It’s Hard to Resist Free

Throughout the week of my birthday I ate a free burger, dined on free pasta, ate free ice cream and picked up a bottle of free body wash. I love my birthday freebies! Who can resist a week full of yummy food and free gifts? Not me.

I’m a sucker for all of the restaurants and stores that provide birthday treats. Among my favorites are Ruby Tuesday, Red Robin, Noodles & Company, Coldstone Creamery and Sephora. Lucky for me I just happen to live or work near all of these, so I don’t even have to go out of my way to partake of the freebies. If I can manage to sneak an IHOP trip in the mix, (I live right down the street from one), I might just get free pancakes before the week ends.

If you search for birthday freebies you’ll find long lists from a variety of stores. You typically have to sign up for a rewards club of some kind, but once you’ve registered you can sit back and wait for the birthday emails to roll in.

I print them out and carry them in my purse. If I happen to be near a store or restaurant then I’ll pick up my free item. If I have to go out of my way I usually skip it.

Over the years I’ve blogged about my frugal twenty cent birthday dinners, but this year my husband and I actually spent money on a quality Italian dinner at a small restaurant in DC. I used a Groupon to pay for most of the meal, ($20 for a $40 purchase), and spent a few extra dollars on an appetizer and delicious chocolate dessert.

I even asked my husband to request a candle from the server so I could make a wish on the big day.

While freebies are great a lot of the time I wanted to spend this particular birthday outside enjoying the weather with my husband. He reminded me that this will be the last birthday before the baby arrives. When dinner was over we lingered for a few extra moments before heading home for the night.

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