If you’re trying to economize - and who isn’t - I have good news! A lot of the services you normally pay for, you can actually get for free:

Let’s start with a quick way to save at least $15: Create your own passport photo. Instead of going to the post office or a camera shop, take your own photo, and upload it to ePassportPhoto.com. The site has tools for properly sizing and printing your photo at home.

Also, anyone with an e-reader can: Beef up their library without breaking the bank. Simply visit Gutenberg.org. They have over 33,000 classics that you can download for free, like War and Peace, Moby Dick, and Little Women.

 

Okay, if audio books are more your thing: Head to Librophile.com - or BooksShouldBeFree.com. They have audio books from authors like Jane Austen and Mark Twain that are compatible with computers, iPods, and MP3 players.

 

The next money-saver is for learning a language. You can access more than 40 different foreign language courses developed by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. Just hop over to the website FSI-language-courses.org.

 

How about: Free classes at universities, like Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, or MIT? Many schools post course materials and lectures on their websites. Of course, you won't get credit toward a degree, but you can sharpen your skills or pursue a new interest.

 

If you missed one of the websites, don’t worry. I’ll post them at Tesh.com.