Some of life's best things are free, just like a borrowed book from the library or a digital map that offers the shortest route to any part of the world. However, we tend to pay little attention to them, often taking them for granted. 

To remind us of them, people in this online thread were listing free-of-charge items they couldn’t believe were available for free. Scroll down to find the most popular ones that are guaranteed to save you some bucks in the future!

While you're noting them down, don't forget to check out a conversation with the person who started this discussion in the first place.

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#1

Books arranged on wooden shelves in a library with a rustic ladder, offering free knowledge access. Public Libraries. They do so much good for their communities, providing safe places to work, learn and read and use the internet. Librarians work so incredibly hard to make their local branches welcoming and fun places to explore and people take them for granted. I know they aren't "free" because we pay for them with taxes, but their budgets are usually incredibly small and they do their best. Most have dvds/blue-rays and video games and audio books as well if you didn't know. 10/10 would recommend.

scotch_man , Ricky Esquivel Report

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    #2

    VLC media player interface with iconic orange cone logo, representing excellent free software. VLC player for Pc and mobile. The best encoder and decoder ever. It can literally play every audio and video media and is totally free! Wild. The founder refused 55 million dollars for it to keep it free.

    themustacheclubbitch , VLC media player Report

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    #3

    Laptop displaying Wikipedia homepage, a popular free resource. Wikipedia!

    Friendlygirlfriend04 , Oberon Copeland Report

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    markharris_1 avatar
    Empty Harris
    Empty Harris
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Actually, it's not. If you use it you are expected to make a donation. Step up.

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    #4

    A vintage Lufthansa plane on display in an aviation museum, showcasing free exhibits. Smithsonian museums - beautiful, educational, amazing and free .

    OverRice2524 , Miguel Cuenca Report

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    #5

    Hand holding a smartphone showing a free map app with directions and location pinned. Google Maps ! Do you realize we had to pay for maps before ? And it didn't even indicate the shortest path, neither for cars nor for bikes or walks ? And it was only maps of area and not the entire freaking world ? What a great time to get lost.

    Lucky-Sunshine3 , henry perks Report

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    timhood avatar
    timhood
    timhood
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I like Waze better. Crowd-sourced cop locating for the win.

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    #6

    Linux terminal showing system specifications on a Debian OS screen. Linux.

    sw2pnil , Lukas Report

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    #7

    A serene wooden path winds through a lush, green forest, offering a peaceful nature experience for free. Hiking trails (most of them). Maintained, beautiful paths I can just wander whenever I want? Perfect.

    7937397 , Amanda Klamrowski Report

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    #8

    Hand holding a phone capturing free tulip field scenery in bloom. The info in photos app that tells what kind of plant/animal/bug you take a pic of.

    LazyEyedLion , Priscilla Du Preez Report

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    #9

    Network cables connected to a router, highlighting free internet technology. The internet! We don’t always think of it as free because you have to pay to _connect_ to the internet but you don’t have to pay to access it. It’s just there, for everyone.

    aburke626 , Pixabay Report

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    #10

    WAZE. For those that don’t know it’s a GPS app that has a community of people that allows you to mark the map for hazards (99% cops). It’s saved me many tickets and has gotten increasingly popular over the years and gets more and more reliabl.

    ChefGordonIII Report

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    #11

    Internet Archive.

    BetterThanHorus Report

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    #12

    A hand using a stylus on a tablet screen, highlighting free digital tools. Canva is a pretty fantastic design program for basic stuff. They have a paid version with more features but even the free version is pretty robust. I am a professional designer and use it sometimes over other “deeper” design programs for its simple UI.

    Adventurous-Fix-292 , Dose Media Report

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    #13

    Man working on dental software, showcasing a free technology tool at a computer desk in an office setting. Blender 3d software.

    Unlikely_Expert4675 , Ivan Babydov Report

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    #14

    Person using a laptop at a desk, with notebooks and a pen, enjoying a free resource online. DaVinci Resolve - video editing software.

    ProfessionalEven296 , picjumbo.com Report

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    #15

    Stack of colorful free books available at a library. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

    Putasonder , Kimberly Farmer Report

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    #16

    Hands using a phone with free video content on a wooden table. Adblockers.

    lol_camis , cottonbro studio Report

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    #17

    A couple walking a dog in a forest path, enjoying free time in nature. Our neighborhood parks. Walking my dog around a beautiful park is the highlight of my day.

    prunepicker , Helena Lopes Report

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    #18

    The natural history museum in London. Go there, it’s awesome.

    LeTreacs Report

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    #19

    GPS. It costs millions of dollars a day to maintain.

    BassLB Report

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    #20

    The radio.

    BruceTramp85 Report

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    #21

    YouTube. It’s crazy how much stuff is on there for free. Sure there’s ads but still.

    suarezj9 Report

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    #22

    The Libby app. I know it’s through your library but still, it’s such an amazing resource!

    Otterlyridiculous_ Report

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    #23

    People collaborating on a project, pointing and typing on a laptop; embodies the value of free collaboration tools. Khan Academy.

    BruceTramp85 , Mimi Thian Report

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    #24

    Archive of our own. Got me through a lot of pain.

    chillcatcryptid Report

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    #25

    Bottles on shelves in an abandoned space with graffiti, illustrating the concept of free, surprisingly good things. Poison control.

    jaybird-jazzhands , Davide Baraldi Report

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    #26

    Apple’s OS updates

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    #27

    Person in a cozy sweater typing on a laptop, accessing free online resources. I have adrmiration for Craigslist and how Jim kept it free (with exception from job & apt ads).

    shaka_sulu , Christin Hume Report

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    data1001 avatar
    Data1001
    Data1001
    Community Member
    8 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Craigslist used to be good. Now it's full of scammers.

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