Birthday for Bae on a Budget
(let me start by saying, I hate the word "bae". I never use it, but it just fit with the alliteration...)
The older you get, the more you realize birthdays are less about gifts and more about being around the ones you love!
My husband's birthday was a little over a month after our wedding. I have so many memories of our first time celebrating his birthday together last year. The surprise party, the gifts I bought him, the food and the friends, games, drinks, so much laughter - we had a blast! Now that we are husband and wife, I wanted to really do it big so I wondered how I would top what I did last year when we were just boyfriend and girlfriend...
Well, so much has changed since then, including the fact that I since resigned from my job. I wouldn't be able to do as much. So I figured out how I would still make it a memorable, yet affordable birthday for my baby.
1. EAT AT HOME
Anyone who knows me knows that I DETEST cooking. I get overwhelmed and feel so much anxiety. But the excitement of the day ad the love I have for my husband overshadowed all of that. Somehow, I really enjoyed this cooking experience.
Menu
Turkey Burgers w/ cheese
-I used Jenny O's ground turkey
-seasoned it with Mrs. Dash original blend, onion powder, pepper.
-I also mixed in green peppers and onions, relish, and pieces of bread.
-I stirred it all up, formed the patties, and dropped them in the oil in a pan on the stove top.
Chicken and Sausage Alfredo
-I planned to cook shrimp alfredo for dinner. Walmart has bagged shrimp for as cheap as $5. Sadly, on top of the money recently spent on a grocery shopping trip, the addition $5 was not in the budget. That's when I remembered the saying "use what you got"! I did have turkey sausage and I did have chicken. DONE!
Strawberry Shortcake
-My husband and I have been craving cake and he's been asking for vanilla icing. I had 2 boxes of yellow cake mix that cost about $0.87 each at Walmart, 1 can of vanilla icing (The cheapest one came with sprinkles but I didn't use them). I made 2 layers of the cake, put on icing, and on top of each layer, I put strawberries that I already had. YUMMY YUMMY!
We had everything we needed, he was very very happy with the food. It all turned out delicious and we didn't break the bank.
2. RECYCLE
I realize why my mom used the same birthday sign for my dad, brother, and me year after year. Hello! Because that sign from Dollar Tree is still good after you use it once. Even though it's only a buck, dollars add up. It's ok to reuse things. I used the same two Happy Birthday signs and the same cake candles from last year. I also used balloons that were leftover from our wedding and my sister-n-law's baby shower. BINGO!
3. PRESENCE OVER PRESENTS
You always want to get the best gifts for the people you love. You have to remember, they really do appreciate things from the heart. Do what you can. My husband knew I couldn't get him much this year. I decided to do what I do best, I was creative.
The older you get, the more you realize birthdays are less about gifts and more about being around the ones you love!
My husband's birthday was a little over a month after our wedding. I have so many memories of our first time celebrating his birthday together last year. The surprise party, the gifts I bought him, the food and the friends, games, drinks, so much laughter - we had a blast! Now that we are husband and wife, I wanted to really do it big so I wondered how I would top what I did last year when we were just boyfriend and girlfriend...
Well, so much has changed since then, including the fact that I since resigned from my job. I wouldn't be able to do as much. So I figured out how I would still make it a memorable, yet affordable birthday for my baby.
1. EAT AT HOME
Anyone who knows me knows that I DETEST cooking. I get overwhelmed and feel so much anxiety. But the excitement of the day ad the love I have for my husband overshadowed all of that. Somehow, I really enjoyed this cooking experience.
Menu
Turkey Burgers w/ cheese
-I used Jenny O's ground turkey
-seasoned it with Mrs. Dash original blend, onion powder, pepper.
-I also mixed in green peppers and onions, relish, and pieces of bread.
-I stirred it all up, formed the patties, and dropped them in the oil in a pan on the stove top.
Chicken and Sausage Alfredo
-I planned to cook shrimp alfredo for dinner. Walmart has bagged shrimp for as cheap as $5. Sadly, on top of the money recently spent on a grocery shopping trip, the addition $5 was not in the budget. That's when I remembered the saying "use what you got"! I did have turkey sausage and I did have chicken. DONE!
Strawberry Shortcake
-My husband and I have been craving cake and he's been asking for vanilla icing. I had 2 boxes of yellow cake mix that cost about $0.87 each at Walmart, 1 can of vanilla icing (The cheapest one came with sprinkles but I didn't use them). I made 2 layers of the cake, put on icing, and on top of each layer, I put strawberries that I already had. YUMMY YUMMY!
We had everything we needed, he was very very happy with the food. It all turned out delicious and we didn't break the bank.
2. RECYCLE
I realize why my mom used the same birthday sign for my dad, brother, and me year after year. Hello! Because that sign from Dollar Tree is still good after you use it once. Even though it's only a buck, dollars add up. It's ok to reuse things. I used the same two Happy Birthday signs and the same cake candles from last year. I also used balloons that were leftover from our wedding and my sister-n-law's baby shower. BINGO!
3. PRESENCE OVER PRESENTS
You always want to get the best gifts for the people you love. You have to remember, they really do appreciate things from the heart. Do what you can. My husband knew I couldn't get him much this year. I decided to do what I do best, I was creative.
- My husband was at work, so I first decided to surprise him at his job and give him a note card from a pack that I already had. I put $5 in it for his lunch.
- Secondly, when he got out of work, he would have gotten in his car to be greeted by another note card.
- I bought a puzzle from Dollar tree that was in the shape of a heart. I painted over it and wrote a message. The best part was that one of the pieces had a heart on it, that piece wasn't found until he opened up his card!
The gifts were simple and sentimental and he loved each of them. All in all, he enjoyed just being able to come home from work to celebrate his birthday with me by his side.
You can do much with little; make the best with what you have, and don't try to be something you're not. Just love completely!
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