Struggle to find fun activities to do during the summer that don’t break the bank? Not anymore! Here are dozens of fun summer freebies (or close to it) to keep your whole family entertained:

Enjoy fun activities!

* Go bowling: Over 600 bowling centers across the country are offering kids two free games a day all summer long. Want to join in on the fun? You can get a family pass for a one-time charge of $24.95, which covers two games per person per day for up to four adults for the whole summer. Find participating bowling centers near you, plus their age, time, date and other restrictions at kidsbowlfree.com.

* Attend museum exhibits: If you call or check the website of your favorite children, art, history and museums, you’ll find that most set aside one weekday to offer free admission to visitors. But, what if your schedule only allows for a weekend visit? You’re in luck! Target has partnered with 120 museums to provide free and reduced admission on certain Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (find dates and locations at target.com/arts) and Bank of America cardholders get free entry to over 100 museums during the first weekend of every month (find locations at promotions.bankofamerica.com/museums).

* Laugh at puppet shows: Or enjoy live animal demonstrations, join a sing-along, enter photo contests, learn to dance or participate in any of the other dozens of free activities offered by public libraries this June, July and August. Find a schedule of events on your library’s website at publiclibraries.com. But, don’t limit yourself by heading only to your nearest branch—check out what other libraries within driving distance are also offering. Each one hosts different events—and you don’t need a library card to attend. Bonus: Many libraries also let you “borrow” complimentary one-time passes to zoos, museums, sporting events and/or art performances.

* Find more free happenings: Type in your zip code and the word “free” at zvents.com and you’ll instantly get a list of no-cost activities—like concerts, fairs and guided nature hikes—going on in your area.

* Snag amusement park coupons: Get discounts for 10% to 30% off ticket prices at retailmenot.com/coupons/amusementpark.

Go on a trip!

* Get a behind-the-scenes peek: At factorytoursusa.com, you can choose from over 500 tours of factories—which show you how to make everything from ice cream and hand-blown glass to teddy bears and robots—as well as sports stadiums and television and movie studios. Most tours are free; some may charge a nominal fee.

* Pick peaches: Or see how Alpaca fiber is turned into yarn or learn the secrets to growing award-winning tomatoes by visiting local farms that host free tours, which you can find at localharvest.org.

* Take a scenic drive: Get photos and directions for driving routes near you that boast beautiful nature scenery or take you by fun roadside attractions at byways.org and weather.com/activities/driving/scenicdrives.

* Feed the kids for free: All that traveling can make kids hungry! Luckily, where ever you go, you’re probably near one of the over 5,300 restaurants offer kid’s meals on the house. Find out the dates, times and locations where you can get complimentary food at mykidseatfree.com.

Learn something new!

* Master the outdoors: Participating Bass Pro Shops across the country are offering basic instruction for burgeoning outdoor enthusiasts through July 11 on weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Workshops include instruction in hiking, camping, fishing, bird watching, archery, outdoor-themed children’s crafts and—most important of all—s’mores-making! Store activities and times will vary; check your local Bass Pro Shops’ schedule at  basspro.com/summercamp.

* Make a movie: Apple computer stores give kids 8-12 valuable hands-on experience as they learn how to use Mac computers to make a movie, compose a song, assemble a photobook and create presentations. Registration is free; class times and dates at your local Apple store can be found at apple.com/retail/youth.

* Channel your inner artist: Michael’s craft stores workshops teach kids all sorts of useful crafts projects—such as how to make corsages, decorate T-shirts and create hand-made greeting cards. Instruction is free; you may have to purchase supplies for some classes. Get schedules, times, locations and supply requirements at theknackkids.com/EventView.aspx.

* Build a planter: Kids ages 5-12 get free instruction and materials to make wooden projects—such as planters, games and bird feeders—at Lowes every Saturday between 10 am and 11 am and at Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month between 9 am and noon. For a schedule of projects planned for the summer at Lowes, head to lowesbuildandgrow.com and for Home Depot, head to homedepot.com/kidsworkshop.

* Find the Big Dipper: At skymaps.com, you can print out clear, easy-to-read maps of constellations that you can pinpoint in the night sky this summer.

Get lost in a story!

* Earn free books for reading: Kids 12 and under who read eight books this summer will receive a free book from Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com/summerreading) and those who read 10 books get a free book from Borders (borders.com). Simply pick up a worksheet at your local Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores, write in the books your kids have read, then bring it in to your local store when the kids finish their last book.

* Listen to stories read aloud: Pottery Barn Kids (potterybarnkids.com) hosts a live story-time every Tuesday 11 am to 11:30 am. Kids who attend five story-times receive a free gift. You can also find live book reading at your local bookstores—simply ask them for their story-time schedule.

* Watch animated books online: Younger children can read along on the screen while enjoying fun stories and poems brought to life through colorful animation. Choose from four of the most popular Aesop’s Fables—including The Tortoise and the Hare and The Fox and His Shadow—at us.penguingroup.com and original stories and poems from mightybook.com.

Cool off at a movie!

* Attend free morning matinees: Do your kids clamor for Kung Fu Panda, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The Karate Kid and other children’s film favorites? Regal Cinemas offer free seating on a first-come, first-serve basis during its weekly morning matinee series (find theatres and showtimes at regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestival.aspx). And, for just $1 per person, the Summer Movie Camp at participating AMC Theatres offers a different kids’ movie at 10 a.m. every Tuesday from June 15 through August 10 (find theatres at amcentertainment.com/smc) and Cinemark offers 10 weekly children’s movies for $5 at participating theatres when purchased in advance and $1 per movie when purchased on the day of the show (find theatres and showtimes at cinemark.com/summermovieclubhouse).

* Get discounts on blockbusters: The price of tickets to see new releases has been going up, but you can score major discounts that bring the price back down. Simply purchase tickets through AAA, Costco and other large associations who buy them in bulk and then pass the savings on to you. Get tickets through Entertainment (entertainment.com), which charges $15 to $45 for books of half-price coupons for movies. Or join a free movie club, which is offered by many theatres as an incentive to customers and rewards you with points toward complimentary tickets and other discounts every time you see a movie.

* Check your membership benefits: Certain groups—like alumni groups and trade organizations—credit card companies, credit unions and other companies and associations offer free and discounted movie tickets just for being a member.

Have a blast indoors on rainy days!

* Watch live butterflies: The butterfly webcam at National Museum of History (amnh.org) shows live images of colorful Monarchs, Swallowtails and Malachites all day long.

* Find out where your food comes from: For milk, log onto whereismymilkfrom.com. For fruits and vegetables, log onto harvestmark.com and leopold.iastate.edu.

* Color and draw online: At crayola.com, your kids can play games, color any of the over 1,000 printable coloring pages and choose from the hundreds of craft projects, including making certificates and holiday cards.

* Take virtual tours: Explore the White House (whitehousemuseum.org), see how Jelly Belly jelly beans are made (jellybelly.com) or take a virtual walk on the moon’s surface (moon.arounder.com).

[photo: Lin Pernille Photography]

Ever wonder how your restaurant bill got so high? Or why you planned to order a burger but ended up ordering something completely different? You could have fallen for one of the secret psychological strategies on restaurants menus that steer you toward more profitable items, such as…
* Making prices seem lower with a decoy. Ever wonder why some restaurants offer outrageously expensive dishes—like a $100 Kobe beef burger or $1000 sundae topped with edible gold? Restaurant owners don’t expect customers to actually order them. These high-ticket items simply make the other choices seem like more of a bargain, says restaurant menu engineer Gregg Rapp.
* Eliminating dollar signs so you spend more. A recent study in the International Journal of Hospitality Management reveals that diners shell out about eight percent more when there are no dollar signs on the menu. The reason? Without the reminder that you’re spending actual money, it doesn’t feel so painful to order pricier choices, explains study co-author Sheryl E. Kimes, Ph.D.
* Adding money-spending words. The right menu descriptions can boost sales 27%, according to research by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab and author of Mindless Eating. The words with the most power to motivate you to spend? Those that describe flavor, such as “triple-basted”, “satiny cream sauce”, “crackling” and “tangy”; those that remind you of home or family members, such as Tennessee rib sauce or Aunt Sadie’s apple pie; and brand names, such as Jack Daniels chicken or Minute Maid orange juice.
* Steering your eye toward the more profitable items. They’ll be easy to spot—for instance, on the upper right hand side of the menu, in their own box or accompanied by a colorful photograph, says Rapp.

[photo: Steven Snodgrass]

Notice a charge on your credit card bill that you didn’t authorize? If so, you’re not alone—the Better Business Bureau reports that mystery charges are on the rise as a result of companies using underhanded tricks to get you to sign up for services you don’t need—for instance, when you activate a new credit card, sign up for a “free” trial service, check (or don’t uncheck) a box when you purchase an item online or cash a fake rebate check, says Matthew Smith, president of Complaints.com. To avoid being on the hook for these charges, you need to act fast! First, call your credit card company. In most cases, you can ask them to dispute the first charge—after that, they assume you saw the charge on previous bills and ignored it. Some will also allow you block all future charges from that company from going through. Next, find out who’s charging your card by doing an online search for the name listed on your bill. Call the company and tell them you’re canceling their services, then ask for either a letter or email confirming the cancellation.

Herbs are easy to grow and make your favorite dishes taste delicious. No wonder herb gardening is one of the most popular warm weather pastimes around. And you can savor your garden’s bounty long into the fall and winter months by drying them, says Amanda Bevill, owner of World Spice Merchants in Seattle, Washington. To do it:
* Harvest herbs at their peak. Pick leaves right before the plant flowers—that’s when they contain the hightest level of compounds that give them their distinctive flavor. Do your harvesting in the morning or evening since the sun’s heat reduces these flavorful compounds. Tip: If you harvest in the morning, make sure there’s no dew on the leaves since this will slow down the drying process.
* Dry herbs slowly. You may be tempted to pop them in the oven to speed up the process, but its high heat bakes away the flavor. Instead, hang spices with stems—such as lavender, oregano and tarragon—in small bunches. And spread out other spices on a screen that allows air to circulate. Put all drying spices in a shady, warm corner of the kitchen away from direct sunlight, which can burn the delicate leaves. Let them sit for about a week. When the leaves crackle between your fingers and fall apart, they’re finished drying.
* Store herbs right away. Put them in airtight jars away from heat and light. You’ll be able to use them for up to 12 months.

[photo: stevendepolo]

According to a recent study in the journal PLoS ONE, we end up throwing away an astonishing 40% of the food from our fridge and cabinets, usually because they expire before we eat them. Luckily, there’s an easy way to make use of all your food before it goes bad: Log onto supercook.com and simply type in the ingredients you have in your kitchen. You’ll be given hundreds of links to easy recipes for soups, appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts that use all those items so they don’t go to waste.

[photo: carolyn.will]

This kitchen staple costs just a couple of dollars a bottle, yet does everything from remove carpet stains and polish brass to unclog showerheads and make old towels feel new again. Find out the dozens of other ways vinegar can replace pricey household cleaners and keep old items working like new at versatilevinegar.org.

When you want to make a family member or friend happy on their birthday or simply thank someone for their love and support, which gift do you think they’d like more:
A) An iPod
B) Jewelry
C) A framed photo of you and the giftee
It’s the framed photo! When Stanford University researchers surveyed birthday gift recipients, they consistently preferred meaningful presents over pricy ones, proving that the thought really is what counts.

[photo: ralphunden]

Bothered by fleas or bracing for the next infestation? Forget turning to smelly chemical-filled flea sprays. Ohio State University scientists say all it takes to wipe out fleas in your home is your vacuum cleaner. Turns out, vacuuming kills 96% of adult fleas and 100% of younger fleas. Surprised? So were the scientists who repeated the test several times to make sure they were right. And they were! So what makes a vacuum work as well as (and sometimes better) than sprays? Turns out, fleas are pretty fragile, so the brushes and suction in your vacuum cleaner are enough to destroy them. For best results, vacuum two to three times a week to make sure all life cycles, including eggs, young fleas and adult fleas, are gone.

[photo: Hanumann]

1. Get group discounts: Every day, groupon.com offers one incredible deal—such as 40% to 60% off meals at restaurants, deep tissue massage and laser tag. The catch? The discount kicks in once a minimum number of shoppers opt in. Happily, that’s usually the case since the discounts are so great.
2. Enjoy online sample sales: You no longer have to battle the crowds for deeply discounted designer clothes thanks to sites like HauteLook.com, Gilt.com, Ideeli.com, OneKingsLane.com, and RueLaLa.com. These sites buy overstocked clothing and accessories from brand-name designers, then sell them for up to 70% less than their original price. But, you have to act fast: sales last just a few days—or even hours—and they sell out quick. To start shopping: Sign up for free membership, then you’ll be notified when a new sale begins.
3. Opt for look-alikes: Go ahead and get the cheapee version. A recent MIT study shows that, when tested, most folks can’t tell the real thing from a less expensive knock-off.

[photo: lululemonathletica]

Love to fill your home with beautiful flowers, but hate how fast they wither? “It’s easy to get five to seven more days out of your favorite buds,” says New York City floral and garden designer Rebecca Cole (rebeccacolegrows.com). Start by…
* Choosing locally-grown. Flower start to die the moment they’re plucked. So when you buy flowers that have been shipped in from other regions, you’ve already lost three to five days of life. By contrast, local farms sell their flowers the same day they cut them, which means you can enjoy them days longer.
* Purchase flowers last. Without water to continually drink, they’ll start to wither as you do the rest of your errands.
* Cut the stem on a steep angle. This way, twice as much water is drawn up into the bloom, keeping it healthy longer.
* Place them in cool water. Warm water prompts the blooms to open faster, which speeds up their life cycle, while cool water slows down the aging process. Also key for prolonging your flowers’ health: adding a packet of flower freshener to the water, which you can get from your local florist or craft store.
* Sterilize the vase. Run it through the dishwasher or rinse it with bleach to kill flower-spoiling bacteria left behind from past arrangements.
* Remove most of the leaves. Take off the leaves on the stem, leaving only two to three right under the bud. Why? Too many leaves drink up the water that should be going to the bud. However, you still need a few leaves to help draw up the water toward the flower. If you want a leafy arrangement, add leafy stems separately, but make sure no leaves are below the water line, since they can rot and breed bacteria.

[photo: Swami Stream]