Birthday Free Stuff

First of all, it is my birthday!! So happy birthday to me, I am the lackluster but nevertheless exciting 22. Twenty-two was my favorite number to say as a part of Somers Volleyball while doing crunches and repeatedly counting with the team to 25, so... it's going to be a good year! I've been thinking about resolutions for myself, or even Autumn Resolutions, since it is turning into that lovely time of year, but I haven't gotten much farther than identifying a few goals including 1.) pay off all student debt 2.) clean out my closet and 3.) get a good job review in December.


This blog offers a solid Birthday Freebies post with a fairly comprehensive list of all the offers that apply to someone having their special day. I didn't come close to anything like this, but I have partaken in a few perks of the 9/19 date. So here are the ones that yours truly, Laura, have actually gotten and supremely appreciated.
The My Cold Stone Club at Cold Stone entitles you to a free ice cream on your bday
Being a Chunk Spelunker at Ben and Jerry's also gets you a free ice cream, which I didn't know until today. I went in and the gentleman behind the counter informed me that it requires a coupon from e-mail, which I neglected to care about when I'd read about it online. But here I was, so he gave me ice cream anyway. Ben and Jerry's people are great.
Being a Sephora Beauty Insider got me wonderful bubble bath solution the other day (from Philosophy, so it claims it can act as Shampoo.. no thanks. But it is scented as Vanilla Cupcake, smells nice!)
Becoming a member of Starbucks Rewards entitles you to a free beverage coupon in around the time of your birthday, though I'm still waiting for mine in the mail. There is no maximum number of espresso shots or ounces of beverage, so Do It Up.
Swagbucks.com e-mailed me a coupon for 50 Swagbucks today. Considering the redemption value there is 450 points for a $5 giftcard, 50 points is about $.56, but that's actually pretty decent for a website that churns out gift cards for me fairly often.
DSW Shoe Warehouse Rewards also gave me a $5 gift certificate for the month, as well as a $10 one for joining. With this and my mom's starter gift certificate, I got a $27 clutch for $2. Word. They let me combine coupons with no hassle.
CVS ExtraCare Rewards sent me a $2 coupon for anything in the store to be used before 9/16, which is a little early, but hey that's cool with me. I used it in combination with a $2 off Sally Hansen nail polish coupon, also from CVS, and picked up this little number: which at the Hoboken CVS was more like $6.50 than it was $4.59. Gotta remind myself to stop going to that one.
Then there's always the obvious, Applebees and a bunch of other restaurants give you free dessert. But in my day we never let the bday celebratee pay for his or her own dish, so this is, though exciting, rather irrelevant in the eyes of a birthday celebrator.
Tickets to TV shows that are taped in your area.
I admit it, you really have to live in a metropolitan area at the very least in order to do this. Annnd it might not have to be your birthday. But, quick story, I got Martha Stewart tickets for my mother and myself for the taping of 9/27, and was soon told I could only attend if I had a birthday in September. Ding ding ding ding!!!! I do!!!!! And really, when has having a September birthday ever paid off for ANYONE? Is getting a beautiful tape dispenser really what you wanted as a fourth grader? No. School supplies are great and all, but it's not a great time of year for a birthday. (But not as bad as Christmas.)
So every once in a while, maybe only once in a lifetime, it will pay to have your birthday on that particular date.

Happy Birthday to all the other September babies out there. And to everybody, happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! Hopefully Pirate Parties are going down all over.

Just because I feel like it, today I will treat to a tale of myself as a youngster in a new segment that may become a weekly favorite, Bad Ideas. This particular Bad Idea happened when I was at the ripe age of 13, in 8th grade. In the midst of my awkward years I thought it would be a great idea to drag attention to my undeveloped form if I costumed for Halloween as a prostitute. If you think about it, this is a pretty brilliant costume if you want everyone to know you have low self-esteem. It's to the point; it's no bullshit Cute Bumblebee costume or Sexy Strawberry Shortcake, it's just a woman who cavorts with those who can afford her a better lifestyle, at the cost of her soul. No big deal. Though I did purchase a few odds and ends to get across the "I Sell Sex" aesthetic, I did not wind up trick-or-treating in said costume, thankgod.
Children, especially females, if for some reason you ever get the faintest idea that it will make you proud of yourself for your cunning, your creativity, or, whatever, by going to Halloween dressed as a prostitute, You. Are. Mistaken. Just don't do it, hopefully you'll figure out why it's dumb later in life.

But hey 9-19 isn't just my birthday or talk like a pirate day. It's time to buy Halloween costumes!!!!! Look for me to discuss making them on the CHEAP in a future post.