Then I weighed myself. So all year I've been weighing myself on the same scale at the fitness center. I'm not actively dieting or trying to lose weight, I'm just curious. Anyway, I lost a whole 5 lbs from January to when I ran my marathon. Today I'm down another 1.5 lbs. Go figure. I don't think I lost that in muscle mass in 2 weeks.
Moving on...
I have always loved getting mail. When I was a kid, I signed up for all the birthday clubs that sent kids freebies on their birthday. As an adult, I discovered that birthdays clubs weren't just for kids. In fact, you can get some really nice gifts from your favorite stores on your birthday!
So next week is my birthday. My email is full of birthday gifts already! I think the best part about having a November birthday is that I can often use my birthday freebies with the holiday sales and score some really great deals.
Most of my birthday gifts are from stores where I have set up an account or belong to their free rewards club. Some stores I only frequent once a year for my birthday freebie but they send me a gift every year. Here are some of my favorites...
Starbucks - register a Starbucks gift card to get an account. You earn "stars" for your purchases and rewards with your stars. You will get a free drink loaded on your card for your birthday.
Godiva - sign up for their rewards program. Get a free piece of chocolate every month from their store. Get a $10 coupon for your birthday. You can get $10 of loose chocolate free at their store or use it towards something else or use it online. They tend to run their best deals online on Thanksgiving Day.
Kohls - sign up for their rewards program. Get a $10 coupon for your birthday. I just used mine combined with a sale and a 30% off coupon and got a pair of $54 Nike running tights for less than $30.
Vera Bradley - sign up for an account. Their birthday gifts vary. They have sent me coupons for $20 in the past. This year I got 40% off any one item. You can use it on a sale item. Don't ever pay full price for anything Vera.* They have rotating sales online every day. If you want something, I guarantee it will go on sale for 40% off or more at some point.
Shula's - join Team Shula. You will get a coupon for a free entrée with purchase of an entrée for your birthday. Their entrees are in the $30 - $40 range so this is a great deal. Date night for me!
Landry's Select Club - this is the dining club that includes Morton's Steakhouse and McCormick and Schmick's here in Indy. You get a $25 dining credit loaded onto your card your birthday month. Another lunch or dinner date for me at a fancy restaurant!
Coldwater Creek - sign up for their rewards program. Get a $10 coupon for your birthday. $10 might not seem like a lot but they have crazy deals in their outlet and there are free shipping codes all the time. I have gotten numerous tops there for less than $2. Sometimes they will also just send you a coupon for $25 off anything - usually about once a year.** Admittedly, one year, I went a little crazy and bought a bunch of stuff after Christmas when everything online was 70% off (happens every year). A couple weeks later I got an email asking if I wanted to secretly shop their store. Heck ya! They sent me a gift card to shop the store.
Sephora - sign up to be a Beauty Insider. You can pick up a nice product every year at the store for your birthday. It varies year to year. I've gotten Philosophy body wash, FRESH sugar lip treatment sets, and similar freebies. My other favorite thing about their program is that every year at the end of November you get a coupon for $15 off a $50 purchase. I use this to get my Philosophy fix for the year. I usually cash in some of my reward points from my Citicard Rewards in October and get a Sephora gift card to use for the balance.
Blue Mile - they will send you a coupon for $10 off $50.
Dunkin Donuts - sign up for their Dunkin update. You get a coupon for a free beverage for signing up and a free beverage for your birthday.
*
This was my last purchase. The unit price is the regular price. They had a deal where you got 25% off all the sale items when you put it in your cart. Shipping was free after $75 and you got a free bag if you spent $125. The shipping and free bag were based on the sale price of the item before the extra 25% off. I got two items that were on sale. Then I used a coupon code for $30 off a $100 purchase. End result, 3 items with a regular price of $232 for $75.11, shipped free to my door. Like I said, don't ever pay full price for Vera.
**
Gotta love free!
Looks like I'm not going to have any long runs any time soon so I'm prepping for holiday shopping deals instead. More deals to come this week!
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