Summarize:

While not shopping in the traditional sense, an exchange is still a sort of shopping experience because you have the chance to get items that are new to you. Clothing exchanges are especially common and fun, allowing you to "shop" among your own old or ill-fitting clothes as gifts for your friends. Set an item limit. If everyone comes in with five items of clothing, everyone leaves with five items. That will keep things fair and keep money out of the equation. Companies frequently send out free samples of new or improved products with the intention of impressing new customers or encouraging current customers to start buying a new product.You can usually sign up to have a mailing list of these products sent to you email inbox, as well. Free samples are usually limited to one or two per household for each product, but if you get enough free samples from different companies, you can acquire enough different kinds of a particular product like shampoo or toothpaste to have enough for several weeks. Trials are similar to samples but usually refer to services or products that are not usually a one-time-use product. If you shop for a free 30-day trial of photo editing software, you have free photo editing for 30 days. When that expires, you can shop for another 30-day trial or try downloading the trial from the same company onto a different computer. If you have a particular interest or expertise in a single product, like pocketknives or punk rock 7-inch records, create a review blog and contact businesses to request free merchandise. This requires establishing yourself somewhat in the subculture of whatever product you're reviewing, but people like Jeff Smith, known as "cutlerylover" on YouTube have established a following for free on the Internet that results in consistently free merchandise. . Register with CouchSurfing to find free lodging available to you wherever you plan to travel. If you're willing to allow the occasional backpacker to crash on your couch for the weekend and cultivate the necessary contacts in the online community, you'll be able to take that trip to France you've always wanted to take and stay for free. If you have a valid and clean driving license and record, you can register with AutoDriveaway and shop around for cars that need to be driven from one place to another. People who are moving a long distance with a moving van will often use this service, paying to have someone else drive the car for them.  Once you're in the system, you can look through the list of cars and destinations and select one. You get one free tank of gas and a certain number of days to make the trip, but it's a good way to avoid an expensive bus or train ticket. Samples, samples, samples. Go "shopping" at Sam's Club or other bulk stores on Saturday for a wealth of free samples instead of eating lunch at a restaurant.  Many restaurants and hotels allow children to eat or stay for free and you can seek these out if you're traveling.  Tell them it's your birthday. Many restaurants offer discounts of free meals, deserts, or single dishes for patron's birthdays and they usually won't check to verify the date. Have a friend let it slip that it's someone's birthday so you don't have to do it yourself. You may have to endure an awkward staff rendition of "Happy Birthday," but your pocketbook will appreciate it. There are many reasons to join a credit union, but one of them is that there is no monthly fee or limit on the size of checking accounts. Transfer your money to a credit union and stop paying for checking.
Host a clothing exchange or "naked lady" party. Request free samples. Sign up for free trials. Review products. Travel for free Eat for free. Don't pay for checking.