October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Typically during Breast Cancer Awareness month there are lots of things going on that you can take advantage of for free. However, most of these things can be done year round.

Breast Cancer Screenings

The first thing that comes to mind is free breast cancer screenings. If you have financial struggles, the Center for Disease Control offers free breast cancer screenings to women in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. You can visit the CDC’s website, enter in your state and you will be directed to the closest program to you. Once you find a place to go, you can check to see if you qualify for a free screening. In addition, the United Breast Cancer Foundation offers free and low-cost breast cancer screenings, with follow-up care at your local hospital or doctor’s office. You can visit their website for additional information.

Race for the Cure

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure sponsors races all across the United States. You can google, “Race for the Cure” and you will find tons of links that come up. In my state, the closest one to me was in Macon, GA. You can register for the race for free and even fundraise to help find a cure for breast cancer. There are numerous activities held during the day and you can choose to run or walk the race.

Free Breast Cancer Pin or Bracelet

The PinkRibbonShop.com sells Breast Cancer Awareness pins and bracelets and they also have a free pin or bracelet offer. If you or someone you love is a breast cancer survivor and you would like to share your story in hopes that it will inform and inspire others, you can email your story to them. If your story is posted on their weblog, you will receive a free pin or bracelet.

Create an Early Detection Plan

An Early Detection Plan reminds you to perform monthly self-exams as well as reminds you to schedule routine clinical breast exams. You can choose how you want to be reminded…options include email alerts, text message alerts and more. You can also print out the plan and sync it to your favorite calendar application like Outlook, Google Calendar and more. There are many sites you can create an early detection plan on. I personally like the one on the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s website.