Happy Birthday -- have a free treat

A Valley woman has created a Web site that allows you to treat yourself on your birthday.

Julie Northrop said her Web site, freebirthdaytreats.com, caters to pets, kids and adults -- and businesses, including eateries.

"Cold Stone Creamery, that's a popular one because they offer a free creation for the birthday," Northrop said. "The other popular one is Red Robin. They actually give you a free gourmet meal and a dessert."

But, that's not all.

Northrop said, "Some spas actually will give you free admission for a day at the spa."

And, for pets, "PetSmart actually has a birthday club and they give a free treat for cats and dogs."

Northrop got the idea because "I actually had gotten a free steak and lobster dinner from The Keg."

She said she wanted a site where people could find out what kind of birthday treats are available.

She believes the bad economy is good for her site and said, "I feel that you'll see more and more businesses, and not just restaurants. I know restaurants are famous for offering desserts and everything, but you'll see a lot of different businesses, offering all kinds of different things for birthdays -- to entice people to walk in their doors."

On the Web:

• www.freebirthdaytreats.com