So, it's not free?

Way to go, Dunkin Donuts: The doughnut chain quietly recanted its "Free Iced Coffee Day" last month -- usually on the same day as Rita's Free Water Ice Day -- and declared today plain-old "Iced Coffee Day," offering its cold java drink for 50 cents all day today.

In attempt to spin the ire of freebie lovers, DD is donating 5 cents of every purchase to benefit Home for Our Troops, a national nonprofit dedicated to building specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans.

I know I'm a little late on this, but hey, you've still got four hours or more to hit up your local DD and pay for what should have been your free iced coffee. Damn these tough economic times.

Put a little Spring in your step

Little bit of chaos going on this week, but I couldn't neglect to remind you all that today (Friday, March 20) is Free Rita's Day!

From noon to 10 p.m. at participating Rita's Ice locations across the nation, you can snag a free regular-sized water ice! The chain has been giving away those cups of goodness as a thank you to its customers for 16 years now.

It's gonna be cold and un-spring-like in the northeast this weekend, but that's not gonna stop us. Enjoy!

Just what the Dr. ordered

It's not exactly free health care, but as of right now, you can now get a free 'appointment' with Dr. Pepper.

The soft-drink maker said earlier this year that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if Guns N' Roses released its "Chinese Democracy" album before the end of 2008. The album, which has been famously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale today (Sunday).

And what the heck is the connection here?

"It took a little patience to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, which our fans have come to know and love. So we completely understand and empathize with Axl's quest for perfection -- for something more than the average album. We know once it's released, people will refer to it as 'Dr Pepper for the ears' because it will be such a refreshing blend of rich, bold sounds - an instant classic." - Dr Pepper director of marketing Jaxie Alt.

Coupons for a free 20-ounce Dr. Peppers will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

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Happy Birthday, Leen!

Let free-food ring!

My fellow Americans, tomorrow is Election Day and in the true spirit of our obese country, a bunch of businesses are bribing you to vote with free food!

Democratic, Republican, Independent, Libertarian - whatever. Vote for whomever you want, but make sure you vote! Here are a few freebie deals for you to check out tomorrow after you've hit up the polls:


For starters, Starbucks is offering a free 12-oz (tall) coffee to any voter. The promotion, announced in a 60-second commercial during this weekend's Saturday Night Live, is available all day. The company is going by the honor system, so just let the barista know that you voted and you're good to go! [click here to find a Starbs near you]

Krispy Kreme, on the other hand, is requiring an "I Voted Today" sticker for you to bag your free doughnut. Present the sticker to the cashier, and you'll receive a free star-shaped doughnut with patriotic sprinkles. Go America! [click here to find a Krispy Kreme near you]

You can also satisfy your Election Day sweet tooth by heading over to a Ben & Jerry's "scoop shop" between 5-8 p.m. tomorrow. The company is offering free scoops during that time with their "Democracy Never Tasted So Sweet" campaign. Scoops are limited one per customer.

I've also heard that some Chick-fil-A locations will be offering a free chicken sandwich to those wearing "I Voted Today" stickers tomorrow and those who bring in their political yard signs on Nov. 5. I'd check with your local Chick-fil-A for confirmation, but that's an awesome deal if you're more of a savory person like I am. [click here to find a Chick-fil-A near you]

If you've got any other freebie tips, feel free to post 'em! Happy voting!

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Taco, taco, taco!

Hey, if you run into Tampa Bay Ray Jason Bartlett anytime soon, make sure to say 'gracias' -- Thanks to the speedy shortstop, we've all got a free taco coming to us!

On Oct. 28 (Tuesday) between 2 and 6 p.m., you can head out to your local Taco Bell and request one free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Taco ala the fast food chain's "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion.

Jason Bartlett stole second off the Philadelphia Phillies' Carlos Ruiz in the fifth inning of tonight's Game One World Series game. Yum!

Taco Bell ran the same promotion during last year's World Series. Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury stole a base in Game Two.

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I'm singing M-to the-C-to the M-to the A...

After years of sidekicking the "Tonight Show," making children's dreams come true on "Star Search" and delivering those big ass Publisher's Clearing House checks to small towners, Ed McMahon now plans to spread the love as a rapper for FreecCreditReport.com.

Think of it as his own personl bailout plan...

McMahon, who recently revealed he was fighting foreclosure after falling $644,000 behind on mortgage payments on his Beverly Hills home, will be featured wearing a tracksuit, being chauffeured around LA in a Cadillac Escalade golf cart and spitting lyrics about his very public financial troubles.

"When I retired, I was famous/I had money and glory/ I bought a house for 6 mill/I thought nothing could touch me/ Until my credit went south, and debt started to crunch me/ Next thing I know, instead of playing gin rummy, I was scrambling just to make ends meet/It wasn't funny," so the rap goes.

The spots will appear in two viral videos, set to be released online in October.

Charles Harris, FreeCreditReport.com's vice president of strategic marketing, said the company sought out McMahon to star in the humorous spots after seeing him openly discuss his finances on "Larry King Live." Harris said McMahon represents "a man who is taking charge."

I think it's brilliant. Does anyone remember when FreeCreditReport.com's old commercials just had a lady singing "Freeee credit report dot com!" and that was it? Probably not because they were lame. Women are crooning over the indie boys in the new commercials and people everywhere can't get the songs out of their heads. I'm sure these new ones will be no exception. The Web site even has the "As seen on TV" logo on its mainpage. Talk about hamming it up.

This one is my fav.

Mmm, free fatty food...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love free things. You probably do, too. And really, is there anyone on the face of Earth (dieting or not) who doesn't love ice cream? That's why you should probably check out your local Cold Stone Creamery tonight.


The ice cream shoppe is holding it's 7th annual "World's Largest Ice Cream Social" to support the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Throughout September, Cold Stone has and will continue to sell M-A-W wall stars to raise money.

Tonight, from 5-8 p.m., guests will receive a free, 3-ounce serving of either of the store's two new sundaes: Jack's Creation or Emily's Creation, created by two Wish children.

Jack's flavor is marshmallow-based with Oreos, chocolate chips and fudge. Emily's is Nutter Butter-based ice cream with white chocolate chips, KIT KAT bars and yellow cake bits. Sounds good to me!

Click here to find a Cold Stone Creamery near you. You might as well check it out - it's not every day you get the chance to get delicious, overpriced ice cream for free!

Love of Labor

Happy Labor Day
from The Jerc Store!

I imagine everyone's BBQ-ing it up this weekend, but if you've got a hankering for some un-barbecue (or pre-party) food today, check out Chick-fil-A's Labor Day Giveaway. Just wear your favorite professional, college or local sports team's attire and receive a free 3-piece chicken strips.

And you can enjoy your chicken while you read all about the history of Labor Day here.

Orrrr just gorge yourself with burgers and beer... and enjoy that day off from work, whoo-hoo!

Say cheeeese!

Just a heads up for your deal seekers--and cheesecake lovers--Tomorrow is National Cheesecake Day!

To celebrate The Cheesecake Factory's 30 years, the restaurant is offering individual slices of cheesecake at 1978 prices tomorrow, July 30, 2008.

The $1.50-per-slice special is limited to one per guest and it's only for dine-in orders, but come on... take one look at this menu and tell me that it's not totally worth it. Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudget Ripple cheesecake, described as "creamy cheesecake swirled with caramel, peanut butter, Butterfingers and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups"? I guess this was a bad week to crack down on my dieting...

A limited edition cheesecake --the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake-- will be introduced tomorrow, too. The company will offer $0.25 from the sale of each slice sold this year to benefit America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network.

On her way to the big gig in the sky?

This may be morbid, but it's mildly entertaining...

At whenwillamywinehousedie.com, visitors can enter a guess as to the date and time of when Amy Winehouse will take a bow. Get the closest, and you could win an iPod Touch.

Who knows if this is legit, but the media has been abuzz lately of Amy's destructive habits--some are even giving her three months to live. Terrible.

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Free this time, I swear!

Okay, no joke this time: Tomorrow (May 15) is Dunkin Donuts Free Iced Coffee Day!


For some reason, the chain set the first day of spring as its annual giveaway day, but backed out at the last minute, leaving freebie-seekers feeling stupid at the counter and awkwardly paying for a drink they were only ordering because they thought it was free.

But tomorrow we will all be given the opportunity to imbibe some delicious and free iced coffee--regular or flavored! [click here to find a D&D location near you]. Enjoy!

UPDATE: After the original entry was posted, I saw a commercial for a free McDonalds giveaway today (May 15), as well.

Between 7 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., McDonalds will be giving away a free Southern Style Chicken Biscuit--new this month--with purchase of any medium or large drink. Nothing like fried chicken between two buttery (and fatty) biscuits to start your day!

From 10:30 a.m. til 7 p.m., the chain will give away free Southern Style Chicken Sandwich (I think it's got pickles on it or something) with purchase of medium or large beverages.

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Paying for your free iced coffee
Forgiveness, please

Paying for your free iced coffee

So I'm sorry about getting your iced coffee-loving hopes up on Friday with promises of Free Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee Day because the company was not actually giving away free iced coffee.

When I posted that link on Wednesday, the official site was advertising the freebie and telling you to invite your friends by entertain their e-mail addresses. Not really sure what happened between Wednesday night and Friday morning, but the doughnut maker had this to say on its press room page.

My apologies again, folks. Perhaps we'll get another shot at it sometime this summer?


Thanks to 'my fav redhead' for bringing that to my attention, and extra apologies to Dave for placating me and taking me to D&D, even though I'm an idiot.

Forgiveness, please

To any loyal readers--

My deepest apologies for not providing you with inane news stories, reality television updates and the like for the last, what, week? My job is generally taxing, but in an effort to have off this Friday to imbibe with friends and relish in NCAA basketball (which I really don't even care about) at the most dominant sports bar in Philadelphia (which I certainly do care about), I have been working insane hours and sitting at droning meetings deep into the night.

Wow, that sentence was really long.

Anyway, it could be another few days before I'm able to form some semblance of an entertaining post, but I will leave you with two reminders to close out the week:

Tomorrow...I guess now it's really today...well, whatever--MARCH 20th is the first day of spring, which means it is Free Rita's Water Ice Day! In honor of the seasonal change, Rita's is rolling out a new cream ice flavor: Birthday Cake. Not sure how I feel about it, but at least I won't be wasting any money to try it.


And secondly, Friday is Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin Donuts--and no, that is not the imbibing I was referring to above (this is), but I will certainly take part in this free festivity as well. God, that picture is gorgeous.

Enjoy the next however many days, and please come back. I promise I'll stop sucking in a few days.

IHAPPINESS

If you haven't had breakfast yet today--hell, even if you have--head out to IHOP for a free shortstack of hot, fluffy, golden cakes o' perfection for National Pancake Day.

If you visit any IHOP today from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (dominant timeframe), you will receive three pancakes, free of charge. IHOP just asks that you "consider making a donation to support local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network.

During National Pancake Day 2007, IHOP raised $625,000 for children's hospitals. This year, they're looking to raise $750,000.