My BirthdayÂ
It turns out the jeweler charges to alter the length of a necklace even if you purchase it from them. I found that out the day before my birthday when we went to the mall so I could cash in my free burger from Red Robin. I ended up buying the aforementioned $16 necklace from JCPenney after all, but it was on sale for only $11.20. I also got a second necklace from them for $9.99. On top of that, a few days before I ordered a cute necklace from Silver Jewelry Club (http://www.silverjewelryclub.com/default.aspx/) for $17.95 ($12.95 for the pendant and $5 for a chain). I’ve had that website in my bookmarks for years and check it every so often but never see anything I like until recently. So that concludes my jewelry buying for awhile. I tend to buy multiple inexpensive necklaces all at once and then won’t buy any for years.
I took the day off work for my birthday, which was the Tuesday, January 7th. To be technical, I just swapped days and worked on Monday instead. It was super cold (negative numbers) so Joe worked from home and drove me to work and picked me up. He was worried my 13 year old car wouldn’t want to start in such extreme cold weather. I do miss that parking garage at my old job! Now I park in a lot, and while my car is much closer to the building, I have to clean it off when it snows. Boo hoo!
So anyway, on Tuesday I opened my present from Joe which was a 50 mm camera lens. Then we went for an early matinee at the cheapie theater to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 which I really enjoyed despite not really getting into the first one. And even though the weather closed the area schools so there were a ton of kids in the theater, everyone was well behaved so it was all good. After the movie we had lunch at a Thai restaurant I had been wanting to try forever. It was a bit disappointing because it wasn’t as good as I was anticipating, but it still was nice trying something new.
I can’t remember what else we did that day. Probably nothing. It’s tough having a birthday in the winter, particularly when it’s been so cold and snowy this one.
Birthday Freebies
Since I like to document my birthday freebies every year, here’s the latest list where the ones I’ve redeemed have an asterisk next to them:
Buona Beef – Free original 7″ Buona Beef if you’re part of their Primo Club. Email comes 4 days before your birthday and offer is good until the 1st of the following month.
Classic Cinemas – Free movie ticket if you’re on their MovieTime Email list (which also sends other freebies throughout the year). Coupon arrives in your inbox the day before your birthday and is good for 30 days.
Culver’s – Free one-scoop sundae for being part of their club. Offer is good for 14 days from your birthday.
Half Price Books – 15% off entire purchase for being on their email list (they also send great coupons throughout the year). Email comes on your birthday and the coupon is good for 14 days.
Hooters – 10 boneless wings free for being part of their eClub. Email comes a couple of days before your birthday and the offer is good for 7 days following your birthday.
Houlihan’s – Complimentary entree up to $15 for being part of their eClub. Email arrives 4 days before your birthday and offer is good until 10 days after your special day.
IHOP – Free Rooty Tooty Fresh N’ Fruity (or menu item of equal or lesser value) for being part of the My Ihop Club. Coupon arrives a week before your birthday and is good for a week following your birthday.
Jason’s Deli – $5 off any item for being part of their Birthday Club. Email comes 5 days before your birthday and coupon expires 9 days after your birthday.
* Kellogg’s Family Rewards – Free code worth 100 points for being part of the rewards program. E-mail comes in on your birthday and the offer expires at the end of your birthday month.
* Noodles and Company – Free bowl of noodles for being part of their E-Club. Email arrives a week before your birthday and coupon expires at the end of the month.
Red Mango – 500 points ($5 value) is added to your Club Mango card. Email comes a couple of days before your birthday and the offer is good for 30 days.
* Red Robin – A free burger is added to your Red Royalty card and is good the entire month of your birthday. Email notice comes in on the 1st of the month.
Smashburger – Free shake with the purchase of any entree for being part of their SmashClub. Email comes a few days before your birthday and expires only 4 days from your birthday.
Sonic – Your choice between medium Tots, a 14 oz. CreamSlush® Treat, or a medium Soft Drink for being part of the My Sonic club. Note: You will be asked to choose these before they give you a coupon to print. Email comes on your birthday and the freebie is good for 14 days.
* Swagbucks – 50 bonus Swag Bucks added to your account. Email comes on your birthday. Expiration date is unknown.
* Starbucks – A free handcrafted beverage of any size when you have an account and registered card on that account. Email comes 5 days before your birthday and offer is good until the 1st of the following month. In addition, there’s a 15% off code for orders made on the site. You can use both offers.