Mark your calendars! Tuesday, February 20th is National Pancake Day at your local IHOP. From 7AM to 10PM, participating IHOP locations are giving away free buttermilk shortstacks.

That’s right – free! My local IHOP actually had a sign that mentioned all-you-can-eat pancakes, but I can't verify that other locations are going to be doing the same thing.

(I'm sure that some people will like to point out that this proves that there is no such thing as a free lunch: you are asked to provide a donation, of any amount, to the Children’s Miracle Network or other local charities. To be fair, if you are tight on cash, you can give a small amount now and give more later.)

So: a tax-deductible charitable donation = 3 buttermilk pancakes. I’m not great with the maths, but that adds up just fine to me.