Ten Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free

The following is a guest post from Bailey Harris, who writes on many topics. This post is about free meal specials for kids. 

Taking the entire family out to eat can turn into a very expensive event. Fortunately, there are several restaurants that offer free meal specials for kids. Taking advantage of kids' meal deals can make family meals out more fun and frequent, and it will be easier on the wallet at the same time.

The following are 10 popular restaurants that offer free meals for kids. Some of these offers may vary depending on location, and not all restaurants may participate. It's always a good idea to call ahead of time to verify information with your local restaurants--this will save you time and money.

Golden Corral - At Golden Corral, children ages three and under can eat for free from the buffet with the purchase of one adult meal. This offer is good every day. On Mondays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., kids ages 10 and under can eat for free. Two kids can eat for free for every adult meal that is purchased.

Denny's - On select nights that vary by location and restaurant participation, kids ages 10 and under can eat for free between the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For every two kids eating free, one adult meal ($2.50 or more) must be purchased. Check with your local Denny's restaurant to find out which night this special is offered.

IHOP - On Monday evenings, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., IHOP offers specials for children 12 and under. For every adult entrée purchased, one child can eat for free. Beverages cost extra and are not included in the free meal.

Quiznos - At participating Quiznos locations, with the purchase of one adult meal, one Quiznos Kidz meal is free. This offer is for kids ages 12 and under--and the day that this special is offered varies depending on location.

Chick-fil-A - Tuesday nights at Chick-fil-A are family fun nights! On Tuesdays only, one kids meal is free per every adult combo meal purchased.

Marie Callender's - Select Marie Callender's restaurants offer kids ages 12 and under free meals. One kids meal is free for every adult meal purchased.

Planet Sub - On Tuesday evening from 4:00 p.m. until close, one kids meal per one adult meal purchase is free. This offer is good for kids ages 11 and under.

Damon's - At Damon's Sports Bar & Grill, Wednesday night is "kids' night!" With every adult meal purchased, one kid's meal is free.

Applebees - On Monday night at Applebees, kids can eat for free. With the purchase of one adult meal, one child's meal is free. If only one adult is present, each additional child's meal costs only $1.

Cici's Pizza  - At Cici's Pizza, children ages three and under can eat for free from the buffet. This offer is good all day every day. Some locations also offer free meals to older kids on specific days of the week--call your local Cici's Pizza and find out more details.

Going out for dinner doesn't need to cost a fortune. With free meal deals for kids, the whole family can enjoy delicious meals out at some of your favorite restaurants!

Further Reading:

The 10 Best Freebie Sites

Nine Ways to Find Cheap or Free Performances

Five Great News Sites

In February I put together a list of five great weather sites. I mentioned that first thing in the morning I check the weather, then the news, then my email accounts. I suppose it was only logical for me to next list some of the news sites I check. Here are five of them, in no particular order.

Drudge Report – While it has been labeled a political news site I find that all of the other news he links to makes this one of the most interesting reads of the morning. The plain, clean layout and minimal advertising are also appealing.   

The Christian Science Monitor – The website is the online presence of the 100 year old international news magazine. They rely more on their own writers rather than the wire services, which might help to explain the seven Pulitzer Prizes they have won to date.  

Fark – If you are looking for something funny or weird to read about, Fark is the place. They select around 50 links each day, and categories range from Asinine to Obvious to Spiffy. Florida has a category all to itself.

New Scientist – The magazine was launched in 1956 "for all those men and women who are interested in scientific discovery, and in its industrial, commercial and social consequences". The website was created in 1996 and updates every day, and they have over 76,000 pieces archived.

Topix – This aggregate news site draws from over 50,000 sources, and what makes it different is that you can edit the news based on your location and interests.

Further Reading:

Five Great Weather Sites

Five Interesting Frugal Videos

Five Great Weather Sites

Call it compulsion or habit or whatever but when I first get online in the morning I check the weather, the news and my several email accounts, in that order. I remember catching the 10 PM news on TV with my parents as a kid and they would watch up to the end of the weather report then turn it off and go to bed. If the weather had been on first I’m pretty sure there would have been plenty of nights they would have just skipped the news altogether.

Checking the weather forecast in the morning of course provides fresher data than the night before, and because we get such a variety of weather here in Iowa (freezing rain, tornados, drought, floods, blizzards, thunderstorms, even thunder snow occasionally) keeping up with the conditions outside helps one to stay prepared. To that end here are five different weather sites that should help keep you aware of and ready for whatever blows your way.

Weather – Provided by The Weather Channel this site offers forecasts, maps, downloads and, of course, links to their shows.

AccuWeather – You can find news, videos and maps and can switch over to Canada and UK/Ireland forecasts.

National Weather Service – This is the federal government’s weather site and the information they provide is a little more extensive. While offering the usual maps and forecasts they also provide info on aviation and marine conditions, as well as a large educational section.

Intellicast – This one is my favorite, probably because I have been using it for several years now and I’m familiar with the layout. I saved the page to my favorites after bringing up my location, so now every time I check it the site loads with my local news, forecast and maps.

Finally, Time Temperature offers a valuable weather resource guide with loads of links to other weather and science sites.

Further Reading:

Six Great Gardening Sites

The 10 Best Freebie Sites

Five Free Tutoring Sites

Schools are back in session and while there is plenty of learning going on there are always students who are struggling with a subject or class. If that includes you or someone you know consider looking into free online tutoring sites for help from the comfort of your own home. Most operate 24/7 to provide free help and usually all you have to do is register. Give them a look, one of them might be just what that perplexed student needs to get over the hump.

Algebra.com – They write algebra lessons, help solve homework problems and offer free tutors online for Pre-algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry and Physics. Make sure to visit their extensive question board.

Tuition Plaza – Their online tutoring section offers quizzes and homework help forums for many different subjects.

Tutoroli – They connect students with live tutors in real time, who provide one on one help for homework whenever it’s needed.

Tech Tutorials – This site offers a directory of free tutorials for IT professionals, hobbyists, and home users. They also offer discussion forums, a free job search, free tech magazine subscriptions, white papers, and other technical reference materials.

HippoCampus – They provide multimedia content on general education subjects to high school and college students free of charge. Their content has been developed by colleges and universities all over the world.

Related Reading:

Search for Scholarships

10 Great Resources for Free Books

Best Free Reference Sites

10 Free Online Colleges and Courses

The Free Sofa

Recently my wife spotted a sofa sleeper for free on Craigslist. We wanted one for the guest bedroom so we drove my old Ford truck the 40 miles to the little town where it was located. “It will be a fun little drive in the country,” she said. That didn’t sound so bad, and the sofa was priced right. We made the drive and after loading it up we stopped at a convenience store for a glass of ice for the warm bottle of water we had in the truck and a slice of pizza that we split because we had not eaten yet that day. Heading back down the highway we got about 5 miles out of town when something began to smell hot. The truck began shaking and losing power. We were just able to turn off of the highway onto a gravel road when it died. Once we rolled to a stop we hopped out and looked under the hood. What greeted us was smoke pouring out of the valve cover. I commented that this free sofa wasn’t free anymore.

It was a bright sunny day, in the 90’s and humid. Looking around us as far as we could see were waving green corn fields without a tree in site. After placing a call to AAA we stretched a blanket across the windshield to create some shade and waited. And waited. The flies were biting, the sweat was trickling and there was nothing to do but watch the corn swaying in the fields. I observed that if we were stuck out there after dark at least we had the sofa to sleep on.

The shop assigned to handle the remote area we were in was very busy and we ended up waiting two and a half hours for the tow truck to arrive. We had just drunk the last of our water when the driver showed up. He was sympathetic about our situation and invited us to wait in his air conditioned truck cab while he loaded our truck, with the free sofa still strapped in the back, onto his flatbed truck. As he hopped into the cab to drive us home we both grimaced as he somehow pegged the scenario perfectly. “Let me guess,” he said, “you got a really good deal on that sofa on Craigslist.”

Related Reading:

How I Sell on Craigslist

Is AAA Worth It?

Can You Really Find Good Free Stuff On Craigslist?

Ten Free Online Personal Finance Courses

While personal finance blogs can offer a wide variety of in-depth information on all kinds of money matters, sometimes a more systematic approach is needed. If you or someone you know is in need of learning the basics in more of an academic format rather than casual blog reading here are ten sites that should be able to help.

CNN Money 101 – They offer 23 lessons that cover everything from budgeting and taxes to controlling debt and buying insurance.

Money Management International – They offer a wide variety of easy to understand personal finance articles, videos and scheduled webinars.

University of Texas at San Antonio – Register for free and choose from 11 courses aimed at managing your finances.

University of California at Irvine – They offer an eight part set of modules on the fundamentals of personal finance planning.

Suite 101 - Taura Lynn Colbert wrote a four part course on managing your money.

Alison – They provide a seven module set course on financial literacy training.

University of Idaho Extension – Their Money 101 section offers short, to the point personal finance and consumer advocacy articles. 

Brigham Young University Marriott School – Here you can find beginning, intermediate and advanced lessons on a wide variety of personal finance issues.

American Financial Solutions – They provide eight financial education courses.

Utah State University – This is a comprehensive multiple part course on family finance.

Related Reading:

Ten Free Online Colleges and Courses 

Ten Free Tips to Speed Up Your Computer 

Five Free Software Programs for Everyday Use 

A Walk in the Woods

A few days ago I wrote my 300th post for this blog. I mentioned that I occasionally would like to write about something other than personal finance issues. I got a few comments telling me to go for it, and I decided to take their advice. Sorry in advance…

A few weeks ago my nephew Toby and I went morel mushroom hunting. We like to take our dogs with us when we go into the woods together, but this time out I decided to leave mine at home. They have kind of an embarrassing attraction to each other. Toby’s dog is a three year old male boxer mix and mine is a two year old female black lab. They are about the same size, and they like nothing more than get out into the woods and hump each other.

You don’t get this kind of entertainment with cats.

Our dogs run around endlessly chasing each other, play fighting and humping. Yes, they are both fixed. And yes, mine is a female. We are hoping they get this figured out soon, as we are all getting older and have really seen about enough. So I left my dog at home this time and we took Toby’s dog shroomin.

Back to the story. We hit one of our favorite spots and are looking for morels, and his dog, named Mack, is running around sniffing things, rolling around and just being a dog. After a while Toby sniffs the air and asks me if I smell that.

“What?”
“It smells like poop.”
“No, I don’t smell it.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
We continue on.

Mack runs up close to Toby again, then away.

“Dude, you can’t smell that?”
“What, poop again? No, I don’t smell anything.”
We continue on, finish that section of the woods, and decide to head back.

Again the poop question and I still have not smelled it. Mack runs off ahead of us.

We get back to the vehicle and I want to stop and eat the lunch I packed. I get it out and start eating when the stink hits. There is no mistaking what it is. We both look down, and Mack is lying at our feet. That’s why it came and went, and only Toby could smell it. Mack was the carrier and stuck close to his master. All I could think of at that point was “good boy.”

There was a mud pit just a little ways back along the trail, and Toby had to take Mack there and wash him down before there was any way we could be in a car with him. After the first time it was still so bad he had to take him back to the muddy water again.

The best (or worst) part of the story? Two days earlier I had been in that same part of the woods when the bowels had to move. Mack simply did what comes naturally to him when finding such a treasure.

Like I said, you don’t get this with cats.

Ten Free Online Colleges and Courses

This is a post I have wanted to write for quite a while now, but the continuing expansion of the online education field has made me hesitant to put together a list that would almost immediately become outdated. There are lists on the internet with 100, 200 and more entries and trying to top them seemed like a waste of time. While they can serve as great resources I tend to drift off and loose interest when faced with such massive lists. So, to avoid putting you to sleep, here are just ten very good online learning sites to look over. If you are interested in more options just pick out some key words and get to searching!

The Open University 

Connexions 

MIT OpenCourseWare 

Sofia 

Wikiversity 

Notre Dame OpenCourseWare  

How To Geek 

Notre Dame OpenCourseWare  

About U 

Open Culture 

JHSPH OpenCourseWare 

Related Reading:

10 Great Resources For Free Books 

Best Free Movie and TV Sites 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Four (includes links to Parts One through Three)

Nine Free Photo Storage Sites

With the advent of cheaper and cheaper digital cameras and other devices with built in cameras there are a whole lot of photos being stored on a whole lot of memory chips. My nephew has thousands of photos on his computer and phone and my daughter just bought a new chip for her camera because the original is full. Not too long ago we bought my mother-in-law, who does not have a computer, a digital picture frame as a gift and loaded photos of the family on it.

If you, like many others today, find yourself overwhelmed with an ocean of digital photos it might be worth considering an online storage site to not only help you sort them out but also to share them with others. After a little research I found the following sites for you to check out. Leave a comment at the end if there is one you think should be added to the list.

Post My Image - Files must be under 5 MB in size, there is not a set limit for bandwidth and each image has its own URL for linking.

Tuzulo – You can use Tuzulo for uploading pictures and files linked from emails, blogs, forums, eBay listings, craigslist, MySpace, etc. They have an automatic size editing feature and claim there are virtually no limits of any kind on the site. Register for free but be aware the site is ad supported and they place a leaderboard ad on user content pages.

XTupload – With this free site you get an unlimited amount of folders with unlimited images within a folder. Their FAQ page makes it sounds like you might want to edit your photo sizes before uploading while their main page claims they have “one of the most advanced image editors.”

Photobucket – Share and link photos, videos and graphics for free. You can create group albums that friends and family can contribute to and they offer a photo editor to fix photos and create special effects. There is a lot more on this site such as scrapbook and slideshow builders as well as an online photo gifts and prints store.

Picasa – Sign into Picasa Web Albums with your existing Gmail account, or open up a free Gmail account to gain access. Download their free software to edit and upload copies of your photos while leaving the original files on your computer.

Snapfish – Upload photos to your free account with the option of sharing just a few photos or entire albums with friends and family. They can then order prints and add comments to your Guest Book. You also have the option of installing their free software that uploads photos directly from your camera or USB drive.

Shutterfly – They offer free photo storage and sharing, free photo software, more than 400 borders and, of course, printing options.

Flickr – Upload your photos and videos to your free account and share them by invitation on the Flickr website, in RSS feeds, by email or by posting to outside blogs.

My Photo Album – They offer free accounts, unlimited storage of photos and videos and hundreds of themes and styles to choose from as well as a large number of printing options.

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Four

I love research, and if in a conversation a question can’t get answered I automatically have to search for it. There is such an amazing amount of information out there, and so many ways to find it, I thought I would dig into my browser favorites and share some of the sites I like to use. The previous three parts of this series listed sites that were in my “research” folder. For this last part of the series I included sites that I had saved in other folders. Here is the final batch.

Artcyclopedia – Find art and artists by name, medium, art movement, title and several other search criteria.

Bankrate – A great site to learn about investing, saving, debt, credit cards, etc. They offer calculators as well as financial product comparisons.

Beliefnet – Includes inspiring quotes and stories, as well as sections for each major religion. While there make sure to try the Belief-O-Matic to find out if you are on the right track. 

Best History Sites – This history portal links to over 1,200 history web sites.

Cyndi’s List – THE site to bookmark and start with if you are interested in family history.

Epicurious – It was really hard to pick just one food and recipe site but this one is pretty well rounded and encourages members to interact and share.

IMDB – As with cooking and recipe sites there are plenty of good movie sites but The Internet Movie Database is the big dog on the block.

Mother Earth News – I have been a subscriber to their newsletter for years and I think I learn something new in every issue. There is much more to this site than gardening and homesteading.

Software Archives – They offer a huge archive of computer, handheld and entertainment software, all for free.

WebMD – I don’t think there is any health issue not covered on this site. From A1AT Deficiency to ZES, it’s in there.

Related Reading:

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Three 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Two 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part One 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Three

I love research, and if in a conversation a question can’t get answered I automatically have to search for it. There is such an amazing amount of information out there, and so many ways to find it, I thought I would dig into my browser favorites and share some of the sites I like to use. I list ten at a time, alphabetically, for this series. Here is the next batch.

Monstropedia – I admit this one might have limited appeal but I just had to include it because of my lifelong interest in the subject. As of this writing they offer 1,873 articles about…monsters!

Museum of Hoaxes – Covers hoaxes from the middle ages to the present. This site offers a hoax museum search engine and extensive archives.

National Archives – The record keeper for the United States holds “approximately 9 billion pages of textual records; 7.2 million maps, charts, and architectural drawings; more than 20 million still photographs; billions of machine-readable data sets; and more than 365,000 reels of film and 110,000 videotapes.”

Netronline – The public records online directory they offer is a portal to tax assessors and recorders offices for all 50 states. 

Nolo – They offer an extensive selection of free legal information, a legal encyclopedia and a lawyer directory.

Online Conversion – Convert anything from acceleration to pressure to weight, and about anything else you can think of. 

Pop Cult – A somewhat obscure but fun site that is cataloging “quality” pop culture. Go click around; I know you’ll find something interesting. 

The Straight Dope – One could argue that this is not exactly a reference site, but Cecil Adams has answered so many strange questions since 1973 that it had to make the cut.

Snopes – A dictionary of urban legends and “common fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news stories, rumors, celebrity gossip, and similar items.” 

Wikipedia – While they had a few credibility problems early on Wikipedia has done much to clean up the site. Because of their extensive link love you can’t research just one subject while there. 

Related Reading:

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Two 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part One 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part Two

I love research, and if in a conversation a question can’t get answered I automatically have to search for it. There is such an amazing amount of information out there, and so many ways to find it, I thought I would dig into my browser favorites and share some of the sites I like to use. I list ten at a time, alphabetically, for this series. Here is the next batch.


Calculator - If you need to calculate anything from fractions to percentages to…love(?) this site should be able to help you out.

Card Games – Want to learn a new game or look up the rules to one you haven’t played in a while? Most likely it’s here.

CIA – They offer a lot of info. The standout, for me, is the World Factbook.

Directory of Open Access Journals – As of this writing this site links to 4,682 scientific and scholarly journals, and their lofty goal is to cover all subjects and languages. Sound boring? Go to the site and click around a bit, I bet you’ll change your mind.

Handyman USA – Need some DIY tips for home improvement projects and repairs? Start with this one. 

Holt Researcher – As soon as you get to this site just start scrolling down to get an idea of how many subjects they cover.

Internet Archive – Another huge database. This one archives, well, the Internet! Also home of the Wayback Machine.

Internet Public Library – They offer categories for kids and teens, as well as links to newspapers and magazines all over the world. Look for your info by subject matter, use their search engine or ask a librarian by email.

Language to Language – Beware, this language translation site can be addictive. After trying words such as love, monster and hope I suppose it was inevitable that I moved on to dirty words. Yep, they cover those, too.

Library of Congress – The internet presence of the largest library in the world. Make sure to visit the digital collections section.

Look for Part Three next week.

Related Reading:

Best Free Reference Sites, Part One 

Best Free Reference Sites, Part One

I have become, over the years, somewhat of a go to guy among friends and family for finding people and information. I had a pretty intense genealogy phase a few years ago, which I hope to return to someday. I love research, and if in a conversation a question can’t get answered I automatically have to search for it.

One of my most recent searches was for a good friend looking to find his mother. They had not seen each other for years and he wanted to make contact again. After several days of looking the mothers trail went cold, but I did find his only sibling, his sister. He had lost track of her as well and he thought it would be better for me to call her, as they did not part on good terms. She answered and we spoke for about half an hour. She did not want any contact with her brother and she confirmed my suspicion about their mother; she had died several years ago. I would have preferred to give my friend this heartbreaking news in person rather than on the phone but he lives in Florida and I’m in Iowa. That was one of the hardest phone calls I have ever made, as was it for him to receive.

While sad, that example illustrates the power of the internet today. There is such an amazing amount of information out there, and so many ways to find it, I thought I would dig into my browser favorites and share some of the sites I like to use. I got to looking at all of the reference sites I have saved over the years and it looks like I have around 350. I will narrow those down and list ten at a time, alphabetically, for this series. Here are the first ten.

50 States – What would you like to know about any of the fifty states, as well as commonwealths and territories? Visit this site to find it.

About – I don’t so much go to this site to search as come upon About pages while searching. I like their tagline: “Guidance. Not Guesswork.”

AIM Manufacturing Videos – Stanford University offers videos on how over 40 different things are made. If you ever hear “I wonder how they make that” again make sure to check this site.

All Experts – The “oldest and largest free Q&A service on the Internet.” Go ahead, ask them.

Ask – If this is a site you like make sure to sign up and use their custom settings.

Ask Oxford – There is WAY more to this site than dictionaries.

Birthday Database – Not always accurate but it’s a starting place when trying to locate someone.

BJ Pinchbeck – Not just a homework helper! There are plenty of reference links here to keep a researcher busy for a long time.

Bureau of Prisons – Having a hard time finding someone? Maybe they are doing hard time. Try the Inmate Locator on this site. 

BRB Publications – If you are looking for public records go to their Free Resources section.

The following ten are coming up next week.

The 10 Best Freebie Sites

When I was a kid I came across an ad in a comic book asking to write to them for all kinds of ways to get free stuff. Thinking it over carefully, I decided the five dollar cost to get this golden information would be nothing compared to all the great free stuff I would be getting. I mailed them my money and then anxiously waited for all my wonderful free things to begin arriving.

During the wait my young mind began to fantasize about riding my free new bike, eating all the free candy I could stand and going to all the movies I wanted to see with my free movie passes. Week after week went by with no delivery trucks backing up to my house or even a package in the mailbox, but I knew the day would come because the five dollars guaranteed it.

Finally a hand addressed envelope to me from the company arrived. I ripped it open immediately, and what I found inside was a one sided, poorly photocopied letter. It began something like this: “Thank you for ordering our pamphlet on great ideas to get free stuff. First, try calling radio stations when they offer prizes. Next, enter as many sweepstakes as possible. Another idea is to…” and the list continued. As I read the list my initial cloud of confusion was slowly replaced by the stinging realization that I’d been had. The too good to be true offer turned out to be just that.

Today I imagine there are still versions of that scam floating around, among many others, both online and off. However, there are some legitimate websites that offer freebies, and tips and advice to find even more free stuff. The following are the best sites I have found over the last few years, and none of them will ask you for five dollars.

Thunder Fap – Visit for links to 100% free samples. They state they “only link to reputable companies with legitimate freebie offers.” Sounds good!

The Free Site – If it’s free, it’s on this site. Subscribe to their newsletter to help keep up with it all.

Volition – They claim to be the oldest freebie site on the internet, which I have no trouble believing because of the sheer size of this site. It’s going to take you some time to explore this one.

Weekly Freebie – Select freebie offers are emailed to you weekly.

Free Shipping – This freebie specialty site deals with free store shipping coupons.

Free Birthday Treats – Use their site to search your area for free birthday treats for adults, kids and pets.

Free Mania – Here dwells the Freebie Gator that searches 14 freebie sites every hour for free offers.

My Kids Eat Free – This site offers a searchable database of restaurants that offer inexpensive or free children menus, a great resource for parents and grandparents.

Freaky Freddie’s – 72 categories are offered here. I didn’t count them all, but there are a lot!

Cities On The Cheap – This site is building a network of blogs to provide “insider information” on freebies and deals in your city. If your city is not listed yet, bookmark and check again later.

Related Posts:

10 Great Resources for Free Books

Eight Useful and Free Phone Apps

Give Away of the Day

10 Great Resources For Free Books

I was researching some local history recently when I came across several references to a book from 1880 that looked like it would be an excellent resource for me to use. Thinking I might find a copy at the state historical library I searched Google first for any additional information I could find. On the first page of my search results was a link to Google Book Search, where all 1,067 pages of this obscure, regional history book had been scanned and was available to download for free.

This reintroduction to Google Book Search was a pleasant surprise, and was a reminder of several other sites that offer “free books.” The following are a great way to save money on buying books; they are easily searchable and take up negligible room on your computer if they are available to download. These sites give you access to an amazing number of resources you might not be able to find anywhere else.

Bartleby – A vast collection of reference, verse, fiction and nonfiction. As of this writing one of the featured books is Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body including all 1,247 color engravings.

Bibliomania – They have over 2,000 texts available, including fiction, poetry, short stories, drama, interviews and articles.

Books-On-Line – 51,198 books are listed on this directory. Along with a large offering of fiction and non-fiction books they have links to 499 movie scripts.

California Digital Library – Many universities and historical libraries around the country are offering digitized libraries to the general public. I included this one as a good example of what you could find. Don’t forget to check federal sites, too, such as the Library of Congress.

Google Book Search – I have found some kind of reference to every book I have searched for on this site. If they don’t have the text for you to read online or a PDF copy for you to download there is usually a link to buy or borrow what you are looking for.

Many Books – With 24 different download formats to choose from and 23,259 ebooks offered for free, this could be your best option if you like to use a PDA, iPhone or eBook reader.

Project Gutenberg – This Grand Daddy of ebooks seems to have been around forever. Starting with the Declaration of Independence in 1971 on a Xerox mainframe, they encourage anybody and everybody to contribute. You never know what you will find here.

Soil and Health Library – While searching for a book long out of print I discovered this site. Their digitized library subjects include agriculture, health, Personal Sovereignty and Spiritual Freedom.

SurLaLune – This little collection offers over 40 ebooks of fairy tales and folklore anthologies for free. They also have a nice collection of over 1,500 illustrations.

The Universal Digital Library – Their goal in nothing less than to digitize all books. They currently have 48 million titles indexed and operate 50 scanning centers around the world.

As a bonus I have included my Secret Library Tip for you to find free hardcopy books at your local library.

Get Your Free Tickets

Do you plan on visiting L.A. or New York? Are you a big fan of talk or game shows? If you answered yes to both you should check out this site on how to get free TV tickets. They also provide information on how to become a game show contestant, a movie extra, a talk show guest and even how to have your case heard by Divorce Court or Judges Alex, Judy, Mathis and Hatchett.

TV Tickets provides free tickets to shows such as Two And A Half Men, Dr. Phil and Good Morning America, among others.

On Camera Audiences offer free tickets to a variety of shows including American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

New York Show Tickets can get you discounted tickets to Broadway Shows and free TV tickets to shows such as David Letterman, Rachael Ray and Saturday Night Live.

Sweepstakes, Contests and Freebies from MDP

I have been a subscriber to My Dollar Plan for quite a while and last year when they decided to add a contest section to the site I subscribed to it as well. They offer a daily assortment of descriptions and links to sweepstakes, giveaways, contests and freebies. Sound interesting? Check it out and subscribe. Like Winnie I also love checking my mailbox to find that newest prize waiting for me.