I know I have mentioned that I believe my birthday should be a national holiday.

And…well…it should be.

But until that happens, I greatly enjoy the fact that I’m still sort of celebrating it even though it’s been “officially” over for almost a month.

How?

Remember how I mentioned that I seem to be on every email list known for every store ever created?  I wasn’t kidding.  Every year I get a ton of emails and mailers wishing me a happy birthday and giving me some special birthday offer to redeem either the week of my birthday or at some point during the month.

 

Since about 95% of these emails come from stores I shop at often or go to often, it’s pretty dang awesome and I greatly enjoy being able to save some money on my next visit.

Granted, some of the offers I get aren’t super….”exciting”.  There are some where it’s just free shipping on any order or like $20 off a $75 purchase.  I mean if you buy from somewhere a lot or make big purchases at some stores, that’s great, but not super exciting to me.

But there were some that made for some pretty awesome deals throughout the month. Since I get so many and want to use them I typically keep track of them in one of the notes pages of my Erin Condren planner.

As you can see, I used quite a bit of them.

I wanted to share a few of my favorite deals with all of you because some of these were just awesome.  The restaurant deals this year were some of my favorites because who doesn’t need to eat?  Check out some of the best ones:

This one from Ulta was by far one of my favorites.  This palette from NYX has an $18 value and came with any purchase . I needed more deep conditioner anyway, so this came with it and the colors are beautiful and perfect for fall.

I have a rewards account set up with EXPRESS and as their birthday gift they credit your EXPRESS NEXT rewards account with a $15 reward.  You can apply it to any order in store or online and you can use in conjunction with coupon codes, which makes it even more amazing.  So, I found these cute flats for work; after the NEXT reward and a 20% off and free shipping code, these flats cost me about $12.

I talked about this birthday freebie on Instagram because it’s pretty awesome.  With any purchase at Sephora, I got this deluxe sample size of Tarte Amazonian Clay blush and lipstick, both things I’ve wanted to try for awhile.  The blush is gorgeous.  It looks a bit dark for my complexion in the tub but if I’m lighthanded with it, it’s actually great on my skin tone and it’s a pretty decent size so it will actually probably last me quite awhile.

Then there is the delicious food.

Baja Fresh had a pretty awesome birthday offer which was a free burrito with any large drink purchase.  A large drink is about $2, so I got an entire meal for $2.  And if you’ve never had a burrito from Baja Fresh they’re pretty damn big and you get a side of chips with them.  So, it was definitely a hearty meal and definitely worth the $2.

While I am not a coffee drinker, I do kind of like Starbucks food, so I have their app for when I feel the need for a delicious pastry.  With the app, you can get a free item for your birthday. It can literally be anything; an overpriced drink, a sandwich, pastry; anything.  I grabbed one of my favorite pastries, which is their Coffee Crumb Cake; completely free and it was completely delicious.

The Corner Bakery, also a place I love.  I’m not sure if they are nationwide, but I kind of think of it as a restaurant similar to Panera (but with a smaller menu).  With Corner Bakery you can get a free baked good for your birthday.  And of course I picked the chocolate cake.  Who doesn’t love chocolate cake for their birthday?

And then there’s Coldstone.  I don’t think I have to say much other than BOGO Sundaes. Be still my heart.

Jason’s Deli is also a cult favorite of mine.  And when the offer is $5 off any purchase; I’m also pretty quick to jump at it.  Their Mediterranean wrap (which is delicious) is under $7 for the meal, so with the $5 off offer, it was under $2 for lunch.

Moe’s Southwest Grill is another favorite of mine that I don’t get to nearly as often as I would like, especially now that I don’t work down the street from one anymore.  Their offer was very similar to Baja Fresh’s deal except there was no purchase required, so I paid literally nothing for a huge burrito meal.

So, if you’ve ever wondered whether or not it’s worth it to sign up for email lists?  It very much is.  If you’re worried about spam/clutter in your mailbox, create a new email and just send all the offers to one designated account.  This way you can check it when you’re interested in shopping and ignore it when you aren’t.  Plus, you’ll be able to celebrate your birthday for the entire month instead of just a day.