How to save money and get extra...

You can live large on next to nothing! You're young and yearning for the splendid life, yet the cupboard is bare. So sally forth and ferret out some fabulous freebies. Here are 10 ideas to get you started. By M.P. Dunleavey

So money’s a little tight right now. OK, it’s very tight. Not that you’d ever admit it. Scrimping isn’t enough, budgeting won’t cut it and you’re too old to call the parents. (Besides, they already said no.)

No sweat. We’ve all been there and found creative ways to get through. All it takes is a little chutzpah and a handful of brilliant, if slightly unorthodox, ideas. You supply the chutzpah, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Most of this advice is provided courtesy of intrepid souls like my cousin Alicia. One year she made $16,000. I made about three times that, and she did 150% more stuff. And that’s what living large on less is all about: the High Art of Not Spending. And speaking of art …

  Get thee to a gallery. “It’s ALL about gallery openings," says Alicia. "You’re there, you’re fed, you’re buzzed." Excellent point. To get invited to those canapé-laden openings, visit local galleries and put your name on their mailing list. And hey, look at what’s on the walls, will ya?

  Get a job with perks. No, not benefits. You don’t care about that yet. Perks. "If you work at a bar, you get free drinks; if you work at a movie theater, you get free tickets," Alicia notes. Thankfully she didn’t mention pharmacies or liquor stores. We must keep our standards.

  Go through the garbage. “People throw out all kinds of useful things," says my sister-in-law, Deirdre, fondly recalling the days when she and my brother were unemployed in Ireland. Actually, it was more like a year, but whatever. "One time he brought home milk crates, and I nailed them together to make a TV stand," she says. Another time, a neighbor gave them an old, industrial-size window shade. Deirdre cut up the shade to make painting canvases for herself, and then chopped up the rod to make a lamp. (Lamp shade from junk too!)

  Bake bread. You could get suckered into spending $1.29 for a loaf of Wonder Bread, or spend mere pennies to bake a loaf of your own. My friend Matthew, newly graduated and completely cash-free his first summer after college, dug up a recipe he learned in third grade and lived on fresh bread for most of that year. Oh, and beans.

  Get some rest. Can’t afford dinner and a movie? Try the time-honored tradition of staying in bed. Ideally with someone else. In fact, there are several classics you can read on this topic: "Fear of Flying," "The Kama Sutra," "The Monica Lewinsky Story." If your parents ask you what you’ve been doing lately, you can say, "Reading a few classics, Mom." They’ll be so pleased.

  Expose your creative side. Get naked and model for a painting, drawing or photography class. The hourly rate is great, and all you have to do is sit there. You can do that, right?

  Attend wedding receptions. Especially those you haven’t officially been invited to. These are held in large, anonymous banquet rooms of large anonymous hotels like the Holiday Inn on Route 80. Pay attention to the big sign that says, “Kelly and Rocco’s Reception,” because on the buffet line someone is sure to ask, “Bride or groom?”

  Rely on the kindness of strangers -- or anyone. Mooching is an unpleasant term. Think of it as inspiring other people’s spontaneous generosity. If friends suggest grabbing some pizza or shooting some pool, just say you can’t afford it. Someone will offer to buy you a slice or front you a game. In 15 years you can send them a really nice Christmas gift, but meanwhile just use the standard, "Thanks . . . I’ll get the next one." Sure.

  Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. It’s astounding how many places rely on volunteers, and how many freebies you get when you volunteer. Museums, zoos, botanical gardens, film festivals, art festivals -- pretty much anything with "festival" attached to it -- most performing arts venues, many theaters, they all need a steady supply of the selfless.

  Give the gift of life. This is easier for guys than for women. But if you’re willing to share a little DNA, and be left alone in a room with questionable reading material for a few minutes, you can emerge $50 richer.

A lot of these fall into the category of “don’t try this at home,” but in fact each and every one of these suggestions come from someone who was not only brave enough to try it, but crazy enough to admit they tried it. And soon, you could be one of them.