Well I guess it is all relative. Compared to hobbies like salt water aquaria, compitition BBQ, scuba diving, golf, snow skiing, etc., beekeeping is inexpensive, but not free. Compared to knitting, crochet, and belly button lint collection, beekeeping is outrageously expensive. Beer brewing is somewhere in between, depending on how many extra fridgerators, soda kegs, 3-tier brewing systems, stainless steel, and recirculating mash systems you have.
Anyway, the point I was trying to make earlier is that the idea of beekeeping for free (not spending a dime) is ridiculous. For those who make all of their own woodenware, that is awesome and I applaud you. But aside from cobbling some boxes together with a circular saw (which I have done), building the frames requires a little more skill and woodworking equipment than most people have. If you already have that kind of skill and equipment, how much have you spent on your woodworking shop already?
Also consider - How many hobby beekeepers start out by building their own equipment and then going out and trying to catch a free swarm to save money? From all the newbie posts about which is better (nucs or packages?), my guess is ziltch.
Can beekeeping be done for little money? Heck yeah, for some very few prople. For free (less than a dime)? Hell no.
In conclusion, Ace asserts that anyone can start up and keep bees for free, yet he remains silent as to how much he (or his wife) has spent on the hobby. Nice diversion, but I suspect it wasn't free!