free haircut! Geez, people, do you want another Beauty School Dropout on your hands?!
2011
01.21
Tags: Apple's App Store, Austin Free-Net, Austin Public Library, free computer classes, free computer hutch and filing cabinet, free e-books, Free GymGoal Dumbbell Workouts, free haircuts, free horse manure, free iPad apps, free iPhone apps, free pallets, free tech, Freebies, Kindle for iPhone, ReadyMade, Stanza from Lexcycle, Steinway Metronome, This Week on Craigslist, UT Austin digital books, UT Library, wunderlist Task Manager
Posted in Freebies | No Comments »
Here’s a wild and crazy round-up of tech-related freebies this Friday, inspired by Keeping Austin Free‘s links to the free computer classes at the Faulk Central Library (800 Guadalupe).
If you’ve been looking to get up to speed on a variety of computer skills from the basics (Windows, email, Microsoft Office) to the ins and outs of searching for jobs online or even Web 2.0 applications, be sure to check out the library’s free classes, held monthly. The library also offers links to online training, for those who prefer to learn on their own.
For more free computer classes and repairs, there’s Austin Free-Net, a local group that offers computer classes, clinics and even low-cost tech support and training for non-profit organizations and government groups.
Free Apps
With the recent debut of the App Store, here’s a short list of the free apps we’ve snapped up and can recommend from a variety of genres.
Free GymGoal Dumbbell Workouts will help organize your workouts and keep track of your progress as you go along, and if you’re new to the wonderful world of weightlifting, the quick videos demonstrating proper form are a great visual aid- Stanza from Lexcycle is a great e-reader for those not into the Kindle craze, although
- Kindle for iPhone is also pretty handy to keep around if you like to jump back and forth between reading on your device and on your phone
- Steinway Metronome app helps musicians keep time while jamming with the band, while for the rest of us it can provide an interesting rhythm to keep your fingers tapping, increasing your typing speed and upping productivity at your work station!
- wunderlist Task Manager is a great to-do list organizer, keeping you on track without killing trees or misplacing that paper notebook
Free E-books
If you’ve got an e-reader and have been wondering where to score free literature, here’s a handy round-up of tons of sites at the UT Library’s website, plus a listing of UT Austin books that are currently available in digital format
Finally: This Week on Craigslist
How can you pass up such crazy deals? Craigslist’s free section offers the following gems:
Got a favorite freebie to share? Tweet us @shoestringATX!
2011
01.06
Tags: Austin Public Library, BookMooch sucks, BookMooch Sucks blog, Half Price Books, literary homeless folks, Païvi and Santeri, Urban Nomads, we take it back: why BookMooch sucks
Posted in Freebies | 9 Comments »
In a previous Freebie Friday post, we had lots of nice things to say about BookMooch, a site that enables users to “mooch” books from people all around the world. But you know what?
WE TAKE IT BACK.
A few bad apples are all it takes to spoil the bunch, as they say, and having recently had some extremely negative experiences with the site, we can no longer recommend them in good conscience.
See, we were under the impression that the concept of “mooching” meant that things were a little more lax than they would be at, say, an uptight corporate bookstore, where capitalism rules and the only laws are selling things faster and at bigger mark-ups. To us, the idea of “mooching” a book means that when you say you will send said book, it will happen eventually. Maybe the day you agreed to send it, if you’re heading by the post office anyway, or maybe not for a week or two later, if you’re swamped with work and don’t really have the time.
It’s a live-and-let-live attitude, trusting that strangers will do the nice things for you that they said they would (i.e. send you free books, paying for the postage out of their own pockets), all in good time. Perhaps it’s an attitude that just doesn’t suit modern America and it’s “me-first and the gimme gimmes” mentality that is becoming so pervasive.
So while some people on the site DO seem to get this, and are perfectly content with waiting a few weeks for their books, the ones that are ruining it for everyone keep on plastering our walls with nasty comments, negative feedback, and accusing us of things like international terrorism as they keep tabs on our log-ins. (BTW, who decided that allowing users to see when people are logged in is a good idea? Privacy settings ought to be variable so that users can avoid freaks like this, cus frankly, it’s nobody’s business whether we’re online or not; one more BIG reason we don’t like the site!)
We are not amused.
If BookMooch wants to be taken seriously, it should stop allowing members to narc each other out for being a little slow to send books—especially since, let’s be honest, we members are sharing books out of total kindness when we could just as well hit up Half Price Books and sell them. The “reminder” button should really only be used if you haven’t gotten your books in a month, not because you’re pissed off that you mooched them on Christmas friggin’ Day and the stranger you mooched ‘em from hasn’t had the chance to hit up a post office since they returned to their office grind on January 4th. (Today is only the 6th. Chill out.)
Ya know?
So that’s our beef with BookMooch. Take your chances if you like, but seriously? If we’re going to get this much grief over giving strangers free books, we’d rather hand them out to the awesomely literary homeless folks who haunt the downtown Austin public library than deal with these ungrateful psychos.
P.S. More tales of BookMooch suckery from the BookMooch Sucks blog and from urban nomads Païvi and Santeri. We’re not the only ones!
2010
12.17
Tags: Book Mooch, free books, Freebies
Posted in Books & Lit, Freebies | 2 Comments »
One of my favorite free sites is Book Mooch. If you’re the type who’s always borrowing books from friends, checking out enormous stacks at the library, or scouring Amazon for bargains on paperbacks, then Book Mooch is about to become your best friend.
The concept: List the books you’ve got cluttering up your bookshelf. You know, the ones you thought you’d read someday, but haven’t gotten around to for the past 10 years? Type in the ISBNs (that number on the bar code) and Book Mooch will grab the cover from Amazon for you and put it in your “inventory.” These are the books people can “mooch” from you. You get 1/10 of a point for every book you add to your inventory, plus 1 point every time you mail out a book to someone (3 points if they live in another country), and once you’ve got at least 1 point, you can start mooching from others.
Why “mooch”? Because it’s FREE to get books from others! The idea is to share books, and this is generally achieved by everyone paying for postage, but not the books themselves. It’s like a worldwide network of people who like to trade books. How awesome is that?
If you want to keep your costs down, you can set your account to trade only within the U.S., and if you’re feeling generous, you can have foreign traders ask you if you’ll ship to their location before making any firm decisions.
The other excellent thing about Book Mooch is that you can create a “wishlist” of books you’ve been wanting to read, and you’ll get an automatic email sent whenever anyone lists those books in their inventory so you can jump on it.
Free books! What’s not to love?
2010
10.01
Tags: Austin freebies, Austin Herb Society, Austin HerbFest, Barton Creek Farmers Market, Barton Square Creek Mall, Dana II, farmers markets, free software, free writing software, Freebies, OmmWriter, OmmWriter Dana, pay what you will, poetry, Ready Set Grow, Rocktober, Texas Book Festival, The Buttontapper, volunteering, Zilker Garden Center
Posted in Freebies | 1 Comment »
Welcome to Rocktober! Freebie Friday is back with plenty more fun, free things to do in Austin this week and throughout October. This week, we’re bringing you freebies that will help feed both your body AND your mind. Dig it!
Barton Creek Farmers Market
First and foremost (and free-most?), be sure to check out the Barton Creek Farmers Market this—and every!—Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, rain or shine. It’s free to browse, but you’ll want to bring cash to buy, with plenty of fruits, veggies, meats and treats straight from the source. You can find the farmers market at the back of the Barton Square Creek Mall’s parking lot, at the intersection of the Mopac (S. Loop 1) and Loop 360 (S. Capital of Texas Hwy).
Ready, Set, Grow – October 9 at Austin HerbFest 2010
One of the Farmers Market’s events this year, “Ready, Set, Grow,” will teach you how to grow and use herbs in your food, as well as for health and wellness purposes. Mark your calendars for Austin HerbFest 2010 (no, not that kind of herb!), which brings a variety of educational presentations from herbalists, gardeners, vendors and foodies.
Zilker Herb Garden (photo via Austin Herb Society)
Sponsored by the Austin Herb Society, a local group dedicated to educating the community about herbs, from propagation and landscaping to history, folklore, and much more. Check out their monthly programs at the Zilker Garden Center online at www.austinherbsociety.org.
Free writing software – OmmWriter
Another great freebie for all the writers out there is OmmWriter, a program that helps remove the distractions of the desktop from your writing space. They’ve just introduced a bunch of new features with the new version, OmmWriter Dana, including new sounds and backgrounds and the ability to save files as .TXTs or PDFs, and it’s all available for free download from ommwriter.com.
Introducing OmmWriter Dāna from herraizsoto&co on Vimeo.
If you like what you see, you can also upgrade to the full version, Dana II, for only $4.11! (Their website suggests that “monetary gifts ending with a 1 are considered auspicious,” but you can actually contribute as much or as little as you like, in a “pay what you will” setup.)
I’ve been using the original OmmWriter for when I really want to get rid of the distractions and focus on writing, and it’s incredibly helpful. The meditative sounds are great for inspiring poetry as well! You can read more of my opinions on OmmWriter at my blog, The Buttontapper.
And speaking of poetry…
Texas Book Festival – October 16 & 17
The Texas Book Festival is fast approaching! Save the date for October 16 and 17, and browse the full list of 2010 authors in attendance here or the full schedule here. All events are free and open to the public, making this the biggest free literary event in North America. Just be sure to arrive early to the events you’re interested in, as space is limited and it’s first-come, first-served.
Got any FREEBIES to add to our list? Contact us and we’d be glad to include you in an upcoming Freebie Friday post!
2010
09.24
Tags: B-Boy training, beer sampling, BondDollars, BondRewards, Breckenridge, brewmaster, Brewtopia, Casino Royal, Central Market, Community Wellness Classes, Cooperstown, English Word Power, Fabulous Freebies, free beer, free money, free yoga, free yoga classes, Freebies, freegan, giving good head, guitar lessons, Guy Forsyth, James Bond, Kiplinger, Lamar, Latin Tutorial, live music, Magic Hat, master brewer, Medical Terminology, Musicians Health Alliance, New Belgium, New York, Ommegang, open mics, Professor George Doig, Pyramid beer, Ruta Maya Coffee, salsa lessons, Sensory Specialist, Sierra Nevada, Spanish classes, tai chi, Tom Bleigh, U.S. Savings Bonds, Westgate
Posted in Freebies | 2 Comments »
Central Market‘s holding a bunch of beer-related freebies this weekend for their Brewtopia event, so be sure to hit them up for some tastings. Friday features Sierra Nevada Brewmaster samplings from 4 to 6 pm, Saturday features a Breckenridge demo from 11 to 2 pm, and Sunday serves up a Breckenridge Brewmaster sampling from 12 to 3 pm. Mosey on down to the Lamar location for hoppy goodness while supplies last!
If you’re closer to the Westgate store, never fear! Magic Hat’s doing a beer sampling on Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm, so hit one or both for all the free beer you can slosh down your gullet. Plus the fun rolls on into next week with a Pyramid sampling with master brewer Tom Bleigh on Thursday September 30 from 4 to 7 pm, plus a sampling with the Brewmaster of Ommegang from Cooperstown, New York on Friday October 1 from 4 to 7 pm. Cap the weekend off right with New Belgium’s Brewmaster and “Sensory Specialist”‘s sampling on Saturday October 2 from 4 to 7 pm.
Now that’s what we call giving good head.
Ruta Maya Community Wellness Classes
If boozing isn’t your thing, but freeing your mind and/or healing your body is, then check out Ruta Maya’s free Community Wellness Classes. Whether you’re looking for some inexpensive tutoring or want to try out a tai chi class, you can catch up with Austin community teachers who are willing to share their knowledge on the cheap at this Best In Austin café, located at 3601 South Congress.
Ruta Maya (photo via Apartment Therapy)
Currently on offer at the coffee shop are Informal Classes with Professor George Doig in Medical Terminology, Latin Tutorial and English Word Power, as well as Tai Chi with Guy Forsyth. Professor Doig is offering classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 to 3pm, and you have to RVSP at 567-6298 so he’ll know which books to bring; Guy Forsyth’s Tai Chi classes happen on Tuesdays at 1 pm, and they’re sponsored by the Musicians Health Alliance.
In addition to these free classes, there are daily free (with purchase from the café) yoga classes each morning, inexpensive salsa lessons, Spanish classes for all levels, B-Boy training and guitar lessons from Austin area experts in their fields. Can’t beat that for the price of a cuppa joe!
Be sure to check out Ruta Maya’s full calendar of events, including open mic nights and live music, to make sure you won’t miss a thing!
Fabulous Kiplinger-approved freebies
On top of our fabulous Austin-based freebies, we were also surprised to find an excellent article from Kiplinger.com called Fabulous Freebies with a TON of freebies you probably didn’t already know about. Our favorite? BondRewards, a site that encourages you to spend the money you need to while also SAVING money.
Here’s how it works: Charge your online orders through BondRewards and you’ll accrue BondDollars (no, not the bucks James Bond gets from the guv to bet against the baddies in Casino Royal, but close!), which can be exchanged for U.S. Savings Bonds or cash. For example, $50 in BondDollars can be exchanged for a $50 savings bond or $25 cash. It’s a great way to save your money and show you patriotic side, and whether you choose the quick cash now or the double-your-money later, either makes a great alternative to the spending that nets you nothing.
So there you have it: free beer, free yoga and free money. What more could a freegan ask for?
2010
09.18
Tags: Bill Elsey, classic films, Driftwood, Duchman Family Winery, Fellini, free flicks, free movies, free wine and cheese, Freebie Friday Flicks, Freebies, Italian grapes, La Dolce Vita, wine tastings
Posted in Freebies, Movies | 1 Comment »
We’re a day late with our Freebie Friday post, but we promise we’re TOTALLY making up for it with this Super Saturday sizzler!
In response to our new Freebie Fridays post, I received a bit of intelligence in my inbox from Bill Elsey down at Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood, Texas. Bill informs me that every year the winery hosts a “Movies in the Vineyard” free summer film series, which I’ve been missing out on! But never fear: they’ve got one more golden film classic coming up on September 24. Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita will be on-screen, a nod to their Italian grapes, and Duchman wines will be served (with cheese, of course) to film-goers. How awesome is that?
If you’ve got transportation, it’s about a 45 minute drive from Austin down to Driftwood (click here for directions), and the film starts at 8:30 pm. Don’t forget to bring your own blankets or folding chairs (and maybe a little mosquito repellent!), as the movie will be shown under the stars, and keep in mind that no pets or outside food and drink will be allowed.
For more info on Duchman Family Winery, check out their site at duchmanfamilywinery.com.
See you there!
More free movies
Attention cinephiles! Want more free movie nights? Here’s a brief list of some regulars you’ll definitely want to look into.
- Anime at the Alamo (Tuesdays at 10 pm)
- There’s still a few more Movies in the Park this season, courtesy of the Alamo Roadshow, including Pee Wee’s Big Adventure on September 29 and Poltergeist on October 14
- And for those on bikes or pedi-cabbing it, there’s the Starving Art Mini Drive-In! (free for the bikers and walk-ups, $10 for those in vehicles; advance registration for cars required)
Got any free flicks we missed? Let us know; we’d be glad to post your event in next Friday’s list!
2010
09.03
Tags: $25 gift certificate, 2010-2011 season tickets, Austin Chronicle, Austin freebies, Becker Vineyards, Bell Mountain Vineyards, Ben Affleck, Black Heart Magazine, Cascade sour cream, Central Market, Central Market all-natural tortillas, Cocktail Wine, Crocodiles, Daily Downloads, Delay Trees, Driftwood Estate Winery, Dripping Springs, Dripping With Taste, Duchman Family Winery, East End Wines, eco-friendly gift shop, Fall Creek, foodie freebie, free books, free burgundy wine tasting, free drinks, free groceries, gay lovers, Glenn Danzig, Gofobo, Grand Lake, Haak Vineyards & Winery, Hall & Oates, Henry & Glenn Forever, Henry Rollins, Hudson Bell, Ito En Teas' Tea, Keeping Austin Free, Landon Winery, Largehearted Boy, Lavinia, marinated sirloin steak for fajitas, McReynolds Winery, Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Old Pecan Street Festival, Piney Woods Country Winery, Satanists, Sunset Winery, Texas Hills Vineyard, Texas Performing Arts, The Biters, The Drums, The Intelligence, The Interns, The Mommyheads, The Town, Wanderland, wine and food festival, wine tasting, Wines of Dotson
Posted in Contests, Freebies, Movies, Music, Sports | No Comments »
Just wanted to introduce a new weekly addition to Shoestring Austin: Freebie Fridays! Every week we’ll be highlighting fun, free things to see and do, as well as contests and give-aways from Austin-area merchants and bloggers. Got something you’d like to add to our list? Get in touch through our contact page with all the details!
Win a copy of Henry & Glenn Forever!
First up, if you like Henry Rollins and/or Glenn Danzig, then you’ll want to snag a free copy of the hilarious spoof comic Henry & Glenn Forever being given away to one lucky reader by our affiliate, Black Heart Magazine. Henry & Glenn Forever features Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig as gay lovers, along with neighbors (and Satanists) Hall & Oates. It’s a heady trip through a reimagined metal landscape where manly men and their mysteriously mustachioed neighbors get it on all night long. If you can go for that, all you have to do to be entered into the prize draw is comment on their review, which is online here.
Win tickets to Dripping With Taste
Via the Austin Chronicle‘s contest page, enter to win free tickets to Dripping With Taste Wine & Food Festival on September 11, 2010. As the second fastest growing wine destination in the U.S., you’ll experience the tastes of Hill Country with food from Dripping Springs vendors Creek Road Café, Rolling in Thyme & Dough, Thai Gourmet, and Verdes Mexican Parrilla.
Wineries in attendance include Driftwood Estate Winery, Duchman Family Winery, Becker Vineyards, Bell Mountain Vineyards, Fall Creek, Haak Vineyards & Winery, Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Piney Woods Country Winery, Texas Hills Vineyard, Sunset Winery, Landon Winery, Wines of Dotson, McReynolds Winery, and Cocktail Wine. You can buy tickets in advance for $25 each, or click here to enter the drawing for free.
Other Austin Chronicle contests on now include chances to win a $25 gift certificate to eco gift store Wanderland, a $10 gift certificate to the Old Pecan Street Fest, and tickets to 4 shows during the 2010-2011 season of Texas Performing Arts.
Austin AV Club giveaways
If you dig movies, you’ll want to check out these Austin AV Club giveaways, which are going, going, GONE! Ending September 5 is their contest to win the 6th season of The Office on DVD, and until September 28 you can still enter to win one of 10 copies of Get Him to the Greek on DVD. Sweet!
Free movie screenings
If you like free movie tickets, you’ll want to grab these free screeners for Ben Affleck’s second directorial outing, The Town, via Gofobo.
Free music
If you love free music, be sure to check out the “Daily Downloads” section for legal MP3 downloads at Largehearted Boy. Today’s selections include tunes from The Biters, Crocodiles, Delay Trees, The Drums, Grand Lake, Hudson Bell, The Intelligence, The Interns, Lavinia and The Mommyheads.
Free food
Central Market is currently offering a “foodie freebie” of Ito En Teas’ Tea, house brand all-natural tortillas (10 ct) and Cascade sour cream (16 oz.) with purchase of 2 pounds of marinated sirloin steak for fajitas. A total of $10.67 in groceries FREE with their in-store coupon. Click here for more weekly specials.
Free drinks (21+)
Via Keeping Austin Free, those of legal drinking age can enjoy a free Burgundy wine tasting today only, from 4 to 8 pm. Hit up East End Wines (1209 Rosewood Avenue) for your sample sips.
Let us know if there’s anything we’ve missed!
2010
05.10
Tags: Austin Film Society, Austin Public Library, best free movie sites, Blu-ray player, classic films, free movies, freegans, Frugal Fun, gaming system, Harry Ransom Center, Making Movies, Netflix, Paramount, Paramount 2010 Summer Film Series, screening calendar, Slackerwood, Slackerwood's 2010 Guide to Free and Cheap Summer Movies, SXSW, The Force, The Movie Outsider
Posted in Freebies, Movies | 4 Comments »
As a conoisseur of the freebie lifestyle, and an unreformed member of the spoiled Press Club who simply refuses to (over)pay to see movies, I was beginning to think that Austin’s freegan claims had been vastly overrated. The SXSW film end of the fest is clearly no place for bargains (nor entry sans badge, harumph!), and for those who love film, I began to suspect that free flicks were just another rainbow-colored pipe dream.
But after a fateful tip from a guy on the bus (the source of many an insider tip, Chez Shoestring, btw), I discovered the wonderful world of gofobo.com. Film-related sweepstakes and free screenings abound here, but alas, they are only accessible with a magical (and rather mysterious) RSVP code.
Curses, Batman, foiled again!
Luckily, using my mighty memory, I recalled that my mystery bus man had informed me that gofobo.com was just one of several sites he regularly cruised for access to freebies in the movie world, implying that there were others, were a young Jedi so inclined to look for them. Thus, with a quick flick of the Google button I discovered the untold riches at The Movie Outsider’s Austin page.
As The Movie Outsider notes, freebies may not always be easy to come by, but they sure beat the heck outta paying full price for admission. If you’ve got to dig a little, you may just appreciate those hard-earned tickets a bit more, too. Or at least avoid the truly terrible pap that Hollywood deems to dish out.
Whatever the case, here were some of the best sites I found in my mission to uncover movie freebies, to help you along your way:
Tell 'em Shoestring Austin sent ya!
If all else fails, Netflix is still offering a pretty sweet one-month-free subscription, where you can instantly stream movies straight from your computer (or Blu-ray player, or gaming system), or rent movies with no late fees and free shipping to and from your house. Set up your home theater and you’ll be set; at only $8.95 a month, that’s still way cheaper than paying for admission at your local theater.
Still too rich for your blood? Hit up the nearest branch of the Austin Public Library for a selection of totally free movies and TV shows, which you can keep for a full seven (7) days. With the Interlibrary Loan system, you can even snag flicks from far-away branches (provided you agree to pay a $1 fee if you fail to actually pick up your items within 10 days of your notification email), all from the comfort of your Internet connection.
Friends, freegans, countrymen: bemoan your free movie quandary no more, and may The Force be with you.
