Get freebies on your birthday

I just had a free lunch at Red Robin. Waiting in the wings are a free breakfast at IHOP, buy-one-get-one coupons from Dairy Queen and Qdoba, a bag of Cinemark Theatres popcorn, a coupon for 25% off at shoes.com, a coupon for 30% off at the domain company GoDaddy.com and 50 free points from the Swagbucks reward site.

Happy birthday to me, indeed.

If I'd put my mind to it I could have gotten a whole lot of other free stuff: ice cream, burritos, shampoo, coffee, sandwiches, e-book credits, even lingerie.

So can you. Getting birthday freebies is as simple as signing up -- and the treats can stretch beyond your natal day.

Companies hand out free stuff to reward loyal customers, or maybe to get them through the door in the first place. Some freebies are for little kids but there are plenty for frugal adults.

An Internet search for "birthday freebies" will lead to 4 or 5 million hits, some of which are out of date or were never true in the first place. (Hint: AutoZone does not do oil changes on your birthday or at any other time.)

Instead, start with these sites: 

• Freebies4Mom
• Birthday Freebies 
• BdayFreeDay.com
• FreeBirthdayStuff.co​m
• Hey! It's Free
• The Frugal Girls
• Money Saving Mom

Note: There's a fair amount of overlap, i.e., all of them are going to know about the free ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. But some sites have deals others don't. The only way to find out is to browse.

How to maximize your fun
Sign up for every offer you can find. You don't have to use them all the same day, since many are good for a week or more past your actual birthday.

Make sure the birthday freebie is accepted locally. Not every franchisee participates in national promotions. Start a new email address for your birthday promos. You don't think these businesses are going to drop a line just once a year, do you?

Be sure to bring a photo ID and a printout of the offer.

Let the server know before you order, and base your tip on what the bill would have been if you didn't have the freebie.

All free offers are not created equal. As mentioned, some are BOGOs or require some other kind of purchase (e.g., a free dessert if you buy dinner). As for that lingerie, JadaMichaels.com, which specializes in plus-size pretties, gives free thigh-high stockings or underwear with birthday-month orders of more than $25.

It's up to you whether the initial buy-in is worth it. If not, then just choose from among the no-purchase-required​ offers. And for the BOGOs, try lining up friends who don’t mind being the buy-one half of the equation.

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