Frugal Friday: Birthday Clubs

When David and I lived in an apartment, we had an awesome couple as neighbors below us. During one of our evening hang-outs, we realized that three out of four of us shared a birthday month, and the other couple knew that a great ice cream shop nearby allowed free orders for customers visiting in their birthday month. As a cheap couples date, we went to the shop and all enjoyed our huge ice cream concoctions for free (except for my husband, who whined about paying for his own treat.)

Isn't it nice to get yourself a little treat now and then? Birthday clubs, people! They aren't just for kids! Just last week, I had another birthday (those things just keep on coming...), and on my way home from an appointment, I stopped at Baskin Robbins for a birthday ice cream scoop and later swung by IHOP to get a birthday meal to go. Both treats were absolutely free (except, for the $2 tip I left my IHOP server since he still did the same mount of work as if I had paid for my meal).

We all know there are a bazillion birthday clubs for kids. You can find them E.VERY.WHERE. For example,KMart sends your kid $5 birthday bucks to spend at the store, Burger King gives them a free kid's meal, and Olan Mills gives gets them a free photo package. However, most people forget there are still hundreds of birthday clubs out there for people of all ages. Some give outright free gifts and others give big breaks on their product or service cost.

Just ask in-store or look up the websites for some of your favorite stores and restaurants. Or you could simply google "birthday clubs" to find lists of businesses offering birthday gifts or discounts.

When signing up for birthday clubs, give yourself two to three months before your birthday to give businesses enough time to process your membership. I also suggest using an email address just for this type of stuff or creating an email filter to send all the emails into a special folder. Although these businesses do not sell your contact information, they still send you a lot of newsletters and offers throughout the year.

Here are a handful that give completely free gifts:

• Jason's Deli ($5 gift card for your birthday)
• Baskin Robbins (small ice cream scoop)
• Red Robin (free burger)
• Boondocks (all-day pass)
• IHOP (meal; you will also get one right away when you join)
• Chicken of the Sea , yes, the tuna company! (coupons)
• Red Mango (Club Mango puts 500 points on your account on your birthday, which is worth $5 in the store)

There are tons more of free tokens, depending on where you live, and tons (x2) for birthday discounts and bonuses. Most businesses will give you 2-4 weeks to celebrate your birthday with them, so don't worry about redeeming everything in one day.

This year, for your birthday, treat yourself to something special (and free)!