Its Leap Day 2020 which means we all get a bonus day to enjoy. Why not celebrate with some deals and freebies from some of our favorite retailers?

An ordinary year has 365 days per year but every four years an extra day gets snuck in. Instead of 28 days, February has 29. The extra day is added on to solve the difference between the solar year and that of the Gregorian calendar.  A complete orbit of the earth around the sun takes 365.2422 days to complete so leap seconds (and years) are added to keep our clocks and calendars in sync with the Earth’s orbit.

Leap Day History:

Leap Day dates back to Julius Caesar. Caesar re-ordered the Roman calendar, giving us the precursor to the calendar we still use today. During his time in Egypt, Caesar became convinced of the superiority of the Egyptian solar calendar. Caesar modified the calendar to include an extra day in February and the Julian calendar took effect on January 1st, 45 BCE. Pope Gregory XIII modified calendar to account for slight inaccuracies and this Gregorian Calendar marked the last change to the Western calendar as we know it today.

Leap Day Tradition:

Tradition has it that on leap day women should ask men to marry them. Legend holds that in 5th-century Ireland, St. Bridget lamented to St. Patrick that women were not allowed to propose marriage to men. St. Patrick designated February 29 as a day women could propose to men.

I’d say most women in modern times are more excited about all the leap day sales/promotions that are available to enjoy.  One of the most creative deals is from Quiznos.  In the spirit of fun, if you “SUB” a sandwich for a ring Saturday and post the photo of the “proposal” on Facebook or Twitter with hashtag #sayyestoQuiznos, you’ll be entered in a contest to win free catering for your wedding. Learn more at QUIZNOS. Read on for more of our favorite deals.

Kid Congeniality’s Favorite Leap Day deals:

Applebees:

Get free delivery Saturday when you place an order through Applebees’ website or app.

Ashley Home Store

Get an extra 10 percent off in-store or online purchases with code LEAPYEAR.

Build-A Bear:

Leap Day babies can make a Birthday Treat Bear for $2.29 Saturday with a photo ID. Everyone gets a coupon for 29% off Furry Friends through Saturday.

Chatbooks:

Born on leap day? Get free photo books for the next four years until Leap Day 2024 “to preserve the moments between ‘birthdays.’” You can sign up through March 7.

Del Taco:

To mark the limited return of its crispy Jumbo Shrimp Taco, get a coupon on the Del Taco app for a free shrimp taco with any purchase to redeem Leap Day weekend.

Denny’s

If you are born on Feb. 29 and dine in you get a free Grand Slam with ID.

Dunkin Donuts:

DD Perks members enjoy 4x points on medium or larger coffee and espresso drinks.

Insomnia Cookies:

With any purchase Saturday, get one free traditional cookie.

Krispy Kreme:

Krispy Kreme will deliver free doughnuts to hospitals and parents of Leap Day Babies within 10 miles of participating stores. Health professionals and parents can post to Instagram or Twitter letting them know of their  “Special Leap Day Delivery” and also tag @Krispy Kreme with #KrispyKremeSpecialDelivery.

Lay’s Potato Chips:

Leap Babies can leave a comment on Lay’s FB page for a chance to win a free bag of potato chips.

Olive Garden:

Olive Garden is giving “Leaplings” 4 free Dolicinis desserts to celebrate their birthdays.  Even better…Olive Garden is also offering $2.99 take-home entrees to all guests with a choice of fettucine alfredo, 5 cheese zito al forno and spaghetti with meat sauce.

7-Eleven:

Get whole pizza’s in store for $2.99 ( limit five). First-time users of the 7NOW delivery app will also receive a $29 discount on any 7NOW delivery order over $50 with promo code 29OFF50.

Get out there and get your deals because they won’t be back for another 4 years!  See you in 2024.