10 Ways to Celebrate an Anniversary on the Cheap
Unless you’re completely unconcerned about the balance of your bank account, you know that life Over Fifty can be a little expensive.
Tuition payments are crazy, medical care can be costly, and a lot of our peeps are helping raise their grandchildren. So, what do you do when your anniversary rolls around, and the dollar needs to stretch like a measured yard of elastic? You get creative and enjoy the adventure!
Try these 10 Ways to Celebrate an Anniversary on the Cheap. Who knows? This may be one of your most memorable occasions yet. (Note: Although this post includes ideas specific to Austin, Texas, most can serve as inspiration to find the same type fun in your neck of the Texas woods.)
1. Live Music.
There are so many ways to enjoy live music in Austin that won’t break the anniversary bank. The Elephant Room is a great choice (weeknights are free), and many restaurants also feature live music during happy hour when the menu options are cheaper.
2. Fix a nostalgic dinner from the year you were married.
Do a little research and prepare dinner including popular foods/recipes/events from the year you got married. Example: In 1984, a section of Central Park was renamed “Strawberry Fields” to honor John Lennon. Play Beatles tunes and eat strawberry pie, strawberry shortcake or homemade strawberry ice cream.
3. Go back to the church where you were married or the place where he proposed.
Take lots of pictures, then create a fun graphic on Canva to share with the whole wide world on social media.
4. Create a quiz.
What were you doing the first few years of your married life? (besides that-lol!) Come up with a quiz to challenge each other’s memory. Questions might include: What was our favorite TV show, and what channel was it on? What was the amount of the first paycheck we earned as a married couple? Stuff like that.
5. Hike / Picnic.
With all the gorgeous trails to hike and all the beautiful parks in which to picnic in Austin, an anniversary on the cheap can be an outdoor experience packed with fun memories. Take selfies at lookout points, cool off in the springs, and maybe buy each other the latest bestselling water bottle. For an added element of adventure, purchase a couple of headlamps and hike up to the Pennybacker Bridge overlook for a pre-sunrise breakfast picnic.
6. Be tourists in your hometown.
On the drive to a recent anniversary dinner, a friend of mine remarked to her hubby that she’d never actually seen Mount Bonnell, so they pulled over on the spot and hiked up in their dress clothes. What a fun memory!
7. Do something artistic to mark the occasion.
One of my friends said her husband did something super-sweet on the spur of the anniversary moment. He painted an I LOVE YOU mural on one of their garage walls. When he brought her out to see his creation, he presented her with a Ring Pop and asked her if she’d marry him again if she had it to do all over again. How great is that idea?
8. Look at your wedding photos.
Select a music channel from the year you were married and plop down on the couch for a look at the wedding photos. Call someone who appears in the background of one of those photos. Maybe you haven’t talked to that old friend in way too long, which makes this the perfect time to surprise them with a thank them for helping make your day special all those years ago.
9. Give each other a funny card.
Some people like sentimental cards with sweet and tender poetic words, while others prefer a card that makes them laugh. One year, Mike gave me a card that said, on the outside: “Don’t worry, Hon. One day, our ship will come in.” On the inside, it read: “With our luck, we’ll probably be at the airport.” I remember thinking that was really cute and it made me laugh. Whichever way your Mr. or Mrs. likes it, get a card. You could place it under her pillow, or run out and stick it under his windshield wiper like you would have done when you were dating.
10. Plan next year’s blowout.
Maybe you’re on the downhill slide with the tuition payments, or perhaps your ship will have come in after all, so plan ahead. Are you dreaming of a trip to Hawaii? Did you raise your kids on the ski slopes but haven’t been to the mountains in several years? Perhaps the next anniversary will be a big one – 30, 40 years? You might as well start planning now, because if you can still enjoy an anniversary on the cheap, you’ve got what it takes to make it another year.
Encouraging intentional adventure that pays a huge return on your investment,
