Our community also gives away paint. We have a once a year paint trade - but you don't have to give to take. This year I went & came home with 17 gallons of paint - 8 in a beautiful off white (perfect for mixing) and the other 9 in designer colors (blues, greens, yellow, orange, etc.) I've been painting the kids' rooms, my bathroom, the kitchen, etc. all for free. I figure I would have easily spent at least $250 for the paint at the home store (most was unopened from contractor's who had overpurchased for new homes in the area).
I'm also installing a backsplash in the kitchen. Instead of using $180 in tiles that cost about $0.50 each here, I'm breaking ceramic plates into pieces & then gluing them with grout on the walls. I found the perfect color at WalMart for $1.75 each - the total cost with grout will be around $25.00!
(I saw this idea on "Trading Spaces" - there are lots of great frugal decorating ideas on that show!)