Birthdays are awesome. Not only do you get cake and booze, you also get to be surrounded by loved ones celebrating the day you were born. Oh, and of course, you receive gifts from said loved ones - lots of them, if you’re loved in turn! Now, I’m all about getting free stuff - my wife knows by now to look for me at those taste sampling stalls when I disappear during grocery shopping (can’t blame a guy for testing freebies, right?).
Birthdays are also the best times to get free stuff. Okay, so they’re technically presents with some sentimental value attached to them, but at the end of the day, you get items you didn’t or hardly pay for - all because you were born. They say the best things in life are free, and I agree. And of course, businesses agree, too, otherwise they won’t bother asking for your birthday when you fill out email or paper forms for them.
Now here’s the deal - it’s usually never a real “no strings attached” deal when you are tempted with a freebie or a big discount on your birthday by these companies, because their bottom line, of course, is that you will be spending more from their shops (or at least getting alerts and whatnot from them). But if there’s any day to treat yourself, it’s your natal day, and so here are some ways to score freebies or big discounts on that special event.
Free clothes and shoes
I’m a pretty basic guy so I usually get clothes that aren’t too trendy, colorful, or need special laundry care. Can’t blame me - I work from home! However, I do have select pieces of clothing for special occasions, and, more often than not, I get them on my birthday. So to pay it forward, here’s a list of clothing and footwear retailers where you can get free clothes, gifts, or discounts on that red-letter day, in exchange for membership or signing up for newsletters.
Free food and drinks
Again, when it comes to free food - huge fan here! The way I see it, even if it’s just discounts on a couple of drinks or a free dessert with a meal, it’s still a great deal because it goes with the territory of celebrating a birthday - eating and boozing, that is. Oh, and slurping ice cream, lots of it! Having my family with me to celebrate with food and drinks is always a special deal which is why I take advantage of coupons and discounts on all our birthdays. So without further ado, here are some of my favorite places to get some birthday eats and drinks after registering with their sites’ loyalty or rewards programs.
- Applebee’s
- Backyard Burgers
- Baskin Robbins
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Black Angus Steakhouse
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Burger King
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Chili’s
- Cold Stone Creamery
- Dairy Queen
- Denny’s
- Dippin’ Dots
- Dunkin Donuts
- Friendlys
- Fuddruckers
- Hometown Buffet
- IHOP
- Jack in the Box
- Johnny Rockets
- Marie Callender
- Outback Steakhouse
- PF Chang’s
- Panera Bread
- Quiznos
- Red Lobster
- Starbucks
- Fridays
- The Old Spaghetti Factory
- Tony Roma’s
- Wingstop
My son loves toys, pets, reading, and playing games/sports, so even if he’s entered the sulky adolescent stage now, I still have him signed up for birthday clubs that give coupons, freebies, and discounts to his favorite restaurants, retail stores, and activity/recreation centers, growing up and present day. Below are just some of his faves.
- AMC Theatres
- AMF Bowling
- Barnes and Noble
- Chuck E Cheese
- Radio Flyer
- Medieval Times
- Petco
- The Children’s Place
Now I don’t wear makeup, but my wife and teenage daughter are simply obsessed with the stuff. In fact, they have a bunch of memberships in different cosmetics stores and websites, and so get more than their fair share of discounts, coupons, and freebies when they have their own birthdays. But since they like hoarding makeup so much, I figured, hey if a retailer wants to send me free makeup on my birthday, I can spread the happiness around by re-gifting these freebies to my two favorite ladies, right? Win-win!
The verdict
Who doesn’t like free stuff? Though I personally prefer getting gift cards on my birthday so I can buy the things or go for services I actually like, I really appreciate freebies that come with things I signed up for in the first place. It could get spammy in the process, but I’ve managed to create filters and folders for the rest of the days that aren’t my birthday (haha!) and make sure to look up the offers a week leading into it. I’ve always been pleasantly surprised, to be honest.
Your turn
Ever gotten awesome free stuff on your special day? Do you have any favorite ones, and what did you have to sign up for in exchange? Tell us all about your experience in the comments below!
