These gorgeous Glass Pedestal Cake Plates with Party Theme Domes regularly retail for $79.99, but you can grab one of these four styles – birthday candles, birthday party, cupcakes or happy birthday – for just $34.99 with FREE shipping! 

As if it’s not frugal enough making four of my five kids share a birthday every year (they WERE all born two minutes apart!), I still look for ways to give them a great day as inexpensively as possible.

They had a birthday party for family and a few friends a couple of weeks ago before my Aunt Diana moved back to her beloved Pittsburgh.  She’s a college professor who works mostly online and she graciously moved down here three years ago to help out with the quads.  Now that they’ve started school she’s moved back home, but we couldn’t have the BIG FIVE celebration without her so we did it early.  Also thanks to Aunt Di the kids had a fabulously fun party at Triple Play, the local bouncy house, that she paid for by trading her time helping out with other birthday parties on a couple Saturdays.

Yesterday we had a small celebration at the school for them and I had planned to grab some cupcakes at Publix and be done with it, but I just couldn’t bring myself to pay a buck each for them when I had everything needed to make them at home.  They were beautifully decorated and nicely packaged, but they were $5.49 for a package of six, I’d need four so $22 or $24 with tax – OUCH!  Instead I made two dozen for less than $3 from the stockpile.

I only had to add a couple more bucks to the $21 I saved on cupcakes to make these “sweet” goody bags!  I got the Crazy Bands for a dollar each awhile back and saved them for this purpose, the bag of filler candy from Walgreens for $4, a huge box of popcorn balls for $5, big box of ring pops for $4.50 and the bags themselves were 8/$1 a couple weeks ago at Walgreens.  To finish them off I printed out a sheet of labels that said Happy Birthday and had their names on them to seal the bags.  The kids had a blast and their classmates really enjoyed the goody bags!

Thursday is my birthday (I won’t say which one – only that I started counting backwards a few years ago) and I was trying to figure out what my husband might like to do for me when I stumbled upon a HUGE list of birthday freebies at Hey It’s Free.  Here’s a list of my faves (hint, hint honey):

Food & Restaurants

• Acapulco – You’ll get a 100% free entree plus a free Guacamole right when you sign up.
• Applebees – Free dessert. They also have a newsletter, but no word if it sends out a birthday coupon or not.
• Atlanta Bread Company – They have a VIP eClub that you can sign up for, gaining you a free cookie on your birthday.
• Auntie Anne’s Pretzels – They’ll send you monthly coupons all year long if you sign up for their newsletter, so it’s pretty safe to guess you’ll get a birthday treat.
• Baskin Robbins – Get a free ice cream treat if you sign up for their Birthday Club.
• Beef ‘O’ Brady’s – They’ll send you a coupon for a free appetizer.
• Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream – Become a Chunk Spelunker and you can get some free ice cream!
• Chicken of the Sea – Join their Mermaid Club and they’ll send you a free birthday gift. I’m just hoping it’s not a tuna-flavored cake or anything…
• Chili’s – Free dessert if you join their club.
• Coldstone Creamery – Join now and get a free creation on your birthday.
• Country Buffet – Join the Mega Bar Meal club and get not only a free meal on your birthday, but a free meal just for signing up!
• Dairy Queen – Free ice cream coupon via e-mail for kids 16 and under. They also have a Blizzard Club for adults with the same offer.
• Denny’s – Free original Grand Slam breakfast, but only on your birthday!
• Fazoli’s – Join their eFamily and get a coupon for a free desert.
• Fire Mountain – Join the Mega Bar Meal club and get a free meal on your birthday.
• Firehouse Subs – Sign up and get an email for a free sub.
• Hard Rock Cafe – Free dessert
• Krispy Kreme – Free half dozen glazed donuts and a coffee mug with either coffee or soda in it! You might want to sign up ahead of time.
• Logan’s Roadhouse – Join their Nut Club and get a coupon for a free slice of cheesecake. Sometimes they’ll sing for you as well.  (I’d take the cake without the song please)
• O’Charley’s – Get $5 off any $20 food purchase.
• Quizno’s – Join their mailing list and get a free cookie. You’ll also get a coupon for a free Sammie when you sign up.
• Red Lobster – Their Overboard Club will send you a coupon for $5 off two adult entrees.
• Ruby Tuesday – Free handcrafted burger of your choice.
• Schlotzsky’s – Get a free sandwich if you sign up ahead of time.
• Smoky Bones – Members of the Bones Club get a free meal or appetizer, not sure which.
• TGI Friday’s – Free birthday dessert plus free appetizer just for signing up!
• Waffle House – Join their Regulars Club and get a special coupon.
• Wendy’s – Free kids meal for the little ones and a free frosty for us adults.
• Zaxby’s – Join their Z-Mail club and you’ll get a coupon for a free meal, whether or not it’s your birthday! Kids can sign up here for their Kid Club and get not only a free meal, but a free cookie on their birthday!

Entertainment / Services / Other

• Academy Sports & Outdoors – Sign up in advance and you’ll get a $5 gift card on your bday.
• Aveda – Sign up at least 28 days before your bday and get a free Personal Blends Pure-Fume
• Brunswick Bowling – Join the Bonus Zone and get a free game of bowling on your birthday.
• Disney Movie Rewards – Get a code via e-mail for 25 Birthday Bonus Points.
• Medieval Times – Sign up in advance and they’ll send you a free ticket (worth $53!) to one of their feast and tournaments.
• Proctor & Gamble – They’ll send you a batch of BOGO coupons for various products. (I had no idea about this one!)