***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!***
And our lucky-slash-friendly winner this week is… Jennifer M (whose best friend is her husband. They met in college studying architecture together and now work together). Congrats!
If you saw that title above and thought “oh, like the Bestå media storage system from Ikea” instead of “typo alert!” then you may be just as into the fine purveyor of flat-packaged Swedish furniture as we are. And if you’re not the only Ikea lover in your circle of friends, then you’ll be happy to learn that this Saturday on March 9th Ikea is celebrating BYOF (Bring Your Own Friend) day as part of their ongoing Life Improvement Project. The day will feature freebies, special discounts, seminars, activities, and even gift card giveaways. Speaking of which… they’re giving one lucky reader three $100 gift cards right here this week (one for the winner and two for his or her friends) – which I’m pretty sure would solidify your status as BFFs for life.
- PRIZE: Three $100 gift cards to Ikea
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “BYOF ME!” and tell us…
- BONUS QUESTION: … about your BFF. How did you meet? How long have you been besties. What’s the weirdest thing you love doing together? Do you have funny nicknames for each other – or a secret handshake that involves winking and doing the Macarena?
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: We always beg every vendor to ship internationally but some companies are not legally able to vend things beyond specific areas (more on that here). This giveaway is open to the United States.
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, March 6th at 8pm or at 10,000 entries (whichever comes first)
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here on Thursday for the announcement of our winners. Good luck…
- ***COMMENT ISSUES? If you’re trying to enter but keep getting a “duplicate comment” warning, click here to see how to solve it!
Note: We aren’t paid or perked for hosting these giveaways, we just do ‘em to thank you awesome folks for stopping in. See our Giveaway FAQ page for more info. Pics courtesy of Ikea.
Lindsey says
BYOF ME!
My best friend and I have been friends for 13 years in June. I was recently going through some old junk and I found a map she drew me the first time I was going to her house! Oh the yesterdays of no GPS/Google Maps/Mapquest!!!
Megan says
BYOF me! I’ve known my best friend since we were 11.
Heather J. says
BYOF ME!
My best friend and I knew each other in high school, but didn’t become besties until college. She moved away from me – BOO! – but we are still close and keep in touch.
Meg M says
BYOF Me!
My BFF and I met in Jr.High. A few years down the road we got married. :)
Stephanie L. says
BYOF Me! I met my best friend in college. She shared some awesome desserts her family sent with me…then we bonded over a love all things 80s and strange. She’s awesome and going through a rough time right now…so this would definitely cheer her up.
Katie says
BYOF ME!
My bestie is named Megan and we met in kindergarten. I talk to her almost everyday but unfortunately don’t get to see her often since we live 5 hours apart. She knows everything about me and I know everything about her. We both feel so lucky to have our friendship because we know exactly what to say to one another through anything. We have run 2 marathons to get together and been through so much in life.
JMay says
BYOF ME!
I met my BFF when I moved to a new town and she was recommended to be my new hair stylist.
Kirsten says
BYOF ME! I met my best friend in junior high. We don’t live in the same state now, but every time we get together we pick right up where we left off.
Karyl says
BYOF Me! My BFF is Kylie–we’ve been friends since my sophomore year in college (ummm, that would be, gasp, just over 20 yrs! ago). We became friends through some mutual guy friends we knew, but bonded when we were complaining at lunch one day that the girl sharing each of our mailboxes was stealing our magazines–only to realize that we were actually each others’ mailbox partner and had be pilfering each other’s magazines….
Zee says
BYOF ME! I don’t get to see my best friend that often since we live in different stats, but since I’ve known her almost my whole life, the minute we’re together its as if we were never apart.
Aimee says
BYOF ME! We worked at the same place and she got an apartment right across the street from mine!
MadeByMeg says
BYOF me! My friend and I are pretty weird, but our favorite thing to do together is be fowl bachelorettes. Help us spruce up our places with $100 at ikea!
Zinna says
BYOF ME!
My BFF and I met freshman year at college. We weren’t BFFs until junior year when we moved in together, though. Here we are, 21.5 years later and we’re both celebrating our (gasp!) 40th birthdays together. As we do every year, we celebrate together, without husbands and kids. Just the two of us.
ashley says
BYOF ME!!
One of my best friends and I are weird because we somehow unplanned have 12 matching tshirts from all different things. It’s a bizarre thing how our minds work so similar. :)
Lindsay S. says
BYOF ME!
I’ve known my bff for nearly 5 years! We met in undergrad. We love doing anything together! We have our own code, just made-up words that no outsider would understand.
Cher says
BYOF ME! I just bought my bestie a gross of “spinny wheel kitty toys” for her rambunctious cat. We trade cat pictures and videos like mad… because we are crazy cat ladies!
Katie Nelson says
BYOF me! My bff is my hubby. seriously. i know. don’t hate.
Janet says
“BYOF ME!”
Crystal Kirkland says
Byof me.
My best friend and have been friends since we were 4. -about 30 years. We live a state apart but still talk two to three times a day. We try to see each other every few months. We both have 4 year olds and consult each other constantly. It is amazing to have a friend who you experience all of life’s ups and downs,. We have seen each other through dating miseries, deaths and sleepless newborn nights. I cannot imagine my life without her.she knows all of my secrets including when I lie my voice gets high and she says “dogs can hear you”.
Mike says
BYOF ME! My best friend is Erik and we met through his now wife. We really enjoy playing backgammon together.
Kelly says
BYOF ME! My BFF is named Vicky, but I call her Vic. We’ve been BFFs since freshman year of high school – we’re both 41 now. She’s exactly a week older than I am…down to the minute!
Like another poster, I had to tell Vic to go out w/ the man who became her hubby. Her mom gave him her address at college, so he wrote her and enclosed a picture. She was very upset that her mom was trying to set her up, so she gave me his letter and picture asking if she should contact him. I read the letter and looked at the picture, and thought instanty,”This is the man she’ll marry,” so I told her she had to do it. Twenty years and three kids later, they’re still very much in love!
We’re like sisters and told both of our hubbies that she and I are a package deal – you get one, you get the other! (We’re both lucky to have great hubbies who don’t mind getting an extra sis-in-law.)
•BONUS QUESTION: … about your BFF. How did you meet? How long have you been besties. What’s the weirdest thing you love doing together? Do you have funny nicknames for each other – or a secret handshake that involves winking and doing the Macarena?
Shanon says
BYOF ME! my best friend Jess and I have know each other since the 4th grade (just about 20 years) when I was the “new girl” and she befriended me.
rachel says
byof me! met my bff first day of first grade, we even had our first babies on the same day!!
Jennifer Hale says
BYOF ME!
Have to day it…my husband is my best friend. :)
Christina says
BYOF ME!
Erica and I met in college. We were just friends, and then became best friends when as roommates and realized that any façade of class was hiding a big old dork underneath. We stayed up late solving the world’s spiritual problems, figuring out what love was, and drove around singing Dixie Chicks songs at the top of our lungs and have been best friends ever since. But the best thing is she taught me about forgiveness. I love my BFF! We’re going on 13 years as BFFs.
Karma says
BYOF ME!
Paola says
BYOF ME!
I met my BFF when we were maybe 4 or 5 and are still bffs now over 20yrs later. We met when her family moved in next door. We would pass food to each other through the fence.
I her name is Karina so I call her Kara-De-Tina (it means tub face) because she hates it.
We are both engaged so right now we are into trying out unusual food for our wedding menus.
Rachel Benning says
BYOF ME!!!
After reading this article it definitely had me thinking of one person my husband, Travis. I met his dad while working together and was lamenting on “the current selection of good men”. :) Little did I know he was going to follow that up with trying to set me up with his son. Well, to make a long story short we did meet and then married 1 1/2 years later. We have now been together for 9 1/2 years. We have been through many ups and downs but that has what has brought us closer together and why HE is my bestie!! Most people think this is weird but I know you won’t…..we love working together! Wether it is diy projects or even just cleaning the house, the thrill of accomplishing something together is awesome! And we both LOVE IKEA!!!
Julia says
BYOF Me!
Mel H. says
BYOF ME! My BFF and I met 21 years ago (Whoa! That’s hard to believe) in high school. What I love about our friendship is that it’s authentic without judgment of each other. And we LOVE to shop, most of all when we’re together. Plus, she’s the one who will tell me truthfully whether or not something looks good on me! She’s a rare find.
J says
BYOF ME!!!
It’s cheesy, but my best friend would have to be my husband, who I met my freshman year of high school. He was also the first person to take me to Ikea, so it seems pretty fitting!
Kristen says
BYOF ME!
I have a few different BFFs in my life, but there’s one friend I can always turn to for good conversations and laughs no matter what—Rob. You can’t ask for a better friend than that.
Erica says
BYOF ME!
Our claim to fame is that we had our first kisses on the same day, in totally different states. Those boys are long gone (thank goodness!), but every year we celebrate the anniversary together.
Rachel C says
BYOF ME!!
Depending on which best friend I pick, we either met in 7th grade or our freshman year of college. But either way, both girls keep my sane when I’m going crazy, have always been by my side even when things weren’t my fun, and are the first people (after my husband) that I go to with anything.
However, these gift cards will actually be shared with my mom. We have a trip planned in 2 weeks to our neighborhood IKEA (haha, it’s actually 4 hours away) so I need this card! We have soon shopping to do!
Abbey says
BYOF ME!!! My best friend and I met in college. We were both studying the same degree and quickly clicked. We later found out that we have the same birthday but I am just one day older … a happy coincidence :)
Kelly L says
BYOF ME…and my friend Keely! She just moved to Houston (so, now has her own Ikea while I have to drive 5 hours!!) and could definitely use some Ikea help with her new digs.
Our nicknames in school were “double e” (Keely) and “double L” (Kelly)
Weird, right?
-double L
Stephanie says
BYOF ME!
I met my best friend in college : )
Jennifer Upchurch says
BYOF ME! My best friend is Karen, and we in 2nd grade! We were roommates all 4 years of college even though eveyone told us living together would tear our friendship apart! Not so! She is the Yin to my Yang! Love her dearly!
Lauren K says
BYOF ME!
My best friend is Patrick. We liked each other so much after meeting that we kinda fell in love and he moved halfway across the country to live with me! Annnd we love IKEA-hacking together – he helped me put together that great LACK table-to-wall-shelf hack from your book :)
Heather Barcroft says
BYOF me! My best friends are my sisters, we have been friends for as long as we have been alive. Now we are all grown and married, and love getting together to watch Disney movies, Downton Abbey or eat ice cream!
Mrs. Butterworth says
BYOF ME!
My bestie and I met in 10th grade health education. I tried to set her up with a guy-friend of mine. Didn’t mention he was dating another one of my friends. Hey – don’t judge – my bestie ended up marrying him and they just celebrated 24 years! Woop! Woop!
meerasedai says
BYOF ME! I met my best friend at a sleep over in middle school. I fell asleep first, she put shaving cream on my glasses, owned up to it later and somehow we’ve been friends ever since.
I know, very 90s teen movie of us…
Julie M says
BYOF me! My best friend and I stay awesome no matter what changes in life!
Jenni says
BYOF ME! I have a couple…so I love what Mindy Kaling said on “The Mindy Show”. “A best friend isn’t a person, it’s a tier!”
I do have a secret handshake with my Ikea-loving BFF though, how fitting!
Kelly V says
BYOF Me!!
Stacy w. says
BYOF ME! Oh man, I love Ikea! Now to pick who to take with me….!
Anna Caranci says
BYOF ME!!! My bestie is the kindest, most thoughtful, sweetest person I know. She is always putting others above herself. We met in college and have been friends for over 10 years now! One of the best things we did together? Meet YOU GUYS in Charlotte on your book tour! :D
Allison H says
BYOF ME!! My best friend & I met in first grade. We both loved horses & just instantly got along. Now 20+ years later we’ve survived many trials and still remain besties.
Molly says
BYOF ME!! My BFF and I met in college!
Amy says
BYOF ME!
I met my BFF, Amanda, in 5th grade math…we’re now in our 30’s! Every year as a christmas gift to each other we go out shopping together and call it our “AA Day!”