When I posted asking for ideas for Anisten’s birthday and left that little box on instagram, just as many “please share” comments came in as did suggestions – so instead of sharing a screen grab on IG stories I thought they deserved a permanent spot in the blog! 🙂 Thank you for all your suggestions – Anisten was signing up for email subscription/rewards apps like a mad woman the night before her birthday so we could maximize… that’s SO important!
Before I dive into the list… here’s my best tips:
BECOME A MEMBER!
You HAVE to be a member to almost everywhere prior to your birthday.. so if you see something here you want to cash in on I would do that right away! Plus, almost everywhere has a little bonus for signing up so it’s a win-win on multiple occasions. It creates a lot of emails.. you can filter your email inbox to put things with keywords or from certain senders in a specific box. If you use Gmail, they actually have a promotions folder that filters a lot out already, but definitely not everything.
KNOW HOW LONG THE DEAL LASTS
Most deals don’t last all month… some are a single day, some are a month long, some are on the first few days of your birthday month, some expire in the few days following your birthday.. It varies so much from what we saw and I wish she would’ve told me her birthday fun plans before the day before haha! Pick which ones are your “must do’s” and schedule them into your calendar or set reminders in your phone if you have to.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO USE IT
Although a lot of these are freebies and that’s amazing, some of them are just discounts. You don’t have to spend money to enjoy a birthday perk. Chances are pretty dang good they’ll have a bigger sale at some point in the year.. But remember that some of these places you visit often (like Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, Ulta, etc…) being a part of their membership and having an account or their app may save you additional throughout the year just by using it every time you go and plan to spend anyway!
BEAUTY:
Anisten LOVES all things beauty and trying new products like I do – but she’s such a budgeter so when discounts and free items roll around… you know she’s ready to hit all the places.
- Ulta Beauty – free item + discount… the free item changes month to month
- Sephora – free item + discount… the free item changes month to month
APPAREL + JEWELRY:
- Kendra Scott – 50% off one item
- Madewell – some said a $25 discount, but they just say a surprise birthday discount on their website
- Old Navy – free birthday treat (discount)
- DSW – surprise coupon
- Bohme – Free earrings
- Anthropologie – 15% off card mailed to you
- Pandora – 15% off coupon
FOOD + BEVERAGE:
- Noodles + Co – free bowl of noodles
- Firehouse Subs – free medium sub
- Starbucks – free drink
- Red Robin – free burger
- IHOP – free pancake stack
- Dali Crepes – free crepes
- P.F. Changs – free appetizer
- Rodizio Grill – BOGO meals
- Auntie Annes – free pretzel
- Denny’s – free grand slam breakfast
- Sodalicious – free drink
- Swig – free drink
- Buffalo Wild Wings – free snack size boneless or traditional wings
- Einstein Bagel – free bagel
- Steak n’ Shake – free burgers and fries
- Waffle House – free waffle
- Waffle Love – free red wonder waffle
- Tucanos – free meal
- Dunkin Donuts – free drink
- Jamba Juice – free smoothie or juice
- Texas Roadhouse – free appetizer
- Dutch Bros – free drink
- Jersey Mike’s – free sub
- Zaxbys – free big zax snak
- Thirst – free pretzel and drink
SWEETS:
- Baskin Robins – free ice cream
- Coldstone Creamery – BOGO deal on ice cream
- McDonald’s – Free apple pie
- Kneaders – free pastry
- Dairy Queen – free blizzard
- California Pizza Kitchen – free dessert
- Subway – free cookie
- Wingers – free asphalt pie
- Panera – free treat
- Culvers – custard of the day
- Applebees – free dessert
- Del Taco – free shake
- BJs – mini pizookie
- Sweet Tooth Fairy – free cupcake
- Froyo – free ice cream
- Nothing Bundt Cakes – free mini Bundt Cake (you have to be 13+)
- Cinnabon – free cinnamon roll
- Olive Garden – free dessert
- Crumbl – free cookie
- Chick-Fil-A – free cookie or dessert
- Krispy Kreme – free dozen donuts in their app
- Godiva – $10 store credit
ENTERTAINMENT:
- Build a Bear – build a bear for your age
- Boondocks – unlimited fun pass
- Redbox – free dvd rental
Whew, man that was a lot… haha. I hope you find at least a few things on here you want to cash in on for your birthday + I hope it’s a lot of fun!! A day of fun finding freebies isn’t so bad when your kiddos birthday falls around Christmas, trust me!
