This week you'll find SXSW freebies, some terrific local Austin business deals, and how to get a potentially life-saving free skin cancer screening. Thanks to everyone who sent me ideas. Remember if you know of a great deal send me an e-mail.

SXSW Freebies

Remember there are great freebies being offered all throughout SXSW. The free concert series kicks off at Auditorium Shores Thursday from 5pm to 8pm, Saturday’s concerts run from noon to 8pm.

This web site mentions all the freebies being offered for SXSW wristband holders.

Free Music

Amelia’s Retro-Vogue and Relics is hosting five Free Days of Music starting Wednesday, March 17 through Sunday, March 21, 11:30am-7:00pm. No wristbands are needed, but they do recommend you bring a chair. You can always find some terrific local events at the I Buy Austin.com web site.

Free Cappuccino

The Once Over Coffee Bar is a locally owned coffee shop at 2009 S. First Street and celebrating its first year anniversary. On Wednesday, March 17th the owners are giving away free cappuccinos from 4-7pm.

Local Business Deals

I’m not sure how much you’ve heard about the Go Local Austin card. I’ve written about it here before and it’s a great way to save money at hundreds of locally owned Austin businesses. Each card costs $10 a year and you can find them any of the businesses where the cards are accepted. You can find a complete list here.

Bob contacted me and told me they are now offering weekly deals. So if you don’t typically check the site, you should start. They’ve completely re-designed it.

So here are some of this week’s deals. Through March 21st Authenticity Gallery located at 910 S. Congress Ave. is offering a buy one get one half off deal. Buy one item from local artists and get another half off (excluding consigned art).

Then check out the great food deal being offered at Portabla this week. This is another locally owned restaurant located at 1200 W. 6th Street. Buy a Panini and get a free agua fresco and a free cookie.

BOGO Chipotle Deal

Through Friday Chipotle is running a special SXSW promotion for its 8th and S. Congress locations only. If you go there between 5pm and 6pm through Friday you get a buy one get one free Burrito. Thanks to Kathryn for e-mailing me information about this.

Friends and Family coupon to use this weekend

Thanks to Greg for sharing this with all of you. This weekend, from March 18th – 21st use this friends and family coupon and save 30% off at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Outlet in-store.  You do have to show this coupon in order to save. And here's an extra reason to shop -- one of my colleagues here at KVUE told me 5% of all the money goes to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Free Skin Cancer Screenings

Every year the American Academy of Dermatology offers free skin cancer screenings. They begin in March and there are several locations across the country including here in the Austin area. You can find a location near you here. You can also go here to print out a body mole map so that you can track any changes to moles.

Help Fight Diabetes

My own brother has had Diabetes since he was a child. So I grew up seeing the kinds of sacrifices he had to make in his diet and lifestyle. Many more people are struggling with adult onset diabetes. So this coming Tuesday, March 23rd Carino's Italian is having a benefit night. At all Austin and San Marcos locations 15 percent of sales will be donated to the local ADA chapter. The 23rd is American Diabetes Association Alert Day, a day to raise awareness about the need to stop this disease.

You can also spend $20 on this Shop to Stop Diabetes bundle and get great discounts at various retailers including Nordstrom, hotels.com and Restaurant.com and help out the American Diabetes Association as well. It's a really great cause and a terrific way to save some money in the process.

Free Music Downloads

If you're Hispanic or Latino and pledge to fill out  your Census form you can get 25 free Spanish music downloads from iTunes.

Free bread sticks

Little Caesars Pizza is running a promotion through April that if you donate a cell phone or prepaid phone card you’ll get a coupon for free bread sticks. It’s part of their cell phone for soldiers campaign.

Travel Deals

If you’re traveling on St. Patrick’s Day on Southwest you may be in luck. The airline is giving away tickets to lucky passengers. If you’re not traveling you can still enter to win two tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines flies.

And Southwest Airlines is having another 3-day airfare sale that ends this Thursday, March 18th. It is good for travel between April 6 and June 10 of this year. You’ll find deals like $134 one way from Austin to Raleigh, $125 from Austin to Los Angeles.