9/30/11: Friday Roundup: Links I Loved (and Shared) This Week

Every Friday features a roundup of links that I've found during the week and that I'm loving! These links are generally frugal in nature, but they will also be eco-friendly and just generally fun. Check back each Friday for that week's batch of great links.

• Who can't resist a free ebook? Download Mama Does Time by Deborah Sharp for free at Amazon.com—ENDS TODAY, so download your copy ASAP!
• Holiday travel is stressful enough without the added stress of the dent it makes in your wallet, and now is the time to start planning! Here are 7 Tips for Saving on Holiday Flying and Lodging.
• Who doesn't love free mp3s? Right now, Amazon.com is offering a $2 credit for mp3 downloads (which, depending on what songs you choose, could mean 2 free songs!).
• For cat owners, get a free sample 3-pack of Royal Canin cat food, along with a $2 coupon for your next purchase.
• Last but not least, enter every day during the month of September to win free stuff from Burt's Bees! ENDS TODAY, so be sure to enter to win some BB swag!

Be sure to check back next Friday for another great batch of links. Have a great (and safe!) weekend, everyone, and enjoy the beginning of October!

$2 Credit for Amazon Mp3s (2 free songs!)

Head on over to Amazon.com, where they are offering a $2 mp3 credit (depending on which songs you choose, that could mean two free mp3 downloads!). Click here to log in and enter code FALLMP3S.

Thanks to @thr0ttle and @slickdeals for the head's up!

Free Mp3s from Spin.com for August

For each issue, Spin Magazine offers free downloads of the songs that "make" the issue. Visit Spin.com for the 13 free mp3 downloads from their August issue (available through August 31, 2011), as well as the 14 songs from the July issue (available through July 31, 2011).

Free Mp3s from Spin.com for July

For each issue, Spin Magazine offers free downloads of the songs that "make" the issue. Visit Spin.com for the 14 free mp3 downloads from their July issue (available through July 31, 2011), as well as the 15 songs from the June issue (available through June 30, 2011).

Spinner.com: A Great Site for Free Mp3s

I've posted previously about where to find free (legal) mp3 files online. I've now been introduced to another site that offers a free mp3 file daily and archives all previous free downloads: www.spinner.com. Now run by AOL, this site is a great repository all sorts of music information, including free music downloads from independent and alternative musicians and bands. My first few finds? Free mp3s from MGMT, Fleet Foxes, this year's Coachella performers, Obits, and Jeremy Messersmith.

Visit www.spinner.com today and start downloading!

Free Mp3 Downloads from Spin.com for May

For each issue, Spin Magazine offers free downloads of the songs that "make" the issue. Visit Spin.com for the 17 free mp3 downloads from their May issue (available through May 31, 2011), as well as the 17 songs from the April issue (available through April 30, 2011).

Free MP3 Downloads from Spin.com

For each issue, Spin Magazine offers free downloads of the songs that "make" the issue. Visit Spin.com for the 17 free mp3 downloads from their April issue (available through April 30, 2011), as well as the 19 songs from the March issue (available through March 31, 2011).

Where To Find Free (Legal) Mp3s Online

At $0.99 a pop, it is easy for many of us to get carried away with mp3 purchases, whether it be through iTunes, Amazon.com, or any other service. There are, however, several sites that allow you to peruse and download mp3 music files for FREE (and within the constraints of the law).

• Amazon.com: My favorite site has to be Amazon.com; Amazon has literally thousands of free mp3s on their site at any given time. Simply navigate to their site, click on "Movies, Music & Games" in the left navigation panel and scroll down to click on "Mp3 Downloads," and then find "Free Songs & Special Deals" under "Categories" in the left column. Many up-and-coming artists will be featured here, as well as more established artists. (Another, easier way would be just to click here.) You can find something new to listen to (and maybe splurge on a .99 purchase or two :) Currently, Amazon is also offering a free $2 credit (which will purchase two mp3s) as a Valentine's promotion.

• iTunes likewise offers a variety of free mp3 downloads. When you open iTunes on your computer, open the iTunes store (left column), and then click on "Music" on the top navigational panel. When the next page opens, the right side of the window will have "quick links," the top one being for a list of "Free on iTunes." Here you can browse all of the free music (as well as all the other free content) that iTunes has available.

• Another great site for free mp3 downloads is RCRD LBL (http://rcrdlbl.com/). RCRD LBL has free downloads from both new and established artists, and you can also browse to find a new band or new song to listen to. Visit daily, as the site is updated often.

• Make friends with music bloggers. My friend from college runs one of the best music blogs around, Mixtapes | Heartbreaks. She does a fabulous job of keeping me informed on new artists (and jealous of her concert exploits :), and she offers a large number of downloadable mp3s and playlists. Jonk Music is another good site, giving you a song each day from somewhere around the Web (though these are only streaming, you get a nice preview before you decide to buy the song elsewhere).

•  MySpace. Though I will admit to loathing MySpace, many bands find a home there, and many do offer links to their music downloads as a way of garnering a fan base. This was how I discovered (and downloaded some free) Pomplamoose.

Though not downloading, there are also many streaming sites that I love, putting together the perfect playlists to get me through my day. Playlist.com and Pandora.com are two of the better ones I've found.

Undoubtedly, I'm missing a few (or a few thousand) sites that give away mp3s. What did I miss?