Top 12 freebies for 2012

Audiobooks, music, recipes, films, cider and magazines - you can get them all without paying a penny!

Start 2012 the right way by bagging yourself one of these brilliant freebies!

#1 Get fit for free

If, like me, one of your New Year’s resolutions involves losing a bit of weight, then chances are your eye has been caught by one of the many free trials offered by the nation’s various gym chains. Perhaps you’re tempted by the free one-day gym pass at Fitness First or a three-day free pass at LA Fitness.

However, this is more of a long-lasting freebie in my opinion.

Tesco Magazine is currently running a One Heart health campaign, aimed at helping us all keep our tickers in tip-top condition.

And one easy way to do that is to walk a bit more. So head over to this section of the Tesco magazine website and you can apply for one of 10,000 free pedometers. You’ll soon know how near you are to meeting the 10,000 daily steps goal!

#2 Ditch the fags!

Along with getting fit, many people vow to give up cigarettes as one of their New Year’s resolutions. And this year you can get help with kicking the habit, thanks to the new Quick Kit. The kit is absolutely free, and can be picked up from participating pharmacies across England. Just head to the NHS site to find out where you can get one.

The kit includes a health/wealth wheel to help quitters see how much they are saving and the improvements to their health, MP3 downloads to help reduce cravings and a ‘tangle’ toy to keep those idle fingers busy!

#3 Free cider

If you like a bit of pear cider, this is one not to be missed!

Simply head over to this link and enter your details (including your birthday) and you’ll be sent a free bottle of Brothers Festival Pear Cider to celebrate your birthday!

#4 Free music

Fancy expanding your music collection, but don’t fancy shelling out for the privilege? There are quite a few places you can pick up free MP3s absolutely free.

First up, there’s 7Digital, which currently has an acoustic version of This Is The Day by Manic Street Preachers absolutely gratis! There’s also a track by Milagres called Glowing Mouth which you can nab for nothing.

Next, head over to Amazon’s MP3 store where there’s a host of free music. There’s a sampler album from Cherrytree Records featuring bands like LMFAO and Far East Movement, while there’s also tracks from Deadmau5 and Ultra Naté, all absolutely free.

Then log in to iTunes and check out the free single of the week. This week’s is Home by Gabrielle Aplin.

These sites update their free music tracks all the time, so add them to your favourites and you’ll soon have a whole collection of great music that you didn’t pay a penny for (without breaking the law)!

#5 Free audiobooks

If you spend a lot of time with your earphones in, then why not snap up some free audiobooks to listen to? Over at Audiobooks.org there’s a host of classics that you can download absolutely free, including Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and A Christmas Carol, Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusue and Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

And if you’d prefer something a little more contemporary, Audible.com is offering a free 14-day trial, allowing you to download the audiobook of your choice!

#6 Free recipes

Whether you’re a dab hand in the kitchen, or just want to try something new, there’s a host of brilliant recipes – all absolutely free – over at our sister site lovefood.com.

There’s everything from Gary Rhodes’ grilled seabass to Marcus Wareing’s cod, leek and blue cheese pies. Check them out!

#7 Free films

Netflix has just launched in the UK, offering users the opportunity to stream films and TV series directly onto their TV.

And, best of all, there’s a month’s free trial on offer at the moment to allow you to sample the service. The films on offer are not exactly the latest releases (The Expendables is probably the most ‘current’ movie on there) but there’s plenty of great flicks and TV series to choose from including Face/Off, The Usual Suspects and political comedy The Thick of It.

For a guide to how Netflix compares to its biggest rival in the UK, check out Netflix vs Lovefilm: the cheapest way to watch films.

#8 Free calls and texts

Sign up to the Vodafone Freedom Freebim sim and by topping up your balance by £10, you’ll get more than £50 worth of calls and texts!

There’s no strings attached, no long-term contract, and you can keep your number too.

#9 Free magazines

A couple of magazines are offering a free issue as a taster.

First up there’s The Economist, so if you’re a “curious and open-minded person who wants to know more and sharpen your thinking” then this is for you! The offer is only open to new subscribers though.

And if you swear by your Mac (the computer, not the rainproof jacket) then a free issue of MacUser should be right up your alley! Just follow this link and fill in your details.

#10 Free food discounts

If you spend a lot of time in railway stations up and down the country, then chances are you’ll end up paying through the nose for a bite to eat. However, with the Bite discount card you get a 20% discount from places like Burger King, Upper Crust, Millies Cookies and Delice de France.

Best of all, the card is now absolutely free! Just head over to the Bite card website and sign up.

#11 Free Birdwatch pack!

The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch takes place at the end of the month, a big event where you are encouraged to just spend an hour watching the birds in your garden or local park and making a note of the numbers of bird you see. The event plays an important role in monitoring the numbers of the various species of bird around the UK.

And if you register to take part you’ll be sent a free pack which includes a booklet to help you identify the birds in your garden, as well as tips on what to feed them and how to make your garden more wildlife friendly.

#12 Free tea

Fancy expanding your tea-drinking horizons and trying a new flavour? Over at Twinings you can grab two free samples, so why not give the Cranberry and Sanquinello Orange or Green Tea with Orange & Lotusflower a go?

For more freebies and frugal tips, make sure you don't miss our Frugal Friday and Frugal Food blogs every Friday

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