I spent my birthday week walking around NYC looking for freebies. Here's how I saved $140.

Jordan Parker ErbAug 13, 2022, 17:48 IST

Some brands that offer birthday freebies include Chipotle, Dunkin', and Sephora.Jordan Erb/Insider

I spent the week of my birthday scouring New York City for birthday freebies and discounts.
In total, I visited 10 businesses around the city and saved nearly $140.

I love free things (who doesn't?)! And since many brands offer birthday freebies, I recently decided to see how much free stuff I could get ahead of my 25th birthday.

The author is shown on her birthday.Jordan Erb/Insider

Over approximately one week, I stopped by 10 stores around New York City and received many gifts, from a dozen donuts to a handful of beauty samples. In total, I scored $138.57 worth of stuff.

But this was no easy feat. I started planning at least a week ahead, plotting out the places I knew had discounts or freebies and entering them all into a spreadsheet.

An example of the spreadsheet I used to find birthday freebies in NYC.Jordan Erb/Insider

Three days before my actual birthday, I headed out to start collecting freebies. My first stop: Krispy Kreme.

A Krispy Kreme storefront.Newscast/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The experiment started off strong. About a week before my visit, I had signed up for a Krispy Kreme rewards account, which is required if you want a birthday treat.

Krispy Kreme emailed me this coupon ahead of my birthday.Jordan Erb/Insider

When I got to the store, I told the employee it was the week of my birthday and showed her an email I'd received that promised a free box of a dozen donuts anytime during my birthday month.

Glazed Krispy Kreme donuts.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

When I got to the store, I told the employee it was the week of my birthday and showed her an email I'd received that promised a free box of a dozen donuts anytime during my birthday month.

She asked for my phone number, confirmed my name, and passed over a toasty-warm box of glazed donuts worth $15.29 free of charge. My sense of victory made them taste that much sweeter.

The author smiles with a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.Jordan Erb/Insider.

She asked for my phone number, confirmed my name, and passed over a toasty-warm box of glazed donuts worth $15.29 free of charge. My sense of victory made them taste that much sweeter.

As if hitting up one doughnut shop wasn't enough, I dragged my coworker across the street from our office to Dunkin' later that day.

A map shows Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts are about 2 minutes away from each other.Jordan Erb/Insider

Even though I had signed up for their "DD Perks" about a week in advance, I still hadn't received a coupon for their promised birthday beverage, but I gave it a shot anyway.

A Dunkin' Donuts storefront near Insider's New York City headquarters.Jordan Erb/Insider

Even though I had signed up for their "DD Perks" about a week in advance, I still hadn't received a coupon for their promised birthday beverage, but I gave it a shot anyway.

The employees initially told me they couldn't offer me a free drink. But after some explaining (and perhaps to get me to stop talking), they asked for my order and handed me a medium iced coffee, valued at about $3.19.

The author smiles with an iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.Jordan Erb/Insider

The employees initially told me they couldn't offer me a free drink. But after some explaining (and perhaps to get me to stop talking), they asked for my order and handed me a medium iced coffee, valued at about $3.19.

After finishing up my iced coffee at a nearby park, my coworker and I took a short walk over to Sephora.

The author holds an Amika mini set outside of a Sephora.Jordan Erb/Insider

I'm a Sephora rewards member already, so they started emailing me early in July about cashing in on birthday rewards, and I couldn't wait to snag mine.

Amika's mini set, pictured here, comes with two hair masks and a dry shampoo.Jordan Erb/Insider

I opted for an Amika mini set of dry shampoo, a "nourishing" hair mask, and an "instant shine" hair mask, which, according to one Reddit sleuth, is worth about $10.82.

The Amika birthday set came with two hair masks and a bottle of dry shampoo.Jordan Erb/Insider

I love free beauty samples, and I'm also already an Ulta rewards member, so after work, I took the train to Midtown Manhattan to visit Ulta.

The Ulta store in Midtown Manhattan.Jordan Erb/Insider

Sadly, when I asked an employee for my free birthday gift, she said they'd already sold out of them for the month.

A digital coupon shows Ulta's July birthday gift, which was a mini mascara.Jordan Erb/Insider

I left the store empty-handed and pretty bummed, making Ulta the first flop of my experiment. Since you can grab your birthday gift as soon as they send you the coupon, I plan to score mine earlier in the month next year.

The author poses with a "thumbs down" outside of the Ulta in Midtown Manhattan.Jordan Erb/Insider

I left the store empty-handed and pretty bummed, making Ulta the first flop of my experiment. Since you can grab your birthday gift as soon as they send you the coupon, I plan to score mine earlier in the month next year.

I ended the day with a visit to Times Square, home to one of the only Olive Gardens in New York City. I didn't love getting jostled about in the busy tourist destination, but I thought it was a fair price to pay for a freebie.

The author at Olive Garden in Times Square.Jordan Erb/Insider

I ended the day with a visit to Times Square, home to one of the only Olive Gardens in New York City. I didn't love getting jostled about in the busy tourist destination, but I thought it was a fair price to pay for a freebie.

I told the waiter it was my birthday, and he returned with a fleet of employees who clapped, sang, and delivered a slice of cake worth $12.29. I was mostly delighted and only a little bit embarrassed.

The black tie mousse cake at Olive Garden.Jordan Erb/Insider

I told the waiter it was my birthday, and he returned with a fleet of employees who clapped, sang, and delivered a slice of cake worth $12.29. I was mostly delighted and only a little bit embarrassed.

While not technically a freebie, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a seriously discounted tattoo. So the next day, I headed to Uplift, a tattoo studio in Soho that offers a 25% birthday discount.

The author at Uplift, a tattoo studio in Soho, which offers a 25% birthday discount on tattoos.Jordan Erb/Insider

While not technically a freebie, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a seriously discounted tattoo. So the next day, I headed to Uplift, a tattoo studio in Soho that offers a 25% birthday discount.

When I got home that night, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had an email from Delta Air Lines. I wasn't planning on flying any time soon, but I was happy to add 500 free miles to my rewards account.

A digital coupon from Delta.Jordan Erb/Insider

When I got home that night, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had an email from Delta Air Lines. I wasn't planning on flying any time soon, but I was happy to add 500 free miles to my rewards account.

A few days later, on my actual birthday, Chipotle sent over a birthday coupon for a free bag of chips and a side, about a $6.15 value.

A digital coupon advertises Chipotle's birthday gift, which is a free bag of chips and a dip — either queso or guacamole.Jordan Erb/Insider

Because it was raining in New York and I hadn't bought groceries for the week, I opted to treat myself to delivery. As a huge fan of Chipotle's chips, I loved that this freebie came to me.

The author holds up a bag of chips she got delivered from Chipotle.Jordan Erb/Insider

Because it was raining in New York and I hadn't bought groceries for the week, I opted to treat myself to delivery. As a huge fan of Chipotle's chips, I loved that this freebie came to me.

Four days after my birthday, I went to frozen-yogurt shop Pinkberry to score their birthday treat: a free small swirl with toppings.

The author at Pinkberry, where she got a free frozen yogurt.Jordan Erb/Insider

I loaded up a small cup with $7.64-worth of mango frozen yogurt, fruit, and mochi. Considering the serious heat this summer, I was glad of the cold, sweet afternoon treat.

A small mango frozen yogurt with kiwi, mango, and mochi toppings.Jordan Erb/Insider

I loaded up a small cup with $7.64-worth of mango frozen yogurt, fruit, and mochi. Considering the serious heat this summer, I was glad of the cold, sweet afternoon treat.

Finally, I wrapped up my birthday freebie experiment with a visit to Panera in New York City's Koreatown.

Panera's birthday coupon.Jordan Erb/Insider

I picked out a flip-flop-shaped sugar cookie worth $3.19 for my birthday treat.

The flip-flop-shaped cookie the author got from Panera.Jordan Erb/Insider

Not every store was a success. Some of the birthday "freebies" required a purchase I just wasn't willing to make, while others had rules that I wasn't aware of.

A tin of cookies from Milk Bar.Milk Bar

BareMinerals offers rewards members a birthday gift, but you have to buy something first. Because I didn't need any more beauty products than I already have, I opted not to go for this one.

bareMinerals' rewards program.Jordan Erb/Insider

BareMinerals offers rewards members a birthday gift, but you have to buy something first. Because I didn't need any more beauty products than I already have, I opted not to go for this one.

Starbucks offers rewards members a free birthday drink, but only if they've made a "star-eligible purchase" before the day of their birthday. I didn't realize this in time and missed out on my birthday freebie.

A cold Starbucks drink with whipped cream.Bankoo/Shutterstock

Starbucks offers rewards members a free birthday drink, but only if they've made a "star-eligible purchase" before the day of their birthday. I didn't realize this in time and missed out on my birthday freebie.

Overall, this was a fun experience, and I'll do it again, though not to the same extent. Now that I've done much of the legwork, I plan to redeem a few birthday freebies at my leisure next year.

The author with a box of donuts and a piece of cake.Jordan Erb/Insider

Overall, this was a fun experience, and I'll do it again, though not to the same extent. Now that I've done much of the legwork, I plan to redeem a few birthday freebies at my leisure next year.

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I spent my birthday week walking around NYC looking for freebies. Here's how I saved $140.

I love free things (who doesn't?)! And since many brands offer birthday freebies, I recently decided to see how much free stuff I could get ahead of my 25th birthday.

Over approximately one week, I stopped by 10 stores around New York City and received many gifts, from a dozen donuts to a handful of beauty samples. In total, I scored $138.57 worth of stuff.

But this was no easy feat. I started planning at least a week ahead, plotting out the places I knew had discounts or freebies and entering them all into a spreadsheet.

Three days before my actual birthday, I headed out to start collecting freebies. My first stop: Krispy Kreme.

The experiment started off strong. About a week before my visit, I had signed up for a Krispy Kreme rewards account, which is required if you want a birthday treat.

When I got to the store, I told the employee it was the week of my birthday and showed her an email I'd received that promised a free box of a dozen donuts anytime during my birthday month.

She asked for my phone number, confirmed my name, and passed over a toasty-warm box of glazed donuts worth $15.29 free of charge. My sense of victory made them taste that much sweeter.

As if hitting up one doughnut shop wasn't enough, I dragged my coworker across the street from our office to Dunkin' later that day.

Even though I had signed up for their "DD Perks" about a week in advance, I still hadn't received a coupon for their promised birthday beverage, but I gave it a shot anyway.

The employees initially told me they couldn't offer me a free drink. But after some explaining (and perhaps to get me to stop talking), they asked for my order and handed me a medium iced coffee, valued at about $3.19.

After finishing up my iced coffee at a nearby park, my coworker and I took a short walk over to Sephora.

I'm a Sephora rewards member already, so they started emailing me early in July about cashing in on birthday rewards, and I couldn't wait to snag mine.

I opted for an Amika mini set of dry shampoo, a "nourishing" hair mask, and an "instant shine" hair mask, which, according to one Reddit sleuth, is worth about $10.82.

I love free beauty samples, and I'm also already an Ulta rewards member, so after work, I took the train to Midtown Manhattan to visit Ulta.

Sadly, when I asked an employee for my free birthday gift, she said they'd already sold out of them for the month.

I left the store empty-handed and pretty bummed, making Ulta the first flop of my experiment. Since you can grab your birthday gift as soon as they send you the coupon, I plan to score mine earlier in the month next year.

I ended the day with a visit to Times Square, home to one of the only Olive Gardens in New York City. I didn't love getting jostled about in the busy tourist destination, but I thought it was a fair price to pay for a freebie.

I told the waiter it was my birthday, and he returned with a fleet of employees who clapped, sang, and delivered a slice of cake worth $12.29. I was mostly delighted and only a little bit embarrassed.

While not technically a freebie, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a seriously discounted tattoo. So the next day, I headed to Uplift, a tattoo studio in Soho that offers a 25% birthday discount.

When I got home that night, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had an email from Delta Air Lines. I wasn't planning on flying any time soon, but I was happy to add 500 free miles to my rewards account.

A few days later, on my actual birthday, Chipotle sent over a birthday coupon for a free bag of chips and a side, about a $6.15 value.

Because it was raining in New York and I hadn't bought groceries for the week, I opted to treat myself to delivery. As a huge fan of Chipotle's chips, I loved that this freebie came to me.

Four days after my birthday, I went to frozen-yogurt shop Pinkberry to score their birthday treat: a free small swirl with toppings.

I loaded up a small cup with $7.64-worth of mango frozen yogurt, fruit, and mochi. Considering the serious heat this summer, I was glad of the cold, sweet afternoon treat.

Finally, I wrapped up my birthday freebie experiment with a visit to Panera in New York City's Koreatown.

I picked out a flip-flop-shaped sugar cookie worth $3.19 for my birthday treat.

Not every store was a success. Some of the birthday "freebies" required a purchase I just wasn't willing to make, while others had rules that I wasn't aware of.

BareMinerals offers rewards members a birthday gift, but you have to buy something first. Because I didn't need any more beauty products than I already have, I opted not to go for this one.

Starbucks offers rewards members a free birthday drink, but only if they've made a "star-eligible purchase" before the day of their birthday. I didn't realize this in time and missed out on my birthday freebie.

Overall, this was a fun experience, and I'll do it again, though not to the same extent. Now that I've done much of the legwork, I plan to redeem a few birthday freebies at my leisure next year.