Free things to do

Whether you're out of work, feeling the pinch or you just love a good bargain, there's plenty of fun to be had without putting your hand in your pocket. The Mix hides its wallet and finds out how to blag everything from theatre seats to French lessons.

Cinema tickets

Sign up to ShowFilmFirst. They’ll send you emails about upcoming previews, inviting you to apply for free tickets on a first come, first served basis. You’ll get the chance to see some films before they officially open in cinemas.

Also don’t forget the two-for-one cinema entry with Meerkat Movies if you buy through comparethemarket.com.

Haircuts

Trainees need someone to practise on, so a lot of salons offer free or super-cheap cuts in return. If you’re up for being a guinea-pig/hopefully very well groomed test subject, ask at salons, barbers or colleges that run hairdressing courses.

Internet access

Libraries will often let you spend 30 minutes or an hour online for free, especially if you’re job-hunting, but you may have to book in advance. Most cafes now offer free wi-fi for the price of a coffee, and you can head here to find local hotspots by doing a postcode search on The Cloud app.

Songs and music videos

Head here to listen to free music available to download on Last.fm, which normally does a pretty good job of recommending artists based on your tastes. You can also play music and make playlists for free on Spotify, head here to take advantage of their two month trial (so you can avoid those pesky ads).

Or what about YouTube? It’s a wonder musicians make any money at all these days. Oh, wait…

Be part of a TV audience

You don’t need to pay to watch TV shows like The Apprentice: You’re Fired, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and 8 Out of 10 Cats. Tickets to be in the audience are free and sometimes they’ll even give you cash for travel expenses.

To find out about upcoming shows and request tickets, sign up to Applause Store, SRO Audiences, BBC Tickets and Lost in TV.

Computer software

If you need to edit documents or spreadsheets but can’t (or won’t) pay for Microsoft Office, head here to check out Open Office instead. This free, legal alternative can work with Microsoft files and the programs are so similar, you may not even notice the difference.

If you have a Google account you can also make use of Google Docs, a free file sharing and management tool, which is very handy if you use lots of different computers as it stores all your files securely online. Check it out here.

Leisure and sport passes

Lots of local authorities provide a discount card scheme for residents, often with a name like “Leisure Card” or “Passport to Leisure”. Check your local council website to see what’s available.

You may have to pay a small amount for the card, but the discounts and perks make it worth it. Many of these schemes will allow you cheap or free access to local leisure facilities, particularly for students or those who are on benefits.

Language courses

Check out the BBC’s Languages website, which has loads of resources and a few free 12-week courses in French, Spanish, and Italian. You can also download free language-learning podcasts, for example from iTunes, where you’ll find them in the Podcasts and iTunes U sections.

Head over the website Rosetta Stone for more free language courses as well as pairing you up with native speakers and Duolingo has a language learning app you can download.

Book lending and swapping

Swap a book you’ve read for one you haven’t, all for the price of a stamp – if that. Read It Swap It and Book Crossing are just two of the free websites you can use to do this, either by sending books through the post or finding and leaving them in public places. Of course, old-fashioned libraries are also free (providing you take your books back on time) and most have cheap CDs and DVDs to rent too.

Clothes swapping

If you can’t afford new clothes, why not swap the ones you don’t want anymore for new ones? They might not be brand new, but they’ll be new to you. Alternatively, turn it into a social event by inviting friends round for a swap party – then you can swap anything from clothes and books to household items, jewellery and unwanted gifts.