Believe it or not it's not too early to start thinking about back to school for the Fall. At least not for teachers since they can grab a cool $25 freebie for their trouble. Staples is starting a program in which teachers supply a list of the supplies their students will need and parents can buy them as one bundle instead of hunting out each item. Teachers can refer their school for the program and if the schools signs up the teacher and the school each get a free $25 gift card.

Check the Staples site for more details.

What do you think of this program? Is there anything unethical about bribing the teachers and schools to essentially "lock in" to a particular supply store and encourage parents to shop there? Please weigh in with your comments.

You know that I love freebies, but did you know one of my favorite types of freebies is free software? I will be increasing my coverage of free software on this site and I decided to kick the new project off with a look at the different types of free software. Did you know there are more than six distinct categories of free software?

Check out the article and see if you don't learn something new about free software. Please post a comment and tell us if you have found any really fantastic free software that you think the rest of us should experience.

Have you ever felt you were throwing away more food than you were eating? The main reason I don't buy more fresh produce is the fear that it will go bad before it gets eaten. What if you could keep your produce days or even months longer? Avoiding wasted food would be like getting free food.

Erin, our Frugal Living Guide has a nice list of produce with instructions for the best type of storage for each type. Pay attention if you think everything should be stored in the refrigerator. I was surprised that some of the things I refrigerate should be kept out and some that I keep out should be refrigerated. Do you know how to best store bananas -- how about apples -- or potatoes? Read all about how to keep foods fresh longer and avoid the waste.

Do you have your own tips for avoiding wasted food? Let us know by posting a comment.

It seems to be common sense that if something is free you shouldn't be paying for it. However, many people end up being tricked into thinking they are getting a free credit report, but instead end up paying money they didn't need to pay. The culprits are marketers who create TV commercials and other ads that imply their paid services are associated with the government free credit report program.

The FTC is fighting fire with fire and they have created their own videos that tell the truth about getting your free credit report. Find out more including the one and only place to get your official free credit report that you are entitled to by United States law.

Have you seen the TV commercials the FTC is spoofing? Do you think they are misleading? Let us know by posting a comment.

Someone asked me a question the other day about getting free government grant money:

"I'm seeing ads all over the Net telling me I can get free cash grants form the government. Is it true?"

Find out in this article about free grant money then post a comment below with your thoughts and experiences.

The Internet has become an indispensable part our lives and Web design has become a very valuable skill. Every child should have a chance to learn about Web design. CoffeeCup Software is providing that opportunity by offering a great set of five programs for free to schools. All that is needed is an application faxed from a teacher or administrator.

Find out more about the free Web design software for schools offer. If you are a teacher or administrator go ahead and download, fill out, and submit the form. If you are a parent, student, or other friend of education be sure to pass this offer along to your school.

Even if you are not associated with a school CoffeeCup Software has some other free stuff you may find of interest including a free FTP client, font maker, HTML editor, zip file software, image viewer, and DHTML menu builder.

Please let us know if you have used any of the free CoffeeCup software and what you thought of it by posting a comment.

Have you looked at your grocery bill lately? It can be a scary sight. If you are looking for a way to reduce the fear and bring your food spending under control I have some advice for you.

Start thinking about combining strategies to get bigger grocery savings. I've put together a list of three free grocery savings resources that you can combine for healthy discounts on your food bill.

Do you have grocery savings tips you would like to share? Please post a comment and let us all in on your money saving secrets.

If you are looking for a job one of the things you need is a stack of nicely printed resumes. But, what if you don't have high quality paper or access to a high quality printer? FedEx Office is coming to the rescue for one day, March 10, 2009. You can bring either a printed or electronic copy of your resume and get 25 black and white copies totally free.

You must go to the FedEx Office store in person to take advantage of this free offer. You can read all the details in this press release about the FedEx Office Free Resume Printing Day.

Post a comment and let us know if you intend to take advantage of this offer and about your experiences with it once you do.

Have you ever taken advantage of a "free lunch" at Costco?

Costco and the other warehouse stores frequently offer free samples of food items at various stations around the store. Each sample by itself is not very filling, but if you hit all or most of the stations you have essentially received the proverbial free lunch. Obviously, the store management hopes that you will like something enough to buy it, but there is no requirement to do so.

Have you ever made a free lunch or dinner of free in-store samples? Please let us know your favorite place for free food samples by posting a comment below.

Receiving the free appetizer requires a purchase of two adult entrees, but if you are planning to eat at the Macaroni Grill anyway, it's a good deal. Your free appetizer is up to a nine dollar value. My coupon arrived by email and had an expiration date of 4/1/2009. To get the free appetizer coupon you need to register for their mailing list. You start by entering your email address in the form at the lower left of the Macaroni Grill site.

They also promise you will receive a surprise for your birthday. By the way, if you would like to receive lots of birthday surprises you may want to check out these top ten birthday clubs.

Do you have a favorite establishment that offers something free on your birthday? Please share it by posting a comment.