Free Language Lessons Online

No puedo hablar Espanol. Can you? Well maybe we can learn with these free language lessons online.

Use the free language lessons listed on the Open Culture website. These are links to iTunes feeds and Podcasts that teach several different languages including French, Japanese, Spanish and many others. Lessons range from beginner to advanced. This website is regularly updated with the best language resources found online.

Learn at your own pace using the free Social Language Learning Programs on the websites LiveMocha, Busuu or Lang-8. Here you can connect with other people from around the world and practice language exercises with native speakers. Join the communities, use the online lessons and have fun.

Word2Word: This website has links to several free online language courses. They vary in quality and quantity.

WordReference.com: Free online translation dictionaries along with an online forum where you can seek advice. Also has online tools and capabilities you can use with an iphone or ipod to learn a language for free.

For quick simple lessons, consider using YouTube.com. Search for the language you are interested in learning and you will find lots of helpful short videos.

Adios! - Cheap Cindy

photo: sundstrom, sxc.hu

Save Money Buying Produce in Season

Buying local produce that's in season is a great way to save money. Not to mention that it tastes better and lasts longer than something that's been trucked into your supermarket.

I'm thrilled the local produce stands are starting to fill up with fruits and veggies. Last month I was disappointed to find that the local crops hadn't produced much. That sent me on an online quest to find out how to know what fruits and vegetables are in season. Here are some useful web sites I found:

For a simple online tool to find out what produce is in season in your area, I suggest the one provided online by the National Resources Defense Council. Select your state, select your season and you're good to go. You can also follow the link to Local Harvest to find Farmer's Markets near you.

PickYourOwn.org is full of information. You can locate U-pick farms in your local area and get details including hours, location, phone numbers, maps, visitors reviews and sometimes a link to the farm's website. This is hands down the biggest listing of farms I found in my area, it even listed roadside "honor systems".

The website also includes picking tips and instructions on canning, freezing, making jam and more. I hope to use some of that information in the near future.

They have a crop availability calendar that I find it a bit confusing, but all the other great information makes this website a keeper.

Well, I hope you find these resources as useful as I do. Until next time - Cheap Cindy

photo: scol22, sxc.hu

Fast Food Freebies

Here are some free fast food offers:

Celebrate A&W's 90th Anniversary with a Free A&W Root Beer Float Friday June 19, 2009 2-8pm at participating restaurants. Limit one per customer.

Treat Dad to a Free Cup or Cone at TCBY on Fathers Day June 21, 2009. Valid at participating TCBY locations.

Start making your costume for Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day on Friday July 10, 2009. Come in to any Chick-fil-A Restaurant that day dressed as a cow and get a free meal.

Here are some printable coupons for White Castle Restaurants including a Free Original Slider that expires on 7/12/09 and a Free Pulled Pork Slider that expires 6/30/09.

Enjoy!


photo: lockstockb, sxc.hu

Free eCards

Ever wanted to send a card but didn't have time, couldn't find a stamp or you were just too cheap? Then you might want to consider sending free eCards. There are several online sources where you can find free eCards for any occasion; Birthdays, Christmas, Graduation, Weddings, National Ice Cream Day and all the other important holidays. Here are some of my personal favorites:

Egreetings.com offers free eCards for any occasion or just for fun. Most selections are in flash animation and include sound. There is no registration required and you get unlimited free eCards. Once you choose to send your card, you have the option of having the free Egreetings toolbar installed on your computer where you get instant access to the free eCards and the selection of the day. If you don't want to install the toolbar just select the "skip" prompt at the bottom of the page.

123 Greetings is a great site for free eCards and for finding out about all the lesser known holidays. For example, did you know today (June 8) was both Best Friends Day and Ice Cream Day? Well you know now! They offer an upcoming events feature on their homepage that lists all kinds of holidays and occasions along with links to free eCards you can send. You can even subscribe to the upcoming events RSS feed.

Care2 eCards makes a donation to an environmental nonprofit to save a square foot of rain forest for every free eCard sent. How cool is that? They offer several unique free eCards to choose from. You can personalize the cards and send them to multiple email addresses.

eCardica.com offers a selection of free mostly humorous eCards. The majority are flash animation but a few are available in "postcard" format for those that don't have flash capabilities. You can also personalize your greeting and upload photos, audio or video files that can be sent along with your eCard.

Hipstercards.com is great for finding unusual free eCards to send. They also offer some fun options for free email invitations. I love the Retro and Vintage selections but was a little freaked out over the Strange Clowns category. From what I saw, all of the eCards are basic images without animation or audio options. The cards are easy to send and don't require any registration.

Yahoo! Greetings with American Greetings has several free eCards to choose from. You can personalize your message, add a photo and send your selected eCard to multiple email addresses. Registration is not required.

So no more excuses, now you can stay in touch with friends and family with these free eCards. Get busy - Cheap Cindy


photo: ilco, sxc.hu

Free Doughnuts on National Doughnut Day

MMMM.....Doughnuts......


Celebrate national Doughnut Day, Tomorrow June 5th, with Free Doughnuts!


Krispy Kreme Stores will be giving away a Free Doughnut to all it's customers. Limit one per person, no purchase necessary.


Dunkin' Donuts is also getting in on the celebration and is offering a Free Doughnut (or is that donut?) with the purchase of any beverage, limit one per customer.


And in honor of National Doughnut Day, I think it's fitting to pay tribute to the king of doughnut lovers; Homer Simpson. Have fun with this collection of web sites offering Simpsons trivia, create your own Simpsons character and other free stuff you can do. You can find links to these in my article How to Find Everything About The Simpsons.


Happy Doughnut Day! - Cheap Cindy

photo: mark25, sxc.hu