Tackle it Tuesday: Budget Birthday

Today my husband celebrated his birthday. The weeks leading to this day have induced stress as I pictured the bills lying on my counter and realized that all the gifts I'd love to give are unobtainable at this point in our life.

At first I gave into the doldrums. Then I spent a few days thinking, I could always use the credit card. Finally I decided to stay positive (which has never come easy for me), stay within our budget, and "make it work" (channeling my inner Tim Gunn, of course).

And I am thrilled to report that Brandon's birthday celebration was the best we have ever had. By not being able to use a large amount of money I had to put more thought into every decision. Would x, y, and z make the day more special or would they just be a waste of money? By truly deliberating on gifts and activities money was saved and the day became far more meaningful than previous celebrations.

So here's what my kiddos and I did:

1. Inexpensive cards- my boys loved taking scrapbook paper and decorating cards for their daddy. My oldest spent over 45 minutes drawing a detailed "storm" and "robots". I am loved tailoring my card to hint at what our celebration was going to entail.

2. Heartfelt gifts- what does your spouse/child/friend truly love? What are their hobbies? For my Love he enjoys acapella music. I scoured the internet for weeks hoping to find tickets to a concert. Finally, I found a FREE concert that is planned for mid-October at his alma-mater. I personally don't love acapella music, so being willing to plan and participate in this type of event meant a lot to my husband.

My boys and I threw a little flour, salt, water, and food coloring in a bowl and made casts of their hand prints for my husband to display on his shelf at work. Brandon is not that sentimental--I always love "hand made" more than he does--but he truly loved the boys' gift to him.

Lastly, we mixed up our breakfast with "I {heart} U" shaped pancakes and surprised Daddy in bed. My kids loved making these!

3. Keep it simple- I cringe every time I see over the top birthday parties. My kids never remember the decorations or games. My husband most certainly doesn't care if his drink is served in a mason jar, a long-stemmed glass, or a plastic cup. The celebration should be about having fun, laughing, and enjoying one another's company.

Today, Brandon and I did just that. I had a friend watch my children at her home. Once they were gone I cleaned the house and called my husband saying, "Place an order at your favorite restaurant and pick it up on your way home." (side note- always scourer the internet for coupons. We scored a free appetizer by doing this!) I then set up a picnic in the family room--complete with random candles I could find from around the house and enjoyed an at-home date with my hubby. We spent three hours together, and it was wonderful. The activities were fun (we played a little Truth or Dare and then watched my new Netflix addiction: New Girl). Once we picked up my boys we sang happy birthday and ate dessert.

Simple, inexpensive, and heartfelt. Best birthday ever. Happy Birthday, Brandon!