Santa Cruz is generally an expensive place to live (at least in terms of housing prices), but "with a little help from our friends", we can share and enjoy the city without spending much money. And remember, if you use free services but have some dough, spread the love and good karma to keep services free to the people who need them most.
Food
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Food Not Bombs serves free food most Wednesdays at the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers' Market around 4 pm
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Click
![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png)
Here to see Metroactive's Homeless Dining Guide
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Though Dumpster Diving may be illegal, many grocery stores and bakeries throw out lots of food on a regular basis.
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Trader Joe's typically gives out free samples of a selected food item (changes day-to-day) and small cups of coffee.
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Costco gives out various free samples. It also puts out free muffins and coffee during first hour of operation. You need a Costco card to get in, but that can easily be bypassed.
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The Santa Cruz Farmers' Market, as well as many other farmers markets, give out free samples of tasty local produce.
Every Tuesday is Local night everywhere in Santa Cruz. Some deals:
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A) Dollar Pizza at Rockers pizza at The Catalyst.
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B) All you can eat Pizza at Upper Crust Pizza & Pasta on Mission Street.
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C) Dollar pankackes over at the Harbor Cafe in the morning.
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D) There is a hidden Pacific Cookie Company warehouse that sells cheap cookies (6 for a dollar). It's located behind the plaza off of River Street.
Community Dinners
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Felton Presbyterian Church (Felton) offers a free community dinner every third Wednesday of the month, free soup every Tuesday at noon, and a $3 lunch Wednesdays at noon
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Saints Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church (Ben Lomond) offers a free community dinner on the last Sunday of the month
Computers
Computers for Public Use
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Santa Cruz Public Library At the central branch, computer use is free if you have a library card. If you don't have one, it costs $1 for 20 minutes of internet time.
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McHenry Library on the UCSC campus has computers on the entry-level floor which do not require a username or password, and school policy is to let all members of the public use them for free.
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SubRosa has two computers available to the public.
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Wired Wash Cafe Laundromat and snack bar
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Ultramat Laundromat and snack bar
Free Wifi Hot Spots
See: Wireless Internet for a comprehensive listing.
Entertainment
Movies
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Guerilla Drive-In Shows free movies every other Friday.
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Santa Cruz Public Library has loads of free DVDs and movies to borrow.
Museums
For a more complete listing of museums, see the Museums & Attractions page.
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Bigfoot Discovery Museum (Felton) No entry fee, donations requested.
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Surfing Museum No entry fee, donations requested.
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The first Friday of each month, admission to many downtown art galleries, as well as the Museum of Art and History, is free to the public.
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The first Tuesday of each month, admission to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at the Long Marine Laboratory is free.
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The first Tuesday of each month, admission to the UCSC Arboretum is free (9am-5pm).
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The Aptos History Museum Located at the corner of Soquel and State Park Dr. It is always Free to enter and has tourist Information for Santa Cruz County
Music
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UC Santa Cruz holds many musical and theatrical events which are open to the public for free.
Parks and Outdoors
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Surf Spots Body surfing is always free and so is watching surfers surf, and if you have a board yourself....
Sports and Exercise
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24 Hour Fitness on Soquel Avenue (near the intersection of Soquel, Morrissey blvd. and Water st.) offers a free ten day trial membership without obligation to buy. Visit
http://www.24hourfitness.com and print out the coupon and present it at the front desk.
Lodging
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The Santa Cruz Hostel near the Beach Flats area rents beds for $18 per bed per night for adults.
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Camping is a rather expensive option (if you go legal with the State Parks). It runs $35 a night for car camping. Backpacking is cheaper.
Health Services
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The Santa Cruz AIDS Project offers free, confidential HIV testing for at-risk individuals. (Your "risk" is assessed at your appointment, and is based on if you have experienced or have been exposed to any of the risk factors they look at.)
Clothing, Furniture, and Material Goods
Free Stuff
Miscellaneous
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Santa Cruz County Freecycle A network of people in the Santa Cruz area which operates through a "gift economy" ethic, offering, requesting and receiving goods with absolutely no strings attached or money involved. Also visit
freecycle.org.
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Keep your eyes out for "free boxes" around town, especially around the times when leases tend to expire (Mid-June and the end of August)
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You wouldn't believe the stuff people throw away.
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Santa Cruz Free Skool usually hosts a free-for-all exchange day about once per quarter. Check their current
calendar to find out where and when.
Automotive
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You can receive a free 2.5 gallon used oil container for recycling your used oil and filters by calling (831) 420-5220. You can place the container next to your regular curbside recycling bins for pickup.
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Sometimes you may be able to get free automobile fluids at the Second Chance Store (see the Home Improvement/Gardening section below)
Home Improvement/Gardening
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The Second Chance Store at the Santa Cruz Resource Recovery Center occurs every Saturday from 7:30am to 3:30 pm. Here you can receive (and donate) free usable household products that have been donated for disposal, even though they are still usable. Common items include housepaint, adhesives, stains, cleaning supplies, garden/auto products, caulk and aerosol products.
Maps
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The Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce has free, high quality maps available at the Museum of Art and History.
Misc. Cheap Stuff
Education
Also see: Saving Money on Textbooks
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Santa Cruz County Head Start "A comprehensive child development program for children birth to five years of age and their families", including many free programs for low income families with children and children with disabilities.
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Santa Cruz Adult School Offers some free classes (such as GED preparation, computer skills, English as a Second Language, etc.); other classes offered for a fee.
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Watsonville/Aptos Adult School Offers some free classes (such as GED preparation, computer skills, English as a Second Language, etc.); other classes offered for a fee.
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SubRosa has a collection of radical books, as well as a posting area for local radical events and actions.
Transportation
Automotive
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Santa Cruz METRO Not free, but cheaper than driving.
Walking
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Walking is free and fun! The city puts out a variety of
self-guided walking tour brochures to teach people about the history of Santa Cruz.
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At the Santa Cruz downtown information center, you can pick up a brochure with walking tour instructions to view the downtown public art. You can also pick up the other walking tour brochures there as well.
Also see: Walking
Bicycling
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The Bike Church A tool cooperative and do-it-yourself repair facility for bicycles.
Also see: Cycling
Birthday Freebies and Perks
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Video Video will give you a free video rental during the month of your birthday.
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On your 21st birthday, many local Bars and Nightclubs will give you a free drink. Frequently people will go barhopping to all the local places and be drunk for free by the end of the night.
Programs and Deals for Minors (Under age 18)
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Minors are admitted at no cost at the following places:
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Museum of Art and History (ages 12 and under)
Programs and Deals for Teens (12-19)
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Santa Cruz Teen Center offers recreational activities such as pool, air hockey, PS2, X-Box, movies, computer usage, homework help and music.
Programs and Deals for Seniors
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The City of Santa Cruz program Downtown Seniors offers low cost classes and resources, as well as free blood pressure screenings.Check the current Parks and Recreation Guide at
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/ for time and location.
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The City of Santa Cruz offers a free self-defense class for women age 60 and above at no cost. Check the current Parks and Recreation Guide at
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/ for time and location.
Programs and Deals for Students
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For UCSC freebies and deals, see Getting the Most of Your UCSC Student Fees
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For Cabrillo Community College freebies and deals, see Getting the Most of Your Cabrillo Student Fees
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Related Links
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The Homeless resource listings for homeless and other individuals seeking services
