Mark the first day of spring with a free, regular size Italian Ice on March 20 at Rita's. The giveaway is from noon to 10 p.m. at participating Rita's locations. Find your closest Rita's at its store locator in 19 states.

I'm sure every pancake-loving WalletPop fan who read the notice I gave a month ago in writing about an IHOP promotion to give away pancakes on Tuesday, Feb. 24, wrote the date down and circled it in red ink on their calendar.

But just in case you forgot, here's another reminder: Go to IHOP from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 24 for a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes in celebration of National Pancake Day. The company is raising money for Children's Miracle Network and is asking patrons to donate what they would have paid for the pancakes to that charity or another of their choosing.

I was at an IHOP the other day and only remembered the upcoming free feast by noticing a flier on the table promoting it.

Hertz is giving away a free weekend day car rental with no strings attached at participating Hertz locations.

No need to rent it for another day, or any other catches, to get the deal. Go to the Hertz Web site and use promo code PC#127595 to reserve an economy through full size car for a weekend day. Only one redemption in February and one in March is allowed.

The deal only covers the rental cost, and you still have to pay for taxes, energy surcharges and other such costs, including gas.

Energizer is offering free batteries for hearing aids.

What was that?

ENERGIZER IS OFFERING FREE... Oh never mind. No need to yell. Good thing this is readable and isn't radio.

To get the free sample of its new perforated package of hearing aid batteries, either fill out the online form or call 1-866-449-EARS. It ought to be an interesting phone conversation if your battery is low.

Energizer advertises that the perforations make it easier to take along only the number of batteries you need, and the foil seal keeps them clean and protected until needed. One of the best advantages, I think, are the longer, wider tabs that make the batteries easier to hold and install. I fumbled with some recently for a temperature gauge we have, and would have welcomed some tabs for those small batteries.

Alas, I'll have to wait until my hearing is bad enough to need a hearing aid and these small hearing aid batteries. It may be sooner than I think. All of the Queen music from my youth is catching up with me.

Whether you're trying to exorcise the memories of your ex or just happy to have a president you love, ScanCafe has a Valentine's treat for you. They will "Obamify" any romantic picture for you. You send them the picture of you and your ex-boyfriend, they take the boyfriend out and put Obama in. Magic!

Photojojo describes this free service as "It's realistic! Convincing! Not creepy at all! (:-/)" You don't even have to re-write your personal history if you don't want to. You can also stand next to a smiling Obama if you have a picture of yourself just standing alone looking pretty.

And it's free. ScanCafe, which is one of those neat services that scans in all your old family pictures, warns that you'll get an email with an estimate, but "be assured, your quote will be $0."

Home Depot and Lowe's are offering free clinics to build a jewelry box (Feb. 14 at Lowe's), race car (Feb. 28 at Lowe's) or raceway (March 7 at Home Depot.

The Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics require online registration. If the Feb. 14 jewelry box doesn't do it for your kid, try the Feb. 28 Lowe's race car kit from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The Home Depot kids workshop is also free to children ages 5 to 12. The Home Depot workshops are the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. The March 7 one will allow kids to build either a wooden trinket box or a raceway. Each child also receives a kid-sized orange apron and an achievement pin.

Scholastic Books is giving away a free book -- "K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo" to the first 5,000 people who mail in a UPC from any Pampers Easy Ups or Kandoo products.

The offer started Jan. 28 and ends when the 5,000 books have been awarded or on May 31. A receipt isn't needed, only the UPC code cut off the packaging.

Whole Foods is giving away free flowers every month for a year to 10 winners of a drawing. The entry deadline is March 4. The sweepstakes started Feb. 4.

The official rules for the online entries state that no purchase is necessary to enter and that buying something won't increase your chances of winning.

The winners will receive a punch card good for a bunch of Whole Trade roses or Whole Trade flowers every month for a year. One entry is allowed per person.

A free sample of "Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz" are available by filling out an online form.

We're not entirely sure what they are, but the name is reason enough alone to try them. Their homepage says they contain caffeine, vitamins and other ingredients, and are a way to during a workout. They had us sold at "Kickbutt."

Get a free 8.3-ounce can of Red Bull and a 12-ounce can of Roaring Lion Energy Drink by filling out an online form.

Warning: by signing up for the Lion's Challenge kit, you'll be enrolled in the Roaring Lion mailing list, which may make you want to roar more than drinking the energy drink will.

Mercury Magazines is offering a free one-year subscription to Elle magazine.

You have to enter information about your job, such as the industry and your job function, and the profile you fill out helps determine what other free magazine subscriptions the company will offer.

Nobody has teeth as white as Vice President Joe Biden, but if you're even close you can get a free pack of gum from Trident by uploading a photo of your smiling face at joebidensteeth.com.

As Biden says on the Web site, "Because America needs a great smile."

Volunteers for Meetup.com and the Huffington Post passed out name tags on the National Mall before the inauguration for people to fill out and wear in the spirit of getting to know their fellow Americans. The back of the name tags had a list of recommendations on how to use the online social organizing and networking site Meetup and motivation to get started: "Be like Barack: Be a Community Organizer!"

With so many laid-off, people now have time to indulge their idealism. Expect to see non-profit hiring and launching rise in 2009. With the economy this bad, Wall Street crippled by its own greed, and jobs hard to come by, people will look for work with meaning, even if it means they have to start their own non-profit.

Get free samples of pink lemonade and berry burst Metamucil by filling out an online survey that asks, among other things, which bulk fiber products you've used, if any, most often in the last three months.

A bit personal, but we assume it's information that won't be shared with others.

Here's a cheap way to stay warm this winter.

Seattle's Best is offering a free pastry or second beverage with the purchase of a medium or large beverage with this coupon, through March 3.

The Web site takes a little bit to load, so be patient. Just think of free pastry while it loads. The deal is good at either Seattle's Best Coffee Cafes in Borders and Western Washington company cafes.

The company also has a deal on Fridays - if you buy any 12-ounce or larger bag of coffee, you get a free medium 16-ounce beverage. This deal also runs through March 3. The same coupon is required.