The Web is filled with free stuff – you just have to know where to look

If you’re feeling financially strapped from the holidays, check out these sites. They’re all about getting something for nothing.

The new site Giveaway of the Day ( www.giveawayoftheday.com) makes software available for free.

These are not trial computer programs that must later be bought, or shareware or freeware. They are actual licensed programs that usually cost $10 to $40. But on the one day they are featured on Giveaway of the Day, they are completely free. You just have to download, install and activate the program within its designated 24-hour period to get it for free. Directions are included on the download page, and many users post their experiences in follow-up comments if you’re not clear on how to do it or have questions. So far, there haven’t been any huge name-brand programs listed – although the site says it plans to make more-well-known titles available.

Think globally, recycle locally

If you have, say, an old microwave oven that you no longer want, you list it in your local Freecycle online community ( www.freecycle.org) to see if someone else wants it. The idea is to keep perfectly usable items from being thrown away and adding to landfills.

The Freecycle directory says Spokane has 2,440 members and Coeur d’Alene has 492.

Some freebies are better than others

There are many sites that list free stuff on the Internet. Avoid them.

The only one you need is Lee Seats’ Freebies section at About.com ( www.freebies.about.com). His regular updates of things you can get for free – hair-care samples, a milkshake at Fuddruckers, 200,000 MP3 files – show his savvy in finding cool stuff. Not only does he fully describe the offer, but he also notes the risks of capitalizing on it. For example, to get the free shake at Fuddruckers, you have to provide your e-mail address.

Just avoid the category “Freebies Offers,” on the left side of the home page.

It’s advertising from About.com that’s not related to Seats’ freebie site.