Tracking down any new series leads, like this Tropical Smoothie Cafe birthday freebie, is like hunting for Moby Dick at this point. It took me over a year just to verify their free smoothie deal even existed.
Okay, fine, I didn't go on any boats nor did anybody from Tropical Smoothie try to drown me. Yeah, that's right, I've read some books!
EDIT: Thanks to everybody who came out and chatted today! We had a blast, I'll definitely host another early next week.
One of the nice perks of working for yourself is not having to screw around with a car or public transportation. You get to roll out of bed and immediately step into your “office.” However the total lack of human interaction can start to mess with you. I get out of my apartment at least once a day, but with the way technology is now there's no reason why I can't hang out with Hiffers!
So today around 5:00 est I'm going to host a live video chat on Twitch. You should be able to join the chat room after making a free account, which takes no longer than 15 seconds. You don't even have to verify your email. It's nice and easy.
Who knows, maybe nobody is interested in this and I just sit in a chat room talking to myself. Wouldn't be the first time! 😀 We can talk about whatever though! Freebies, sports, the meaning of life. I don't really care, let's just hang out and chat!
I don't subscribe to many membership clubs. Amazon Prime is the rare exception. I pay every year and actually enjoy doing so. That's how much I love Prime! But did you know that college students or anybody with an .edu email gets free Amazon Prime 2-day shipping perks on top of all the other Amazon Prime perks? The main draw of Prime has always been free two-day shipping on millions of products from Amazon (laughing at their oversized boxes is a nice bonus too!), but the shipping perk is quickly taking a backseat to the ever increasing trove of free streaming TV show, movies, and Kindle book rentals Amazon offers.
I love getting emails from readers. I might not respond to them in a timely fashion, but I read each and every one that comes across my screen and sometimes they are just too good not to share. Hiffer Carrie sent in this tale that I thought you all would enjoy.
On Tuesday, my 4 kids and I took a ride on the local ferry. We're from New Orleans, and it crosses back and forth on the Mississippi River. It's not something we normally do, but it was a cool adventure – and it's FREE!!! Anyway, just as we were docking, my 6 year old announces, “MY FINGER'S STUCK!!!” The chairs onboard are all those molded fiberglass 60's style, bolted-in-a-row things, with one small hole in the center of each seat. And yes, he really had it good and stuck in one. We tried and tried to wiggle it out to no avail. He was scared and crying and the ship was unloading and getting ready to head back across. I was about to panic when I remembered that in my purse was a FREE SAMPLE OF SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER. I whipped it out, thought for a moment which side to choose, then coated his finger above and below in shampoo. Out it popped! So basically, you can consider your website a LIFESAVING RESOURCE!!! Thanks a bunch!!!
Sounds like something I would do! No, not thinking of using the shampoo to get a kid's finger unstuck, but getting my own finger stuck.
Let's talk about Ibotta for a minute, shall we? To me it sounds like one of those pills you'd see a commercial for with people sitting in outdoor bathtubs. “Don't take Ibotta if you're pregnant, have an upset stomach, or handled rabbit fur within the past 5 days. Common side effects include drowsiness, diarrhea, and an unpleasant conversation with your roommate one day.”
But in reality it's a pretty cool app for your Android, iPhone, or other iOS supported device that pays you to shop for groceries. You can think of it as a new form of coupons. After downloading it and registering, you can see a list of products that, if you purchase, will earn you money on the same scale of a coupon.
So take the image below for example. If I purchase Capri Sun, I can earn $1.00. If I purchase Kool-Aid Singles, I can earn another dollar.
As you can see, it's honestly free money if you're already buying these items. And it's not just food. I have $0.50 for Chap Stick, $1.50 for Tresemme shampoo, $1.25 for Colgate toothpaste, and a bunch more.
So, any Hiffers out there already using Ibotta? What do ya think?!
We've all been there. You're checking out with a million items, the kids are fighting over Frosted Chocolate Flakes or Cocoa Sugar Squares, and is there even a bottle of wine left in the rack at home?
Then what happens when you get ready to pay? The dang register rejects that $0.50 coupon you planned to use! What now?!
Cry. Seriously, how is this not your go-to move? Cry, wail, let the river of snot flow as you curl into a fetal position in front of the register and moan to your deity of choice how life is unfair. This should solve 80% of situations.
Scream. Crying didn't work? Well then, it's on to causing a scene! Get angry! Demand to see the manager. Start throwing things! There's always candy bars within arm's reach. Go for a Snickers, those condensed peanuts pack a wallop.
Cut a deal. Okay, violence won't get your anywhere. Let me guess, the checkout person looks to still be in high school, right? Slip them a $20! Heck, grab a pack of cigarettes and some Mike's Hard Lemonade and ask which car is theirs. If those items just happened to end up in their trunk, well…just make sure there aren't any security cameras in the parking lot.
Give up. You're right, bribing minors with illegal goods probably isn't the smartest idea in the world. Thanks, Dr. Nerdburger. Fine, you have any better ideas?! If nothing has worked at this point, then you might be screwed. Looks like you won't be saving a Kennedy and you know what that means? You're half a dollar closer to being broke and on the street. Way to go, Parent of the Year over here.
Gain inner peace. Ahhh, what the hell, right? We're talking about half the price of a Redbox after all. Accept the fact that it's just not meant to be and move on. Though grabbing another bottle of wine probably isn't a bad idea. Just in case.
Of course, I'm no lawyer, so you probably shouldn't take any of this advice to heart nor act on it.
If one free doughnut of your choice doesn't excite you, then we can't be friends. That's exactly what the Krispy Kreme's birthday freebie offer is.
However, it's recently become even better, because Krispy Kreme now gives you a free small coffee or fountain drink during your birthday month.
A free blast of sugar and caffeine? I think I'm in love.
If you used to get this freebie via email, then heads up. You'll need to go through either their iOs or Android app. Krispy Kreme phased out the email program in 2018 and moved their rewards system over to their apps.
🎂 Our giant list of other birthday freebies is certain to have other free birthday offers you'll enjoy!
Here's another new birthday freebie that I've been meaning to post but forgot year in and year out. Upon registering online, you'll be mailed an actual postcard for the Biggby Coffee birthday freebie. The real test will be when I ask for a free liquified cupcake. Hey, it's my beverage of choice!
Hydroxycut has moved their freebie system over to an internal VIP club. All you have to do is make a free account and you'll be the first to hear about samples, coupons, and other freebies.
We used to be able to select up to three free Hydroxycut samples on their Facebook page, ranging from gummies to sprinkles. Sprinkles?! Heck yeah! I guess that means I can lose weight while eating tons of ice cream.
Hey! Remember this series?! Seeing as it's my birthday today, I have a mountain of offers to review in order to help update our birthday freebies page. Don't believe me? Have a look at this. Yeeeeeeah, that's going to take a while.
At least I should be. If I'm in any other country than Oman right now, I am seriously lost.
So why am I gone this week? *shoulders shrug* Why not?
I left last Sunday, hence the sparse amount of posts since then. I return this Sunday as well, so things should return to normal before you know it. Oh, I found the cause of HIF's recent slow load time! So having squashed that bug is nice.
Okay, I've run out of information to share. Have a good few days without me! How about y'all talk to each other in the comments? Make a few new friends from fellow Hiffers.
I was in Amsterdam last week with my brother and there were signs everywhere saying “Magic Christmas!” It's become one of our newest favorite sayings.
I hope everybody had a Magic Christmas or Hanukkah or Boxing Day or Festivus or casual Tuesday or whatever the heck you happen to be celebrating this week. I've been home for a few days and probably won't work until tomorrow. It's my brother's birthday and it's snowing outside! All I can focus on right now is making snowballs and launching sneak attacks.