Strategies:
For other freebies, check your favorite local spots. Some neighborhood restaurants and coffee shops are offering one-day discounts, but are only advertising them to customers. Yogurtland, the Los Angeles-based frozen yogurt shop popular with celebrities, for example, is offering a "fan pass" to customers that includes two ounces of free frozen yogurt every day through April 19. The fact that this freebie falls on tax day is just random luck; Yogurtland happens to be celebrating its five-year anniversary.
Also, track your favorite chain's Twitter and Facebook accounts, because some are likely to announce last-minute giveaways and updates on their freebies. Most national chains, including almost all of the restaurants mentioned above, regularly update their Twitter pages with the latest information on discounts. At least two websites, taxdayfreebies.com and Brad's Deals, are posting regular updates as retailers announce new offers.
Just be sure you don't rely on old lists to plan your freebie food crawl, because many companies have reversed their tax day policies. Past participants who are skipping tax day celebrations this year include Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Ben & Jerry's (the ice cream shop hosted its annual free cone day April 12 this year), and Chick-fil-A (some local stores might offer deals, but there's no chain-wide promotion).
And don't let these freebies translate into a shopping spree. Restaurants and retailers aren't making these offers out of the goodness of their hearts; they hope customers spend more as a result. So while you're out copying your tax documents or picking up free ice cream, don't blow your refund at the same time.
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