Forty and Fabulous . . . and Free!!!!!

me, circa 1975 or so

I can vividly recall when somebody said they were 40, me and my friends would be like "WOW, THEY'RE OLD!" Well, looking at it now that I have officially made the transition from my thirties to the milestone of 40, it doesn't quite seem as old and I once envisioned it was. Not to say that I haven't lived a whole bunch of years and had a whole bunch of experiences, but I really don't feel old. And thankfully, people say I don't "look" 40 - whatever that means. What am I supposed to be walking around hunched over and waving a AARP membership card or something?

Now I'm not of the mindset that "40 is the new 30" . . . it's the same damn 40 but I am grateful for the many days (and experiences) that have brought me to this day. I don't feel any different and still resemble my young self so I'm good. You know they say good black don't crack and so thanks to the melanin that makes that my reality - no wrinkles and no gray yet. And hopefully kids help keep you young and since I do have quite a few although sometimes I feel like they're aging me exponentially.

Another benefit of me finding all kinds of things "free" is that I have signed up for nearly every free birthday club offer that I can find so I have received a lot of random "happy birthday" messages that come with benefits. My list is looking good and I will definitely be cashing in on this birthday . . . literally. Sign yourself up too to reap your BBs - birthday benefits.

• AMC theaters (http://www.amctheaters.com/) Movie Watchers get a coupon for a free large soda (at least that's what I got) that is valid for the 30 days following your birthday. And with the price of a large soda and the fact that you can get free refills on large sodas (and large popcorn) I'm definitely going to enjoy this (a couple of times if I can).
• Baskin Robbins (http://www.baskinrobbins.com/) birthday club members get one free scoop with a coupon that's valid for 5 days after the special day.
• Cold Stone Creamery (http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/) birthday club members get a coupon for free a "Like It" size ice cream for their special day that is valid for a week following.
• Famous Dave's (http://www.famousdaves.com/) sends an email that you have to take in to see what your prize code gets you - from a free dessert to a free all-American buffet. Kids aged 10 and younger get a free 'Lil Wilbur meal for their special day.
• Rita's Water Ice (http://www.ritasice.com/) birthday club offers a coupon for a buy one get one free deal that's valid for a week following your birthday.
• Old Country Buffet (http://www.buffet.com/) birthday club members receive a coupon for one free buffet meal with the purchase of one adult buffet meal. We have used this coupon once already and me and all the little people (although Davon would dispute that he is one of the "little people" so I guess I should say me and all four of my kids) ate for less than $20. By far the biggest bang for your buck on this list I think.
• Pizza Hut (http://www.pizzahut.com/) sent me a coupon for a free dessert pizza with a pizza purchase.
• Kids who are members of the Chuck E. Cheese (www.chuckecheese.com) birthday club get a coupon for 20 free tokens for their birthday. Combine this with the other coupon offers and you can get a really good deal for a day of fun for the kids.

Also keep in mind that many restaurants will comp you a dessert if you mention that it is your birthday. Last year, Drew and Dylan mentioned that it was my birthday when we were at what used to be our Saturday routine of lunch at Lone Star Steakhouse (http://www.lonestar.com/) after basketball class because 2 kids could eat for free on Saturday until 4pm (this offer does not exist anymore on Saturdays but 2 kids eat free with adult purchase all day on Tuesdays). Our waitress came back with a dessert that was large enough for all of us to share. Oh how I miss those days (man, I'm sounding old with that one aren't I?).

With all these freebies, I should really enjoy the next few weeks until they all expire. Y'all know me and free go together like peanut butter and jelly. So how am I celebrating my milestone birthday? Well, I got treated to lunch by some of my friends at work twice this week and am looking forward to a free meal this weekend from Davon. So while I'm not officially having a party, I'll be having a good time celebrating turning the big 4 - 0, especially with all the free hook ups I have found.