When free ice cream comes a'calling, it's best to answer... and Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops are giving out free cones on Tuesday, August 29, 2008.

Those of you who are working people with kids know how difficult finding affordable, trustworthy, quality childcare is. In fact, it can be a major hassle: expensive, hard to find, and generally maddening.

If you're a home or business owner, you ought to be spending more time thinking about your toilet.

It all makes sense: firefighters need money, we need ice cream.

In 2007 we posted about where you could get free light bulbs from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). Well, that offer was, as they say, for a limited time only, so I think you're out of luck.

We here at CBSF.com really think that health care needs to be free across the board. The government needs to pay for it and get those insurance companies out of the business. (Yes, higher taxes, but lower health care costs all around, therefore its cheaper in the end, yay!)

A free movie? In San Francisco? With the price of tickets on the upward march, that's worth taking advantage of in this town, fellow Cheap Bastards! And, as a bonus, you get to support one of the City's remaining independent theatres.

Now, this is only on your birthday, but the savvy cheapskate knows that opportunism works: wait patiently and grab the freebie when you can!

I began to realize that even though the site promises information on cheap haircuts in San Francisco, there actually is no posting on the subject here on cheapbastardsf.com. For that, you have to but the book, but, this being a site dedicated to all things cheap, a lot of you aren't going to shell out the $15 for that!

So here are few real cheap options taken from the book. I'll add more ideas in the future. In the meantime, feel free to add your own tips!

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San Francisco Barber College
64 Sixth Street
(415) 621-6802

A therapist just isn't the status symbol that it used to be in old Woody Allen movies. At least, not when it's a bargain like this. The SF Center for Psychoanalysis offers a low fee clinic for those who feel they may benefit from Freud's talking cure. One pal of ours goes twice a week for a mere fifty bucks - a total steal for private mental health services. Help resolve your mommy issues here:

http://www.sf-cp.org/Comm_Edu/clinic_services.htm

Feb 17-20th we are offerring free massage sessions to anyone who works or lives in San francisco who is a member of the Police or Fire Department, or works in Security or related fields. (and staff)

Just call 415-921-1290 to reserve your appointment (we are giving away only 25 free massages and they are almost all reserved!)

You can also go to www.DiamondWellness.com/freestuff.htm