Awesome Freebies From The US Government



The U.S. government gives a lot of services, gifts, and privileges to the public. The problem is that they don't advertise these services and usually are heard of from word of mouth. Seeing that ButterMouth's whole purpose of existence is to bring you the word of mouth, here's a list of things that the U.S. government gives away to the public;

All these things are completely free (unless noted) and have no "small print".

  • Personalized Cards from the President and the First Lady
    • The White House sends out cards celebrating new births and weddings. Simply send the full name of the honoree (including prefixes like; Mr., Mrs., etc...), address, date of event, the requesters name and phone number, to;
The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington, DC 20502-0039
    • You can also get free birthday and anniversary greetings from the President when you turn at least 80 or you celebrate at least your 50th anniversary. Just follow the same rules as above.

Click Here For More Information About These Greetings
*Click on Greeting Guidelines


  • Adopt a Horse
    • The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lets people from all over US to adopt horses for as little as $25. They are required to do this because of an 1971 US Congress Bill that states;
      "Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; (and) that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people ..."
    • You need to be able to house, feed, and care for the horses for a year before you receive title for the horse. Click here for more information about the adopt a horse program.
    • The BLM also has other programs for the US public, but these are not offered online. The most interesting of these programs is the Competitive Lease Offerings.
    • The law states that when a natural resources (coal, oil, gold, etc...) is found on National Land, the BLM must offer the land to the public in a public auction. Only after they receive no bids, they are free to sell the land to oil and energy companies in what they call "Non-Competitive Lease Offering". By law, The Competitive Lease Offering must be posted in the State's Official Office, 45 days before the auction.
    • The only drawback is that these Competitive Lease Offerings are hard to find, especially if you don't live close to your state's capital.
    • There is no information about these lease offerings online, but a simple google search returns specific (but old) Competitive Lease Offerings.

  • Free Credit Reports
    • There seems to be hundreds of companies that offer free credit reports, but in reality the only place to receive 100% free of charge is from the Federal Trade Commission. The commission even set up a website called www.annualcreditreport.com to make this process easier for the public.
    • Steps:
      • Visit the Annual Credit Report website.
      • Pick your state.
      • Enter your information, including you social security number.
        • The Annual Credit Report Website uses the latest security measures so you can feel confident when entering this information.
      • Receive your credit report free and instantly.
    • You get one free credit report per year from each of the three credit reporting agencies.
    • Because there are three credit reporting agencies, you can receive up to 3 free credit reports per year.


  • Consumer Action Handbook
    • Every year, the Federal Citizen Information Center publishes a book about all the things that can go wrong when purchasing things. What do you do when your computer breaks and doesn't have a warranty? What happens when that MP3 player you ordered online doesn't show up .These occurances and other instances when people ripped off, are covered throughly in thisFREE handbook.


Congressional Constituent ServicesThe following freebies are services that our beloved US Congresspeople offer to their constituents (people in their district). Click here to see a list of the the Congresspeople. Or if you don't know who your congressperson is, click here to find out.

  • American Flag
    • Each congressperson offers their constituents a flag that was flown over the nation's capital building. Typically, the flag is flown in conjunction with some important event in a person's life. A congressperson will probably not send out a flag to a constituent for no reason, but I guess you can try. Visit your congresspersons web page to receive this gift. I received my flag for free, but I see that some congresspeople charge for this service, so be forewarned.
  • Tours
    • The offices of each congressperson also arrange and sometimes provide tours of national buildings and monuments. The tours are totally free of charge and a great insight into our countries history. Here's a list of places each congressperson can arrange free tours at;
    • Free Tours in the District of Columbia
      • The US Capital
      • The White House
      • The Supreme Court
      • The Bureau of Engraving
      • The Pentagon (arranged only for schools and educational institutions)
      • The Library of Congress
      • The Kennedy Center
      • Washington Monument
      • Jefferson Memorial
      • Ford's Theater
      • FDR Memorial
      • Veteran's Memorial
      • Korean War Memorial
      • Arlington Cemetery
      • National Cathedral
      • Department of State
      • Mt. Vernon
      • U.S. Marine Corps Band
      • The National Archives
      • Marine Corps Parade
    • Tours elsewhere
      • Kennedy Space Center
      • The Philadelphia Mint
      • The Denver Mint

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