Birthday Bargains

Who doesn’t love their birthday? It is a time to get together with friends and family to celebrate. When the funds are tight, it becomes harder to get into a festive mood. What options are available for a tight budget? Plenty!

Restaurants

Many local restaurants have fan clubs. These clubs can be joined through the restaurant site, through the Facebook page associated with the restaurant, or directly at the restaurant. General information is gathered including your name, email address, birthday, and possibly your mailing address. When your birthday arrives, you get a coupon or certificate for either a free meal, a free dessert, a free appetizer, or a free drink. Some restaurants require an additional purchase to obtain the free item and other restaurants state that no purchase is necessary.

Stores

Stores reward customer loyalty in the same manner. There are clubs for insiders and frequent shoppers as well. Signing up for these is similar to that of restaurants where there could a sign up through the store website, in the store, or through a Facebook fan page. When your birthday draws near you will be emailed a coupon for savings on your birthday or a free item. Then the coupon is brought into the store, along with the savings card associated with your account, and the items or savings is redeemed.

Things to Remember

As with any reward or certificate that is offered, there are some restrictions as to its use. First and foremost, there will be a time frame in which the coupon must be redeemed. Sometimes the coupon/savings is only valid on your birthday, other times there will be a seven-day window, and others are valid for your whole birthday month. It is important to read the restrictions regarding the offer you are redeeming. Additionally, make sure that you bring a picture ID with you when redeeming. It is important that you prove you are the birthday person.