Buzz
Almost every retail and fast-food chain offers a loyalty program nowadays, and many of the best ones include a birthday gift or discount. These programs typically don’t require proof of your birth date.
This means you can celebrate your birthday whenever you choose.
Stretching these freebies and discounts throughout the year lets you indulge in the joy of shopping or dining out without breaking the bank. The origin of this idea was quite self-serving: My birthday falls in December, so when the birthday deals arrive, I prefer to use my money for gifts for my family or traveling to visit them. While those birthday coupons could be used for presents, they tend to cater more to my own tastes rather than my family’s. My dad, no matter how much he loves me, won’t be impressed by the freebie from Ulta, right?
Next time you join a retailer’s loyalty club to grab that sweet or semi-sweet birthday discount they’re offering, choose a random birthdate. Pick the first of the month for simplicity, or set your birthday for the month after you sign up if you're eager for a freebie.
The advanced version of this hack is to sync your discounts with the seasons. For instance, if you're ready to start your New Year’s fitness journey with fresh sneakers, sign up to receive your birthday coupon in January.
Should I have saved this trick for Evil Week? Maybe. But if we're sharing our shopping habits with the brands we love, we might as well maximize the perks they offer us in return.
