I’d like to think of myself as a resourceful web ninja. That is, when I need something, I’ll look online for some type of free offering or alternative prior to buying. Case in point: Late last year I heard a song by this band called the Pernice Brothers entitled “There goes the sun.” I found the track on iTunes and was just about ready to “splurge” on the whole $.99 cent track, then it hit me: “Go see if you can find a free online download that many bands offer, you web ninja!” It took me about 10 seconds of Googling to find the same song, free of charge (and legal), and at a higher 192 bit rate than the lower quality iTunes mp3 (mp3 here via Spin). While I can’t always vouch for “free,” here are some useful links either in full or in part:

• Free stock photos [Microsoft]
• Free online courses [hp]
• Free MS Office templates [hp]
• Free inbound fax/voicemail to email [k7]
• Free web hosting (including Ruby on Rails) [110mb.com]
• Free business forms [Office Depot]
• Free remote backup [Mozy]
• Free fonts [Da Font]
• Free national anthem mp3’s [Navy Band]
• Free WordPress plugins [Ping Mag]
• Free WordPress themes [Wordpress]
• Free invoicing [Blinksale]
• Free web hosting, emails, etc [Microsoft]
• Free file compression/decompression [Krunch]
• Free web-based conference calls [FCC]
• Free podcast music [Podsafe]
• Free RSS to email [Squeet]
• Free icons for your website [Maxpower]
• Free business consulting [SCORE]

What are some of your favorite online freebies?