by May Monten

Created on: January 23, 2009

There's no question that housing is very expensive in San Francisco, but with just a little bit of effort, you can find ways to save on almost everything else.

* Save money on health care *

If you are a resident who meets certain income requirements, you may be eligible for the City's single-payer health care plan, which will cost you less than buying health insurance on your own. Call 311, or look at the

San Francisco Health Plan website for more details.

*Save money on fitness *

Instead of joining a gym, take advantage of the city's beautiful streets and parks to walk your way to fitness. Depending upon how challenging you want your walk to be, you can choose routes that are flat, a bit hilly, or extremely steep.

You can also get exercise videos for free from the SF Public Library

* Visit museums for free *

Many of the art museums are free on the first Tuesday of every month. The Academy of Sciences is free on the third Wednesday, and the Exploratorium and the Zoo (the latter for residents only) on the first Wednesday. Many of the museums also have reduced admission prices on Thursday evenings, often combined with special activities. The de Young has special free activities for free on Friday evenings.

* Go to concerts for free *

The Stern Grove concert series, held every summer in a magnificent natural grove, features top performers from around the world, in addition to the San Francisco Opera, Ballet, and Symphony - all for free.

Yerba Buena Gardens, conveniently located downtown, has many free concerts at lunch time and on weekends. Most of their events are in the summer, but they do have events year round. Check their website for a full schedule.

* See a play for free *

The San Francisco Mime Troupe (not to be confused with the kinds of mimes who wear white gloves and don't speak) performs left-wing plays in a musical-comedy theater style. Every summer they create a new show which they take to parks all over the Bay Area.

The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival puts on a play each summer in the Presidio and elsewhere in the Bay Area, and during the rest of the year, brings smaller-scale plays to schools and libraries.

* Save some money on food *

You can find great bargains at the Civic Center Farmer's Market and at Trader Joe's.

You should have no difficulty finding ways to save money, which will be a big help when it comes to living in, or visiting, this expensive city without going broke.

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