It is always great to learn something new or try your hand at a new skill. But learning can be expensive– it seems like every book, class, and lesson costs a ton of money! It’s just not always practical to learn everything we’d like, but there’s a LOT of ways you can learn something new for free! Harness the power of the internet, and check out these 6 things you can learn for free online.

Learn guitar at FreeGuitarMentor. My son is a huge fan of Free Guitar Mentor, and I have to say, I love it, too. With instructional videos, you can learn a variety of important guitar care tips, and learn some songs, too! The lessons are easy to follow and broken down simply– if my 3 year old can follow it, I’m pretty sure anyone can!

Learn a foreign language with DuoLingo. With 9 languages you can learn, DuoLingo is a great, free way to learn. Every lesson includes speaking, listening, translation, and multiple choice, and language learning plays a little bit like a video game by keeping track of your streak (days in a row spent learning a language) and hearts (when you make mistakes, you lose them, and when you run out, you have to start the lesson over!) It’s a fun, innovative way to learn a language, and has a proven track record.

Learn to cook on BBC’s food page. Starting with basic-level instruction (like opening a pomegranate, zesting citrus fruit, and cooking a steak) and working your way up to more complicated lessons (like assembling a wedding cake, getting the lobster meat out of a cooked lobster, and deboning and butterflying a leg of lamb). These instructions are often accompanied by videos and typically have a list of recipes that feature the technique.

Learn photography basics from LifeHacker. If you got a camera for Christmas and want to learn to use it (or even if you’re just interested in expanding your knowledge with the camera you have), LifeHacker provides a great starting point. This takes you through the basics of your camera, manual mode, and through the post-processing (editing) process with tons of links to guide you and detailed instruction. You’ll be shooting like a pro in no time!

Learn to knit at Instructables. 

These video instructions are easy-to-follow as they were created by someone who taught herself to knit but found many instructional videos online to be lacking. With 5 lessons and some projects to try, you can teach yourself to knit in no time (and get a start on next year’s holiday gifts!)

Learn pretty much anything else from Ivy League schools (and other top universities around the world) using Coursera and EdX. I took a food science class from EdX, but there are tons of different options in many different fields that are great to follow and learn from! If you’re looking to really expand your horizons by learning from top educators, Coursera and EdX are both great options.

What do you hope to learn this year? Let me know in the comments below. If I didn’t include it in the post, I’ll see if there’s any free resources I can find online to share!