So You Say TANSTAAFL? Here is the Free Birthday Guide 2011
We've all heard about those Ma and Pa Shops that'll let you eat for free on your birthday, but why stop at just one meal? Try filling a day with free things you can get on your birthday and you'll soon be so stuffed that you'll stagger slowly home. In this post I will discuss what I did on my 22nd birthday without spending a penny. I will show you that there is such thing as a free lunch, and dinner, and breakfast, and endless snacks!
First thing's first- breakfast! This was a tough one to find for free. After a bit of searching I found out Denny's will give you a free Grand Slam on your birthday. This is slightly troubling as the Denny's in my city is notorious for serving up a side of food poisoning with breakfast. I pulled my socks up and ordered up; a Grand Slam featuring eggs, hash, grits, and a biscuit! To redeem this deal, just bring your ID with you and mention it's your birthday to your server- they were happy to bring me free food!
After the delicious breakfast I decided I would drop by Baskin Robbins since it's right beside Denny's. I walked in, presented my coupon, and walked out with a cone of lime sorbet. To get this deal you have to join Club 31 before your birthday and wait for the coupon in your inbox. I was offered a sugar cone but opted for a normal one since I was still stuffed from breakfast!
Off to the mall! I seriously needed to start walking some of this off, especially since the day was just getting started. After arriving at the mall I went directly to Marble Slab. Here I was given a medium cone/cup with one mixing in exchange for my coupon. To get the coupon you must subscribe to Marble Mail and wait for the coupon in your email inbox. The coupon expires seven days after your birthday. I decided to get a cup of green tea ice cream with almonds. Delicious!
Next stop, since it's also in the mall: Booster Juice! I've never had Booster Juice before so I was particularly excited for this one. To receive the coupon you must subscribe to Booster Nation. This was also the most restrictive coupon; it had to be redeemed on my birthday and at a specific location! Anyway, I picked up a Mango Hurricane smoothie and was quite pleased, although it was a little tart after enjoying the green tea ice-cream from Marble Slab.
So I'm unbelievably full and pumped with sugar. I needed to take a break and walk around to let my body work through some of what I had ingested! Not after long though, was I back at it. Lunch time at Boston Pizza. The coupon you receive for joining their Email Club lets you pick either a pasta or dessert for free. Scallop & Prawn Fettuccine tastes better when it doesn't cost a thing.
With my digestive organs in overdrive, I decided to keep up the pace and head over to another Baskin Robbins for some more ice-cream! I didn't mention it before, but the Baskin Robbins coupon can be printed as many times as you would like and lasts a week after your birthday. Using these coupons you can get free ice-cream for a week as long as the employees don't remember you! Cookies and Cream in a cup.
Last but not least, it's time for dinner! Where is the best free dinner? Tucker's Marketplace, of course! Awesome bonus is that it's right beside the Baskin Robbins I just came from. This deal is really nice since you don't need anything other than your ID, and you don't even need to ask the server about it- they ask you if it's your birthday! I took my time with this one, stared defeat in the eye, and filled every last little corner of my stomach with wonderful, free goodness before finally throwing in the napkin.
In the end of it all, I don't think I've been more satisfied by food. The variety of what I ate, and the monotonous zero dollars I paid for all of it couldn't have been better. There are some things, though, that didn't turn out well. For example, my free drink coupon from Starbucks did not arrive! I asked some employees from Starbucks and they told me the coupons are mailed out on the first or last of each month- so I'll still get it, just not when I wanted it. Other than that, I learned that the majority of coupons can be printed and redeemed multiple times. This is a pretty useful tip if you live somewhere that has multiple outlets for these brands. If I had time and really wanted ice-cream, I could have travelled between different Baskin Robbins and Marble Slab stores all day with printed coupons getting free things.
This wraps up The Free Birthday Guide 2011! I hope you've found some inspiration for your birthday, be it some free dessert or a full-fledged extravaganza similar to mine. I cannot wait to participate in, and write about another free birthday in 2012 (: