Maybe you’ve had one $10 Cosmo too many. Perhaps even those $2 pints at the pub have been putting a hole in your wallet. What’s the solution? Stay in every night? Sometimes that works, but eventually you get bored. If you’ve just moved to a new city or you are looking to save some cash, free events are the way to go.

Many Internet sites feature city-specific adventures practically every day of the week. Events can range from a music concert to a philosophy discussion at a local college. They are a great way to check out things you are interested in and possibly make some connections with other people in the process.

Umbrella sites allow users to pick a city and find anything they want, from yoga classes to good places to eat. A lot of these sites will list free events as well and give the users a place to make comments on each listing. Websites such as Metromix, Yelp, Daily Candy, and Flavorpill are all free sites that send out e-mails and update their homepages daily. Although these sites aren’t specifically geared towards free events, they will definitely give you a few options and even offer up their own extravaganzas.

In fact, Yelp.com hosted an inaugural ball on January 20th, free to all Yelp members (writing a review on any restaurant or bar qualifies you as a member) at a swanky venue on 29th Street, where they featured free cocktails, entertainment, food, and pictures with a cardboard cut-out of President Barack Obama. Name tags were passed out upon entry, and the population of young adults gave attendees a good opportunity to mingle. Many event sites hold similar gatherings.

There are advantages and disadvantages to attending events such as these. While they can be great for a fun outing with friends, they may not be the best way to get to know someone you just met. Dates might be better suited to a quieter event with a minimal crowd. The best way to get to know what you can expect from sites like this is to attend a couple of gatherings yourself. That way you can really feel out if something is going to be cool or not.

Also, plan to eat before these parties. Sometimes there may not be enough food to accommodate a large crowd, or the free drinks at the bar may cause a traffic jam, forcing you to stock up on your beverages every time you need a cocktail and wait at the kitchen entrance to attack any servers bearing hors d’oeuvres.

If you want to get area specific, LA, Chicago and New York all have their own websites highlighting free events in a variety of settings and venues.

ClubFreeTime.com offers a useful service that updates users on free NYC events daily, and subscription cost is only $2.95/month. Some events you might find here can be gallery openings (they even serve free alcohol sometimes), free movie screenings, free yoga, and lots more. Lectures are offered on a range of topics from artists to philosophy. Since these events are open to everyone, there’s a good chance that you will encounter a decent cross section of people.

Natella Vaidman, who started the site in March 2001, first got the idea when she attended a screening of a Russian opera made into a movie entitled Prince Igor. The event was hosted at Donnell Public Library in NYC and after attending, Vaidman started looking for more free events in the city.

“I was really hungry for culture and I couldn’t afford it,” said the native of Russia. Her idea got off the ground when she started the publication, “Free Time,” which sold on newsstands from 1987 up until about 2 years ago. It started out as a six page newsletter and developed into a full-sized magazine and website, which Vaidman says continues to have a steady membership.

She is currently in the process of expanding her site to other cities such as LA, Chicago, and possibly Philadelphia.

Club Free Time plays a big part in getting people involved in their local community arts scene. Rather than just observing famous paintings at the MoMa, now there’s an opportunity to check out up and coming artists in a constantly reinvented area like New York City. Vaidman supports this belief, stating that “Art should inspire people and also be a social event.”

Chicago has a site called Explorechicago.org that is similar to Club Free Time. Events like the Maple Syrup Festival at North Park Village Nature Center are mentioned, as well as cultural celebrations at Civic Centers. The site offers a list of free museum days for exhibits all around the city and pinpoints attractions to see in local parks. This is a tourism site so it may appeal to a broader audience, but it definitely offers a lot in the way of entertainment.

If you’re currently residing on the West Coast, EyespyLA.com has its own “free” section that lists events in neighborhoods all over Los Angeles. Such items include free theater events, comedy shows, and even ballroom dancing lessons. They also have an “Explore Los Angeles” column on their homepage that list activities in LA for every single week. In addition to this, and much like the sites listed above, they offer discount tickets to arts events and connect you to other free event websites.

The culture of sharing information has definitely changed and expanded in recent years, and these sites are no exception. Even if you don’t live in the heart of a major city, chances are if you look around, you will find something worthwhile. So next time you complain about being bored, or worse, broke, now you have a few more options when it comes to going out, no matter where you live. Think of the city as your canvas; once you know how to navigate it, the rest will fall into place. Enjoy!