DENVER (CBS4) -These days we all love to get something for nothing. Though your smartphone or eReader may have cost a pretty penny, your apps and books don’t have to.

All of the 75,000 Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone apps on www.getjar.com are absolutely free. The site offers tons of games (Angry Birds, anyone?), travel, music, social networking, and organization apps — plus far too many more to name.

I like TapFish, where you can make your own phone aquarium; GoPhoto, which allows you to apply all kinds of effects to your pictures; and OldPhoto, which lets you make your family photo look “old.”

I am also amazed by how many free eBooks there are out there. Thousands and thousands of them, totally free to download on your Kindle, NOOK, iPad, or other tablet or eReader.

Amazon and Barnes and Noble offer free eBooks all the time, and a couple of independent sights to try: http://www.gutenberg.org/ and http://www.manybooks.net/

They have thousands of books for, as Manybooks puts it, “The best price of all; free!”

For a more comprehensive list of free eBook sites with everything from textbooks to classics, check out: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/20-best-websites-to-download-free-e-books

As we’ve reported, a couple of local library districts have also started offering eReader borrowing programs, and many already have eBooks. It’s a free way to try before you buy. Check out your local library district’s website to see if it’s part of the trend.

And don’t forget our Deals of the Day. Thanks for stopping by!

About The Blogger

- In her Brooke’s Bargains blog Brooke Wagner writes about finding bargains and saving money for her family. She calls it one of her favorite hobbies. Blog entries cover everything from the latest steals, deals, and freebies to cheap family activities, saving for college, and what to buy right now.