• Last year, I saw a TikTok video listing stores that give out free items on your birthday.
• This year, I got items including free cookies, free skincare, and free frozen yogurt.
• To get these rewards, I had to sign up for stores' accounts or download their apps.

Celebrating your birthday can get expensive, but if you set up free accounts at some of your favorite stores and restaurants, you can get plenty of things for free, too.

Last year, for my 23rd birthday, I decided to drive all over my local city picking up birthday freebies after a TikTok video told me it was possible. It was so much fun that I kept the tradition up again this year, even adding a couple of new places.

Here's how to enjoy a smorgasbord of Starbucks, Sephora, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and more on your special day.

A TikTok video inspired me to sign up for free accounts that gift me free items on my birthday.

After seeing a TikTok video last year before my 23rd birthday, I chose to drive all around my city picking up birthday freebies. In the video, user @blaircooleydietitian, showed her birthday haul from Crumbl Cookies, Sephora, Ulta, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Jersey Mike's, and Firehouse Subs.

"POV: you just spent 6 hours driving around to get all your bday freebies," said text on the screen, while the caption added, "These are only some of the items..."

It prompted me to check out her full list to see which businesses were near to me.

I had so much fun picking up the free treats that I decided to do the same this year, even adding new places after seeing another TikTok video with an updated list from the same creator.

Of course, I started my day with Starbucks.

I'm a regular Starbucks customer but on my birthday, I get to enjoy a drink of any size or type, with any add-ons, for free.

To get a free birthday drink, you need to have an active (and free) Starbucks Rewards account on the Starbucks app, where you will be prompted to enter your birthday.

Then, on your birthday, you'll receive a notification on your phone telling you of your reward. If you don't have notifications enabled, just open the app on your birthday and you'll see a pop-up window with the option to use the reward.

When you place your order on the app, there will be a birthday-reward option to apply to your order or, if you order in-store, just let your barista know that you have a birthday reward and they will scan the barcode from the app.

The free drink is only redeemable on your actual birthday.

My go-to birthday drink this fall — which would normally cost me $5.65 — is a venti cinnamon caramel cream cold brew with extra cold foam. But on your special day, Starbucks lets you go as crazy as you'd like!

A couple of days before the big day, Krispy Kreme sent me an email.

Krispy Kreme Rewards members receive a free doughnut upon sign-up and other promotional rewards throughout the year. For your birthday, you also get free doughnuts, which can be claimed any time within your birthday month.

Last year, I got an entire dozen of the original glazed doughnuts — which are normally $17.99 — for free. But this year, Krispy Kreme changed the policy, so I got a three-count doughnut box instead. But three is better than nothing at all, especially when it would normally cost me $7.09.

There aren't a lot of retail shops with freebies, but Sephora has to be my favorite.

I'm a Sephora Rouge member, which means I'm a frequent customer. Rouge is the top tier of rewards members in the free Beauty Insider membership, which makes me eligible to receive a free Sephora birthday gift every year on my birthday.

Each store carries a range of several gift-bundle options, from haircare products and makeup brands to fragrance samples and skincare bundles, and you get to choose one on your birthday.

The gift is free if you visit a Sephora store in person, whereas you need to make a minimum $25 purchase (another change made this year) to redeem it online. This year, I chose a skincare bundle from the Glow Recipe brand, which included a mini Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops (0.5 fluid ounces) and a mini Watermelon Glow Pore Tight Toner (0.84 fluid ounces). A similar version of this combination bundle costs $31. 

Crumbl Cookies is where cookie-lovers flock year round, but on your birthday, it's a must.

To get the free cookie of your choice, download the Crumbl Cookies app, join Crumbl Loyalty, and enter your date of birth. When your birthday rolls around, a reward voucher will appear on the app in the Wallet section. This is a great deal, as this single cookie would usually put me back $5. 

I went with the Brookie — and combination of a brownie and a cookie — and not a crumb was left to show for it.

It's not a birthday without cake, and this year, Nothing Bundt Cakes came through.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is a precious little shop that has my heart. There's nothing quite like a red-velvet Bundtlet with cream-cheese frosting or a chocolate chocolate-chip Bundtini.

A Bundtlet normally costs $6. But for free? It tastes even sweeter.

All I had to do was join Nothing Bundt Cakes' eClub, which sends the occasional newsletter and promotional email but — more importantly — will reward you with a free Bundtlet on your birthday. 

I am a sucker for a good frozen-yogurt swirl, and Pinkberry does it best.

I was surprised to learn frozen-yogurt store Pinkberry has its own rewards program. Upon signing up, I was given a Pinkcard. On your birthday, you can either be alerted after downloading the app or you will receive an email notifying you that a free small Pinkberry with toppings is loaded onto that card to be redeemed at any store. Give them your email or phone number at the register, and off you go with your free swirl.

I went for a chocolate hazelnut with brownie bites, chocolate-chip cookie dough, and caramel sauce. On any other day, this concoction would have cost me $6.75.

Chick-fil-A may charge for chicken and fries and shakes, but its desserts are free on your special day.

When signing up with your email to create a Chick-fil-A One Membership, just add your birthdate and download the app. On your birthday, a pop-up notification will alert you of your reward, which expires 30 days after the actual day.

You can get either a cookie or a brownie — for me, brownies are always the way to go. This treat would have normally cost $2.39.

On your birthday, Baskin Robbins lets you choose one of its 31 flavors for free.

My favorite flavor at the Baskin Robbins location near me is the Oreo S'mores. And with the QR code from the email sent to me three days before my birthday, I received a free 4-ounce scoop, which would have otherwise cost me $4.98. All I had to do was make a Baskin Robbins Birthday Club account.

I can also get a discount on any ice-cream cake for my birthday, with both deals redeemable up to two weeks after the big day.

My birthday this year yielded a good haul of freebies.

What started on a whim to pick up just a couple of free items morphed into a full-fledged trip to eight different locations. But I ended up with nearly $70 worth of free treats without spending a dime, and I had a lot of fun doing it.

Next year I plan to continue the tradition and maybe even add a few more stops.

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