10 Great Birthday Freebies

Find out where you can get a free treat or meal on your special day.

I love freebies -- especially on my birthday.

For my birthday yesterday my sweet daughter made me a gift certificate for a free massage, hair-do and makeover. And my husband promised to do a day's worth of yard work free of complaining.

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Now, getting your hair and makeup done by a 7-year-old -- even for free -- may not be your ideal birthday gift (it's the thought that counts, right?). But there are plenty of other birthday freebies available to anyone. Here are ten:

Barnes & Noble. Kids get a free cupcake on their birthday and can create a free digital book on Tikatok.com by signing up for the Barnes & Noble Kids' club.

Baskin-Robbins. You can get a free 2.5-ounce scoop on your birthday (plus special offers and coupons) if you sign up for the Baskin-Robbins Birthday Club at www.baskinrobbins.com or on the Baskin-Robbins Facebook page.

Benihana. If you join The Chef's Table, Benihana will e-mail you a $30 gift certificate during the month of your birthday. Children 12 and younger will receive a free mug with the purchase of a kid's meal during their birthday month if they join the Kabuki Kids program.

Buca di Beppo. You can get a free brownie on your birthday, free dessert of your choice on your anniversary and free appetizer for joining the Buca di Beppo eClub.

California Pizza Kitchen. Children can receive a free CPKids meal during their birthday month by joining the CPKids Birthday Club.

Denny's. Get a free Grand Slam breakfast on your birthday.

IHOP. If you join the Pancake Revolution, you'll get a free meal on your birthday.

Moe's Southwest Grill. Get a free burrito on your birthday by joining Moe's E-world.

Ruby Tuesday. You can get a free burger on your birthday if you join Ruby Tuesday's So Connected program.

Zaxby's. Receive a free meal deal (an entree with fries and a drink) and a nibbler for your birthday by joining the Zax Mail Club.

Plenty of other restaurants, such as Maggiano's and Red Lobster, offer unspecified birthday freebies for subscribing to their e-mail lists. And several restaurants, such as Don Pablo's, P.F. Chang's and T.G.I. Friday's, give you free birthday treats if you join their rewards programs, which let you accrue points when you dine there.

Hey, It's Free! also has a long list of birthday freebies. If you don't see your favorite establishment on the list, it doesn't mean that you can't get a freebie there on your birthday. Ask your server or the store clerk about birthday specials.

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Cameron Huddleston
Former Online Editor, Kiplinger.com

Award-winning journalist, speaker, family finance expert, and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk.

Cameron Huddleston wrote the daily "Kip Tips" column for Kiplinger.com. She joined Kiplinger in 2001 after graduating from American University with an MA in economic journalism.