This weekend we found ourselves fortunate to be invited to AIM fest aka the Austin instrumental music fest. A one day long musical showcase at the Empire control room with 2 stages and 20 acts. In its third year it has grown from a mere less than 100 in attendance to over 500. The ticket price was $25 and let me tell you, you got your money’s worth.

I didn’t really know what to expect from the music but was blown away by what I heard. From a bit of classical to jazz to heavy metal and some fantastic 8bit music I was not disappointed. My only regret was having to run errands and getting there late. My personal favorite band of the night had to be Bitforce. A power-trio with superhuman abilities that fights the evil of the universe with their tasty nerdcore groove as self-described on their facebook but I agree.

I hope that this fest continues to grow each year, it’s definitely underrated and underappreciated. This is the type of festival that makes Austin such a cool place to keep living in. We at Ballin most certainly cannot wait till next year.

Today is my birthday and the best way to celebrate it, of course, is with free food! So how did I manage to accomplish that? Simple, the much overlooked restaurant “birthday club”. Some places now call it loyalty programs or some cute combo of their name with club. It’s honestly just a way for them to email you all the time about deals you don’t care about but I’ve signed up for many and narrowed it down to the top 5 most Ballin’.

1. Red Robin royalty– By far the best one. I like this one because there is not a big rush to claim it. You have your entire birthday month to claim it. And what is it you ask? A free full size burger with fries, no other purchase necessary, and for dessert, a free mini sundae. But be careful they will sing happy birthday to you.
2. Panera Bread My Panera Club– If that mini sundae wasn’t enough dessert for you then head over to Panera bread and redeem your free pastry. If you want to wait a while then good news, the reward they give you for your bday doesn’t expire until two months after. No purchase necessary to use.
3. Wingstop Email club– If you’re like me and you love Wingstop’s fries, that’s exactly what you get on your bday each year. You’ll get a coupon in your email that will let you redeem a large order of fries. No purchase necessary. You’ll get the coupon about 7 days before your bday and it will expire in about 7 days after your bday.
4. TGI Fridays Rewards– I signed up for this a week before my bday and didn’t get anything but just for signing up you get a reward. With just your email you’ll earn a free app or dessert up to $8 in value. No purchase necessary. Also you’ll receive a skip-the-line pass if your local Fridays is the place to be haha.
5. Alamo Victory rewards– Ok so this one isn’t food but I love this place, and especially the owner Mr. T (Tim League) himself, with all my heart. The Victory rewards program lets you earn things like free popcorn and free shakes based on the number of movies you visit throughout the year. However, on your special day you get a free movie ticket to treat yourself. The ticket has a 30 day expiration after your special day so no rush.