benihana chef’s table – shemakescents

Today is August 1^st and my birthday is in 10 days!!! In honor of my birthday and all of the August birthdays out there, I am in the process of creating a list of places that give birthday freebies. I was inspired to do this after reading an article about a 35 year old man by the name of Matthew Geniesse who redeemed about $300 in birthday freebies. Basically, all you have to do is sign up (via email) to these places and they send you stuff in the mail and your email. Every year I get something from Loehmanns, Victoria Secret, DSW, Bath & Body Works, and now I have added Benihana to the list because I signed up for their “Chef’s Table Email List” and they sent me a $30 gift certificate to use for my entire b-day month!

Today I signed up for Swagbucks, because I hear you get 50 extra swagbucks for your birthday. I will let you know at the end of the month how everything actually turns out.

Donna Freidman, a freelance writer for Smart Spending blog and Surviving and Thriving complied the list below.

Tips from the pros

There’s an art to grabbing gratis goodies. Keep these strategies in mind:

Set up a dedicated email account for birthday swag. Even if a business promises not to sell your info to marketers, it will likely send regular messages about sales and promotions.
Sign up for multiple offers, then s-t-r-e-t-c-h that celebration by dining or going out for dessert out as many times as you can in your birthday month. It helps to have friends who don’t mind being the buy-one half of the BOGO offers.
Call to make sure the local store accepts an offer (some franchisees opt out of national promotions).
Bring your ID and a printout of the offer, and tell the server ahead of time, not after the check has arrived.
When dining out, base your tip on what you would have paid, not what you actually paid.
Once your child ages out of the kiddie offers, sign him or her up for the appropriate grownup ones.
If it’s a “no purchase required” offer, such as a free bath product, don’t feel obligated to buy something. Just say “thank you” and go.