1
free
free
Apple Replaces Frayed Magsafe Adapter Cables For Free
By Ben Popken on November 9, 2011 9:30 AM
33 Comments
Apple will replace or refund out-of-warranty frayed Magsafe adapters, according to the terms of proposed class action lawsuit settlement. More »
(dougww)
Consumerist Techniques Land Reader Free Home Depot Tools
By Ben Popken on August 17, 2011 2:00 PM
29 Comments
Andrew stared at the row of tools on the shelf at Home Depot and sighed. He had a big new job to do, but after getting all his tools from Home Depot for the past 20 years, there was but a paltry selection. No open stock items and the sets were incomplete. He wouldn't be able to get all the tools he needed. So, drawing on what he'd learned from reading Consumerist, rather than an EECB, he crafted an email to a specific person at Home Depot corporate he thought might help. More »
50% Off Amazon Prime Renewals For Students
By Ben Popken on July 14, 2011 1:00 PM
44 Comments
Students who signed up last year for a free year of Amazon Prime are getting close to their expiration date. So, Amazon is offering them a renewal for $39, 50% off the regular price of $79. More »
Exercise In The Urban Jungle For Free
By Ben Popken on July 8, 2011 3:00 PM
56 Comments
If you're looking to cut expenses, here's an argument for cancelling that gym membership. NYT profiles one guy who does all of his exercising outside, at no cost, in the middle of Manhattan. The jungle gyms, trails, and tracks of East River Park give him all the workout he needs, five days a week, in all weather. His hands are calloused from doing pushups on the sidewalk and at 48, 5 ft 8, and 185 pounds, he's in top shape. So why bother dealing with early termination fees and snooty mirror gazers when you can enjoy being outside, for free? More »
Amex Settles Case Alleging They Advertised BOGO, But Charged Double
By Ben Popken on May 23, 2011 11:45 AM
37 Comments
How's this for a bad deal? American Express Publishing Corp. had an offer for a "free" airline ticket when you bought a companion ticket and a subscription to Skyguide magazine. But a lawsuit brought by five Californian counties says that when consumers went to the website to buy their ticket, they were often charged double what the ticket would have cost them if they bought the ticket straight from the airline. Get it? More »
Free Sample Letters For Dealing With Credit Bureaus
By Ben Popken on May 12, 2011 1:00 PM
13 Comments
Cleaning up a dirty credit report usually involves a lot of letters. Because just mustering the strength to sit down and face this task may have already drained you of your creative juice, via Frugal For Life here are a few sample letters you can use when dealing with the credit bureaus, debt collectors and creditors. Use them as Madlibs or as inspiration to kick your own cleanup spree into high gear. More »
Teachers, Sign Up For Free Kid's Product Safety Alerts And You Could Win $100
By Ben Popken on May 5, 2011 12:00 PM
6 Comments
If you're a teacher, parent or caregiver, take 10 seconds today and sign up for safety. Get the latest alerts about food and products that affect children in a free weekly email from the National School Safety Coalition, of which Consumers Union is one of three founding members. As an added incentive, if you're a teacher, you may be able to win $100: the five teachers who get the most parents to sign up will win $100 each (you don't need to be a teacher to sign up for the email alerts). So sign up here and pass it along, especially to any teachers you know! No child should be put in harm's way simply because we couldn't get the word out. More »
(the1pony)
Store Bulk Grain With Free Frosting Buckets From Your Grocery Bakery
By Ben Popken on March 21, 2011 12:00 PM
73 Comments
So you're a savvy shopper and you're saving by buying food in bulk and cooking a lot of your own meals. But how do you store all that food, especially grain? Your wallet isn't the only one who likes a big stash of wheat, so do mice and other critters. To solve this problem, Laura over at the Heavenly Homemakers blog likes to hit up the bakery department of her local groceries and ask for their empty 5-gallon buckets of frosting. More »
(B.Mayer)
Free Calls To Japan From AT&T, Verizon, Comcast And TWC
By Ben Popken on March 17, 2011 12:00 PM
25 Comments
Several telecommunications providers are giving US customers free long-distance calls and texts to Japan. AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and TWC are all waiving charges. AT&T is giving 60 minutes of free talk time between the US and Japan until the end of the month. Verizon is offering $0.00/minute rates between the two countries until April 15. Comcast is giving away free calls to voice customers through April 11. Time Warner Cable is giving digital phone customers free calls to Japan through April 15. A helping hand for those looking to connect with a friend, colleague or loved one over in Japan. More »
(Ben Popken)
AT&T Rolls Back Free Rollover Minutes For Some
By Ben Popken on March 3, 2011 10:00 AM
33 Comments
Looks like AT&T is rescinding the 1000 free rollover minute offer for some of the people people who tried to jump on it. More »
Do You Have What It Takes To Be Working Poor?
By Ben Popken on February 18, 2011 1:00 PM
160 Comments
You're a savvy consumer used to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. So if you were a jobless parent, down to your last $1,000, you could make it work, right? Spent is a new free online "game" that tests to see whether you have what it takes. Put out by the Urban Ministries of Durham, it's less fun than a sobering dose of reality. I played it and in order to make it through the month I couldn't let my kid go on field trips and I missed his baseball game in order to take a job helping a neighbor move. Also, I got fired for talking to a union organizer. The gas also got shut off and I drove away from an accident instead of paying the ticket. I had no choice, otherwise I would have gone broke and lost the game. More »
(Ben Popken)
AT&T Bribes Users With 1000 Free Rollover Minutes
By Ben Popken on February 14, 2011 11:00 AM
37 Comments
The latest salvo in the AT&T and Verizon Cola Wars was for Big Blue to bribe all its users into staying with a surprise gift of 1000 bonus rollover minutes. Some users thought the text message announcing the free minutes was some kind of spam or scam - and who could blame them? - but it was definitely sent out by AT&T, as confirmed to Consumerist by AT&T PR. They said, "It's real - we've done this before...it's a way of thanking our customers." If you didn't get the text, some users, even those who weren't targeted by the initial blast, have reported the free minutes showing up on their account after texting "yes" to 11113020. More »
Google Shopper App Recognizes Products By Their Cover
By Ben Popken on February 7, 2011 3:00 PM
21 Comments
Google has jumped into the shopping app fray with "Google Shopper," which stands out from the crowd by being able to id products by their cover art. The feature works on book, CD, DVD, and video game covers. You can also search by voice, along with the usual barcode scanning, local pricematching and the ability to save items. If you're a RedLaser fan, this could be a serious contender to replace it on your home screen. The app is free and available on both Android and iOS. More »
Calculate How Many Days Of Work That New Shirt Will Cost You
By Ben Popken on December 8, 2010 5:00 PM
40 Comments
DaysToPay is a handy little site that quickly shows you how long you will have to work in order to buy something. Enter the cost and your hourly wage or yearly salary and it shows you just how much of your sweat is going into that new Xbox Kinect. More »
Updated: DangerP's Sweet Excel Budget Spreadsheet (With Debt Snowball)
By Ben Popken on December 1, 2010 2:00 PM
30 Comments
After I uploaded my quick n easy excel budget spreadsheet yesterday, Consumerist reader DangerP sent over his to share with everyone. His is pretty cool! In addition to the regular cash flow and recurring billing item tracking, it also has a built-in worksheet for doing a debt snowball, tracking long-term debts, and an overall budget dashboard. Update: new excel file replaced to fix formula issues some people where having. More »
(Ben Popken)
Download Our Free Easy Excel Budget Spreadsheet
By Ben Popken on November 30, 2010 1:00 PM
37 Comments
Back by popular demand after the file on our server got messed up, it's Consumerist's easy excel budget spreadsheet! It lets you track your cash flow and expenses, and plan for upcoming purchases and bills. Use it properly and you'll never overdraft again. More »
Walmart Offers Free Shipping
By Ben Popken on November 11, 2010 10:00 AM
13 Comments
Starting today, Walmart.com is offering free shipping on gift items, including toys and gadgets. More »
6 Towns In America Where You Can Get Free Land
By Ben Popken on October 29, 2010 10:00 AM
70 Comments
There's still such a thing as homesteading in America. Here's 6 cities where they're giving away free land: More »
Never Click On "Free Public Wifi"
By Ben Popken on October 12, 2010 10:00 AM
30 Comments
When you're cruising for a hotspot at a coffee shop, never click on the "Free Public Wifi" wireless network. "Free Public Wifi" is a Windows XP quirk; when a computer can't find any of its favorite networks it creates a network on-the-fly, but it doesn't go anywhere. At best, you'll never connect to the internet. At worst, you could be exposing your computer to hackers. More »
Get A Free Flu Shot At CVS After Spending $30 On P&G Stuff
By Ben Popken on August 30, 2010 12:00 PM
24 Comments
CVS is doing a deal now where you can get a free flu shot after you spend $30 on qualifying P&G products like Bounty, Tide, and Pampers. Sorry, MA, NY, NJ, HI and Puerto Rico, the offer is not valid in your states. Check your local store for details. More »
