6 things to stop paying for right now

Want to save money and reduce your costs? Here are six things you should stop paying for right now.

1. Music, books and DVDs — Your local library has a huge range of books, music and DVDs, including box office movies and popular tele-series. Spotify, Pandora and iTunes Radio let you stream your favourite music for free. For free e-books try: Free E-books and Project Gutenberg Australia.
2. Kids’ meals — Loads of restaurants offer kids-eat-for-free deals and other discounts, but the question is how to find them. The answer is Greatfoodgreatvalue.com.au. Enter your postcode to find discount meal deals in your area.
3. News and information — Cancel your newspaper subscription—News360 is a free app (iPhone, Android or PC) that creates a custom news service just for you. Select the topics that interest you and News360 will scour Australian and international news services to create a customised daily reading list.
4. Education — Interested in learning, but not so interested in paying? Coursera provides a huge selection of free online courses from some of the world’s leading educational institutions, including the University of Melbourne.
5. International phone calls — There are a quite a few reliable free internet calling services to choose from. Skype is probably the most familiar—it allows free internet calls and messaging between Skype accounts. Viber is another, and there are more. Just remember that data costs may apply when you’re not connected to a network.
6. Holiday accommodation — Hotel rooms can run to hundreds of dollars a night, especially in big cities. Or you could try Couchsurfing, an online service that connects travelers with the couches and spare beds of locals all around the world.