In my last two posts I told you about my quest to see how much free birthday stuff I could get in one day (if you missed them, read Free birthday stuff – part 1 and part 2).

After the first eight stops, it was time for the “party” portion to begin. I met up with my friends for a game, dinner and dessert.

9. Exit Canada

Birthday offer: Free admission
How to get: Show valid ID on your birthday
Timing: On your birthday (also offer 50% two days before and after your birthday)
Value: $25

Escape games are all the rage these days, so I was excited to find out that Exit Canada offers free admission on your birthday. For those unfamiliar, escape games involve finding clues and solving puzzles in order to escape through a series of rooms. As newbies, we tried their easiest room at the West Broadway location, named Illusions, and got about 80% of the way though. So close! It was a great experience though and the staff even hid a birthday card for me in one of the rooms!

10. Red Robin

Birthday offer: Free burger
How to get: Sign up for Red Robin Royalty
Timing: Coupon emailed the week before your birthday, valid for two weeks
Value: $12.90

I’ve been getting my free birthday burger at Red Robin for years now, so it was no surprise to my friends that I invited them to join me for dinner there during this birthday challenge. I ordered my usual Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Burger. Since this isn’t my first rodeo and I had a tradition to uphold, I proceeded to ask the server for a birthday song (much to my friend’s amusement). And not just any song – it had to be the “Birthday here? Birthday here!” song (which they informed me is called the Snappy Happy song). They obliged my diva demand and also brought me a small ice cream sundae for dessert.

11. Boston Pizza

Birthday offer: Free dessert
How to get: Sign up for MyBP
Timing: Coupon emailed week before birthday, valid for two weeks
Value redeemed: $5.24

Last stop, dessert. We went to a newer Boston Pizza, and the staff seemed a bit baffled by the birthday coupon. One server had to go talk to a manager, then confirmed the coupon was good for any dessert. Then another server told me I could only redeem for the brownie dessert, after the other server had said otherwise. In the end, I was allowed to choose any dessert – went with The Panookie, a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream on top. Can’t complain too much since my friends and I didn’t order anything else (we were too full from Red Robin), so they were not making any money off us that night (we did leave a tip though). 

Conclusion

In the end, I went to 11 places and managed to cash in on $120.88 in free birthday stuff. It turns out that you can have an amazing birthday on a very small budget.

My advice for you:

• Plan ahead. If you plan to take on a similar challenge, make sure you plan your schedule ahead of time – that way you can enjoy the day and not stress about where you’re going next.
• Spread it out. While it was fun to cram it into one exciting day, it’s more realistic to spread out these birthday offers over a few days – particularly since not all have to be redeemed on your actual birthday.
• Wear stretchy pants. SO. MUCH. FOOD.
• Have fun. Don’t get too caught up in the free-stuff-frenzy – remember to take your time and enjoy the experience.

Bonus

Looking for more free birthday offers? Here are a few that I couldn’t get to:

• David’s Tea – Become a Frequent Steeper member and get a free cup of any tea on that day
• The Body Shop – Join the Love Your Body™ Club and receive a free gift on your birthday
• Dairy Queen – Join the Blizzard Fan Club and get some birthday coupons: buy a medium Blizzard Treat and get one of equal or smaller size for free, plus a coupon for $3 off an 8-10″ Blizzard Cake
• Orange Julius – Join the Julius League and get a buy one, get one coupon on your birthday.