9 fun things to do online for free Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. SHARE: July 17, 2010 Dana Dratch is a personal finance and lifestyle writer who enjoys talking all things money and credit. With a degree in English and writing, she likes asking the questions everyone would ask if they could and sharing the answers — along with smart money management tips from the experts. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. 9 fun things to do online
The World Wide Web provides many paths to popular culture. Whether you strive for self improvement by learning a new language or you just wish to be entertained, you can find great sites to help you pass the time and enrich your life at the same time. Explore these nine fun things to do online that won’t cost you a dime. Watch free movies
Download free movies from Hulu.com. You have to sift through some so-so titles, but there are some real jewels, too. Among them: true classics, such as “His Girl Friday” and Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps”; kitschy fun, like “Beach Blanket Bingo” and “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians;” plus such screen gems as “Gandhi.” These are alphabetized for your convenience. All you have to supply is the popcorn. Stream or download music
Want to liven up your computer time? Check out Pandora.com or Yahoo Music, which allow you to select a category (everything from rock to Latin jazz to stand-up comedy) and stream to your heart’s content. Like regular radio, you get unlimited play for free, with occasional commercials. You can also listen in to actual broadcasts from stations across the country. Rather make your own music? Try your hand at Bach, Beethoven or something more contemporary with free sheet music from MutopiaProject.org. You can download, play and enjoy more than 1,600 pieces of music for piano, voice and various instruments. Browse by composer or instrument, then download zipped files in a variety of formats, including PDFs. Take language lessons
Ever wanted to parlez-vous francais or habla espanol? Learn a handful of essential phrases in 36 different languages — including Icelandic, Chinese and Catalan. Or take a 12-week course in French, Spanish, German or Italian via computer, complete with lessons, weekly e-mail tips, an “end of course assessment” and a certificate when you’re done. It’s all courtesy of the . Just deciphering a word, phrase or paragraph? Check out Yahoo Babel Fish. Access the classics
From Homer to Agatha Christie, literally has something for everyone. Browse more than 30,000 books by author, title or most recently posted. Or just check out the most popular selections with the “Top 100.” Download formats are compatible with virtually every computer and eBook device. Also available: audio books, sheet music and recorded music. If you find yourself returning to the shelves regularly, you can kick in a donation to keep the enterprise going. Find Wi-Fi hotspots
WiFiFreeSpot.com tells you which restaurants, retailers, cafes, fast-food joints and coffee shops in your area let you surf for free. Or try PCWorld.jiwire.com, and search for free Wi-Fi by ZIP code, map or city. Learn haute cuisine
Want to try your hand at making tabbouleh? Chill up a batch of lavender-infused lemonade? Delight in a moist, delicious, dark chocolate cake? Just feast your eyes on AllRecipes.com, which publishes recipes, with lots of photos, and tips for everything from appetizers and ethnic favorites to kid-friendly options and traditional main courses. Find free eats
Have a family? From small, local mom-and-pops to chains like IHOP and Chili’s, restaurants offer free kids meals, usually on specific days or between certain hours. To find local participants, Google your city and the phrase “kids eat free.” Take college classes
The is a network of more than 250 colleges and universities around the globe offering 13,000 college undergrad and graduate-level classes online for free. While you don’t earn college credit, you can learn at the university level on topics that span all interests from medieval literature to managing . Search by topic or school. With many classes, you can read detailed lecture notes, keep up with class reading assignments and assess your own performance on tests and quizzes, says Steve Carson, president of the OpenCourseWare Consortium. In addition, some classes offer audio-video lectures, giving you a feel for what it’s like to attend classes at the university, he says. Read about personal finance
OK, so learning about money isn’t normally fun or funny. But these stories present personal finance in a different light. Just take a look; you’ll see what we mean. More importantly, these resources can help amuse you straight to the road of wealth. How to shrink your bottom line Related Articles: Foil your prosperity 8 ways to ruin retirement Related Links: How to shrink your bottom line SHARE: Dana Dratch is a personal finance and lifestyle writer who enjoys talking all things money and credit. With a degree in English and writing, she likes asking the questions everyone would ask if they could and sharing the answers — along with smart money management tips from the experts. Related Articles