How to have fun for free

If you're a novice on the slopes, you could learn to ski for free. Photograph: Getty Images

Culture and entertainment

Watch the blockbusters first If you are prepared to jump through a few hoops, you can see most new movies before they are even released – legally, and without paying. Simply sign up for preview tickets with a website such as seefilmfirst.com or tellten.co.uk. When a screening that suits your tastes and location becomes available, they email you with a code. The first people to enter it online get the tickets. It can be quite competitive, so act fast. And keep an eye out for new codes on forums such as moneysavingexpert.com and hotukdeals.com. Very satisfying when it works. LB
Get your brain working It is easy to see why the public lecture is becoming popular once again. This week, for instance, without paying a penny, you could see BBC Dragon James Caan talking about entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics, and next week there's a discussion on the future of transport at Blackwell's bookshop in Manchester, or a speech on the aesthetics of litter at Leeds University. Check lecturelist.org, the Guardian Guide, the listings in the back of Prospect magazine or the Saturday Review. LB
Sneak a peek at a theatre rehearsal If you enjoy new writing, then it does not come any newer than the "rehearsed reading". This type of performance allows a play to be shown to audiences cheaply and quickly, helping all those involved to hone the production before it reaches the stage. For around £5, you can watch a play as it takes shape, and often even contribute to discussions. To find one, contact your nearest new writing theatre, such as the Royal Court in London or the Tron in Glasgow. LB
Mug up on your art Many galleries offer free tours and workshops. In the coming days, kids visiting Manchester Art Gallery can make themselves into human machines while adults can listen to a panel discussion on the subject Design = Art? at Birmingham's Ikon Gallery, or visit the British Museum for a lunchtime talk on the art of the kingdom of Gandhara. LB
Stirling Castle is offering free entry on St Andrew's Day weekend. Photograph: Getty Swap your old books The problem with your personal library is that it contains precisely those books that you do not want to read, because you've read them already – or given up. So why not exchange them for someone else's? Visit a site such as readitswapit.co.uk, bookmooch.com or bookins.com, list your books, send them off, and then search for others to exchange your credit for. All you pay is the postage. The principle works just as well without the internet, of course, at organised events such as the Firestation Book Swap (£5 entry), which is based in Windsor and also tours the country. LB
Join a choir As Gareth Malone unceasingly demonstrates on television, singing in a choir can be tremendous fun. Large amateur groups are the perfect place for an inexperienced singer to start building confidence. For many, the most obvious option is their local church choir. If that's not to your taste, there may well also be a choral society or community choir nearby. Scan the links on choralsociety.org.uk, or check your local paper. LB
Watch a radio or TV recording It shouldn't really be possible to see some of some of Britain's most popular performers live, in small venues, for no money. But by visiting bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tickets or tvrecordings.com you can do it pretty much every week. Currently available are seats in the audience for Harry Hill's TV Burp, Celebrity Mastermind and The Hairy Bikers' Cook-Off. Be advised: the best shows are often in London. LB
Meet a celeb You don't have to pay anything to stand around and watch how awkward interactions play out, and if you are prepared to fork out for a book, you earn the right to share a moment with the celebrity in question. Be sure you get your money's worth by asking them the question no one else dares to. Today alone Simon Pegg is at WH Smith in Manchester's Trafford Centre at lunchtime, Gok Wan at Waterstone's in Liverpool from 5pm, and Manolo Blahnik at Liberty in London at 6-8pm. SP
Brush up on the midterms Join Tariq Ali in a discussion about the US midterm elections, The Obama Syndrome, at the Free Word Centre, London, next Monday. Email info@freewordonline.com. SP

Travel

Become a courier Pickings are slim, but British Airways still offers big discounts on flights for people willing to work as couriers. There is only one route at the moment – to Tokyo – and the discounted price is around £300 for a return ticket (although you only take the package one way). Flights until the end of the year are booked up, but next year could be a good time to find out more (0870 320 0301). HK
Take a train through Ireland A four-day Golden Trekker pass for all trains in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is completely free – as long as you're over 66. And if you want to take in the country at a more leisurely place, simply apply for more than one pass. HK
Sleep in someone else's bed House-sitting may not pay well but it does offer the chance of a break in someone else's life (and sometimes swimming pool). Adele Barclay from Homesitters says: "There are a variety of homes, from flats in central London to remote country properties." In return for free accommodation, and a tax-free food allowance, you have to feed any pets, look after the pot plants and not leave the property for more than three consecutive hours in the day or an hour at night. If you fancy more freedom and far-flung locations you could try a home swap – where you exchange your home with holidaymakers in your destination of choice. Or if you don't mind staying on a sofa, there is always couchsurfing, which not only offers a free place to sleep, but a way to meet locals around the world (couchsurfing.org). HK
Go back to university Cheap rooms in college halls are a great way to keep holiday costs down. The accommodation may be basic but the chance to wander through the corridors of historic halls and explore ancient colleges should make up for the wiry carpets and single beds. Bath, Oxford, Cambridge and London all offer beds in beautiful buildings. Book a room at universityrooms.co.uk. HK
Enjoy splendid isolation at a remote bothy. Photograph: Ashley Cooper/Alamy Get away from it all – and we mean all – at a bothy These are simple shelters in remote parts of the UK that are free to stay in, but definitely without home comforts – by which we mean a water supply or a toilet. Think of it like indoor camping, but what is lost in luxury can be gained in breathtaking scenery and splendid isolation (mountainbothies.org.uk). HK
Learn to ski OK, not completely free – you need to book your flights and accommodation through one of six approved operators – but for a lot less than usual. The Association of Snow Sports Countries is offering novices free skiing tuition, lift passes and equipment hire as part of its Freshers Ski Weeks for seven days from 22 January or 19 March. Choose from 25 resorts. HK
Free castles, cathedrals and palaces On St Andrew's Day weekend (27 and 28 November) a huge number of historic sites – including Edinburgh Castle, Iona Abbey and Stirling Castle – will open their doors for free. For more information, see www.historic-scotland.gov.uk. HK

Food and drink

Review a new restaurant Mystery shopping is a great way to eat for free if you don't mind where you end up. This is how restaurant and cafe owners (as well as supermarkets, theme parks and everywhere else) do their own quality check before the critics find them. If you sign up to mystery-shoppers.co.uk you will receive an assignment and could find yourself reviewing a fine dining restaurant with up to £75 to spend – or a local cafe with a fiver. But beware of scams where agencies try to charge you to sign up with them. HK
Make a gourmet dish from weeds It's a bumper year for hedgerows, according to forager Robin Harford, and now is the perfect time to start picking your own meals. "The drier fruits are really lush this year. Try picking rosehips and making a syrup or a cordial – rosehips have 20 times as much vitamin C as oranges and taste absolutely fantastic. Dandelions are also good at this time of year – after they have flowered and seeded. Pick ones that have grown in the shade, saute the leaves and serve them with bacon." For more recipes and wild food, go to eatweeds.co.uk. HK
Go down the pub With 50 pubs shutting every week, it is practically your civic duty to go to your local and be cheered up. Lots still offer free sandwiches if you take part in the pub quiz (a few even throw in chips). Try The Porter Brook pub in Sheffield or The Stamford Arms in Bowdon, Cheshire. HK
Sniff out a free wine tasting at Majestic Wine. Photograph: Getty Images Volunteer as a Victorian and get a free lunch Not only will you achieve a saintly glow by helping others, but working as a volunteer can get you free dinners. At Blists Hill Victorian town in Shropshire, an open-air museum, history buffs can dress up in specially made costumes, earn a lunch voucher to spend at the fish-and-chip shop and get free entry to all of the 10 Ironbridge Gorge museums along with a guest. Teachers can even take on the role of Victorian schoolma'am to tick off kids the old-fashioned way. Contact the volunteering department on 01952 601044. HK
Become a wine connoisseur Osborne and Cameron can presumably rely on the reserves of their family wine cellars when the going gets tough; for the rest of us there is Majestic Wine. Its shops not only offer free tasting, but also a free two-hour introduction to wine session for their customers. So even if you can't quite afford to turn your nose up at cheap booze any more, at least you'll know when you ought to. HK

Fashion, beauty and shopping

Get a free haircut Trainee hairdressers need to practise on someone, and that someone could be you. Toni & Guy has academies in London and Manchester where eager apprentices will chop your locks for just £5, or tint it for £20. Even better is the Headmasters senior academy in London where qualified hairdressers will do it for free. The only drawback is you won't be able to choose what you look like. NJ
Kit out your makeup bag Department-store beauty halls are a great source of free samples. The key is to have a cover story. Try: "I've heard wonderful things about this new moisturiser, but I've got terribly sensitive skin. Is there a sample I could try at home first?" Before you know it, eye creams and lip rejuvenators will be pressed into your hands too, in the hope you might later invest in the entire set. Ensure the counters you target are not in sight of one another, otherwise the jig will be up. NJ
Attach a bulldog clip to your jacket - a la Richard Nicoll. Photograph: Ian Gavan/Getty Get hip fast Fasten your jacket with bulldog clips, as seen at Richard Nicoll's catwalk show. Or swing a pair of binoculars around your neck, for the Hussein Chalayan touch. SC
Refresh your wardrobe Exchanging unloved items for someone else's rejects got trendy just as the recession was hitting hard. The concept is still going strong, with swap-shop soirees among friends and strangers now 10 a penny. One of the originals is Swap-A-Rama Razzmatazz, which raucously demands that you make a trade each time a klaxon sounds, is holding a Halloween event in London on 30 October. You can also swap online at sites such as bigwardrobe.com, swishing.org and posh-swaps.com. SP
Spruce up your home This needn't always be expensive: a designer fake is just as good as the real thing, and more satisfying. B&Q's outsize Tecton floorlamp will add a dash to your living room for £79, compared with £2,200 for the real-deal Giant Anglepoise from Heal's. Alternatively, cosy up in a classic Eames lounge chair by bagging yourself a bargain for £369 from milandirect.co.uk, compared with the authentic design at £3,805 from Aram. If this is too hard on your wallet, get creative with what you've got. Move your sofa to a new spot. Stack your books in a tall, elegant column for a loft-style look. Frame some favourite photographs. And raid the garden for fresh flowers. HB

Health and fitness

Try a free workout Most gyms happily hand out free passes to lure you into signing up, but there is no obligation to do so. In fact, there are enough different chains now that you can get in pretty good shape by doing the rounds of all the trials available. Simply call in and feign interest, and treadmill and steam room access is yours. Nuffield Health and Esporta will give you a day's access, LA Fitness three and Fitness First five. SP
Take a dog for a walk Everyone knows that owning a pet, particularly a dog, can make people happier and healthier. But it can be expensive, tricky and hard work. Which is where the Cinnamon Trust comes in. The charity matches elderly, ill or housebound pet owners with volunteers who offer to walk their dog, or look after it while its owner is in hospital. The owner gets to keep their pet, you get to spend time with a dog without full-time responsibility, and the pooch gets a walk. Everyone is happy. ES