How to find free music online – legally

09. July 2012 · 7 comments · Categories: Entertainment, Free Stuff · Tags: , , ,

It’s summertime and the weather is hot. And one of the best joys is sitting around and listening to music. Or, if you’re ambitious, doing yard work, or even going out for a run. Frankly, I’m more the sitting around type, but to each their own.  Whatever you choose – music tends to make it more fun. Just please don’t blast it really loud and annoy your neighbours.

Here are some great options for finding free music online – without breaking the law.

  • Freegal . Freegal contains music from the Sony catalog, and you can download up to 3 songs per week free of charge.  Freegal is a service that your local library signs up for, so check out your local library Web site and see if they have a link you can use.  You must access it via your local library’s link – the general link I’ve posted here will not provide access. I’ve gotten some great workout songs from here.
  • Jamendo. Jamendo has been around since 2005, and offers everything from Celtic music to triphop (that’s not a typo – apparently it’s a type of music).  The music here is not managed by performance rights organizations, and you can download as much as you like. The artists do retain some rights (through Free Art licences) and if you really like someone, you can donate to them.
  • Free Music Archive. They describe themselves as “ an interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads.” The site description suggests a variety of uses for the music available there, including pod-safe audio for podcasters, instrumental music for radio and video producers, pre-cleared samples for remix artists, and of course, new sounds for people looking for new stuff for their playlists. Its music really runs the gambit – everything from “old-time/historic” to electronic and experimental.
  • Dogmazic.  This site is a free music download manager based in France. The site is available in English, but a fair amount of French creeps in.  Great site to check out if you’re interested in looking into more European music than North American. Or just willing to take a flyer on something – after all, it’s free!
  • Internet Archive’s Audio Archive. This site has a little bit of everything.  It contains over two hundred thousand free digital recordings, including concerts (such as the Grateful Dead), book and poetry readings, radio shows, and original music uploaded by their users. It also offers audio books.

Happy listening! Do you know any free music sites that I’ve missed here?

I can has Blackberry Playbook

28. May 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: Entertainment, Extra costs, Wasting money · Tags: ,

If this title makes no sense to you, then please check out this site: I can has cheezburger. It’s awesome.

While I have high hopes of winning an Ipad 3 via Praire Eco-Thrifter, I broke down and bought a Blackberry Playbook today.  While I do think that the Ipads look awesome, it was less half the price for a Playbook, so I went that route.

I’ve been thinking about getting a tablet for a while, but couldn’t really justify it as I own a netbook and a smartphone, and a Kobo. Well -the Kobo I owned until recently, but I lost it. :( One of my worst habits is being forgetful, and I can’t even remember where I last saw it.

I know it seems like poor form to reward myself for losing my Kobo, but I give myself some comfort that I got a decent amount of use out of it, and well – not buying the Playbook isn’t going to bring my Kobo back.  I’m just going to have to be more vigilant about what I do with my stuff.

I’m looking forward to my new Playbook. I take the train to work every day, and it’ll be great to be able to read or watch T.V. show or movies, and play games, all one the same device. I’m also hoping to sneak in some blog posting, or at least commenting on my lunch hour.

Do you own a tablet? If so, which one? If not – why not?

How to spend a long weekend on the cheap

23. May 2012 · 6 comments · Categories: Entertainment, Free Stuff, Vacation · Tags: , ,

The “May 24″ weekend is coming to an end, and for me, it’s been a fairly economical one. I often go somewhere on long weekends, but decided just to take it easy this time.  I still managed to do a lot, but not spend very much. I’ll give you the highlights, and hopefully this will help give you ideas of how to fill your long weekends without busting the bank.

  • I read. To me, there’s nothing more enjoyable then spending a lazy afternoon reading. I borrowed the book from my sister-in-law, so it cost me absolutely nothing to enjoy this pleasure.
  • I went with my sister-in-law and niece skating. I know this seems like an odd thing to do when the weather is nice out, but it’s a great time to go if you have an arena open. It’s not busy, and it’s a nice way to cool off in the afternoon. My sister-in-law kindly paid, but I did spring for chocolate milk for my niece on the way home. Total cost: $2.50.
  • Make my super awesome potato brunch dish. Total cost – less than 5 bucks.
  • Watched the latest episode of Sherlock and the movie “Out of Sight”.  No additional cost on top of my regular cable bill, so I’m going to count this one as a zero cost.
  • Had some friends from out of town drop by. I’d originally planned to go up and see them, but they were coming through for her Mom’s birthday, so this saved me a trip, and some serious bucks! We took their son to the park, and he tried hard to play with the cat (she wasn’t too interested). Total cost – less than 50 cents for a few glasses of apple juice.
  • Take advantage of other people’s fireworks! I had a great view from my upper floor windows of several fireworks displays, and it didn’t cost me a cent.
  • And of course, writing blog posts.

I realize this is all making me sound very cheap (ahem..frugal!). I hadn’t planned to go this weekend quite so cheaply – I just wanted to take it easy and enjoy myself.  I think the point I’m trying to make is – while it’s certainly okay to go away and spend money on a long weekend, if you choose to stay in town, there are plenty of fun and cheap ways to spend your time.

What’s your favourite way to spend a long weekend?

I don’t mind you wasting your money, but please don’t waste mine!

21. May 2012 · 7 comments · Categories: Entertainment, Wasting money · Tags: , , , , ,

I’m afraid today’s post is going to be a bit of a rant.  Thanks for listening. :)

The second last movie I went to see was “The Hunger Games”. I loved the book, and was interested in seeing how it would be on the big screen. I met a friend at the movies a week or two after it opened, and she decided she wanted to see it. And while I think they did a great job with the film, I’d forgotten how bad it can be on a Saturday afternoon at the movies. People are constantly turning on their phones (and the bright screens are really distracting), chatting with their buddies, and coming in 15 minutes after the movies starts – and then sitting on the stairs!  I guess this makes me sound old and cranky, but I just don’t get why you’d pay the ridiculous price a movie is nowadays, and then not arrive on time or pay attention.  I take some comfort in the fact I buy discount passes through CAA, but I’m still paying and want to enjoy the movie.

So after that, I swore off movies for a while. And I was just going to bypass “The Avengers” until everyone start raving about it. My boss. My co-workers. Mr. Canuck Buck (yes, he had my permission to go without me :) ). They were all in awe of how amazing it was and I just had to go so they didn’t ruin any more of it for me. So I finally caved and went on Friday afternoon after getting out of work early.

Big mistake. After having my seat kicked repeatedly during the “pre-show”, I moved to the very back corner. I was in heaven – til 15 minutes into the show. Then someone, who’d obviously dragged along their not very interested girlfriend, came in and sat right beside. She proceed to get out her phone on and off for the next hour. She’d even leave it out and on, and not use it. It drove me nuts, and came close to bringing out my inner Hulk. I finally said something (after sighing loudly and swearing under my breath), and she cut it down after that, but it really wrecked the movie for me. Do people not know how distracting their phones are? Or do they not care? Why would you pay good money if you have no interest in a movie?

So, I truly think that’ll be it for me at the movies for a while. I even ended up spending more money afterwards on some chocolate to help chill me out.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Any idea why people do this?

How to see a movie in the theatre for 2.50

23. April 2012 · 8 comments · Categories: Cheap activities, Entertainment, Kids · Tags: , , , ,

Over the years, movies prices have been steadily rising. To take family of four, it can costs at least 50 dollars just to get in.  If you add in snacks and drinks, you might as well take out a second mortgage to pay for your admittance.

However, there is now a way to a) see movies in the theatre for cheap b)support a good cause while you’re at it.

Cineplex is now running a series of movies on Saturday mornings, and listings are available from here until August.  Here’s a sample of some of the films running:

  • The Great Muppet Caper
  • Babe
  • Chicken Run
  • The Iron Giant (excellent movie, if you haven’t seen it!)
  • Big
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (I’m tempted to catch this one!)
  • Follow that Bird (I was forced to see this at the age of 10. I do not recommend it for the the 10 and up set. Smaller children may enjoy it)
  • Night at the Museum

Yes, you can probably get these for free on T.V or from the library, but I have to admit, there is nothing like seeing a movie on the big screen.  If you have young children who have never been to a movie, this might be a great way to introduce them. After all, if they can’t make it through the movie, then you haven’t wasted too much money.

As for the good cause I mentioned – it’s the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps provide support for family outing and activities, educational programming, and other great things like hospital playrooms for seriously ill children.

To find out more, check out the Family Favourites page at Cineplex.com.

And remember – you don’t have to be a kid or have a kid to go. You’re perfectly welcome to relive your childhood all on your own!

Are any of these movies ones you’d like to see on the big screen again? If not, what would you like to see?

How “free” can really add up – but sometimes it’s worth it

19. April 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Entertainment, Extra costs · Tags: , , , ,

Mr. Canuck Buck and I are big fans of an author called Christopher Moore, and he just came to Toronto to do a book signing. There’s no actual charge for the book signing itself, but that certainly didn’t mean it was a free day.  We actually spent a fair chunk of change.

1. Train fare. About 30 dollars to get in and out for the 2 of us. Driving and parking might have been cheaper, but with 2 other events going on that day, there was no guarantee of it, and taking the train is more relaxing then driving.

2. Buying the book itself. I don’t tend to buy a lot of books, and I almost never buy them in hard cover. So – another 30 dollars on buying the new book, “Sacre Bleu”.

3. One very large Starbucks hot chocolate to keep me going while I stood in line for several hours. 5 bucks. That being said – I rarely buy Starbucks, but I love their hot chocolate. It’s amazing and I call it “Heaven in a cup”. :)

I did bring a bottle of water and couple of snacks.

So – the “free” book signing cost almost 70 dollars.  I’m not sorry I put out the money though. Mr. Moore was a great speaker, and I even got a chance to ask him a question, which was nice. I did some thinking and realized that being frugal doesn’t mean you don’t ever do anything or spend money – it just means accounting for costs, making sure you can afford them, and that they are worth it.

I had a great day out, and I’m looking forward to reading the book. It was worth every penny!

On a side note – if I lived in town, and didn’t want to get my book signed , I could have heard him speak for free. Something to keep in mind if you’re broke, but want to attend a book signing anyway.

What “free” event have you attended that ended up costing you money? Was it worth it?

Playing the lottery – is it ever worth it?

29. March 2012 · 1 comment · Categories: Entertainment

I stopped by customer service in the grocery store today to return a box of burgers that had been subject to a recall. I suppose I could have lived on the edge and tried eating them anyways, but I really have no desire to find out how e.coli. feels.

I ended up having to wait several minutes as customer service also sells lottery tickets. And apparently Wednesday is a popular day to buy them. The women in front of me had such a complicated order that the clerk had to actually call her manager in order to figure it out.

I can understand picking up the odd scratch and win ticket or maybe even putting in a few times a year when a really big jackpot comes up.  But to me, you’d have to look at the money the way I look at gambling  – it’s entertainment. If I make money, fine. But if I lose it – well, I was entertained, and that’s part of the entertainment budget.

I remember sometimes buying scratch and win tickets before I was the legal age to do so and always thought it was so cool the clerk would let me. I guess they knew something I didn’t – that my chances of actually winning were pretty darned small!

I think lottery tickets can make a great gift for someone (as long as they’re not a recovering gambling addict), particularly if you’re not sure what to buy them or they really don’t need any more stuff.  In this case, the tickets are a gift – so, you would have spent money on something anyways.

What I don’t get are people who lay out a fair amount of money each week – and even worse, people who count on winning the lottery as a retirement plan.  I think your odds of winning the big jackpot are lower than the odds of getting hit by lightning, and most people aren’t hopping for that to happen.

I guess what I’m saying is – if you can afford to play the lottery, and you aren’t sacrificing other things for it (you know, like those pesky bills or your retirement funds), then go for it. But – know your limit, playing within it!

Do you ever play the lottery? If so, why?  I’ve really only played in work pools because of that horrible fear that everyone bu you will win…

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