5 Tips for Celebrating Your Anniversary on a Budget

Last time we spoke, I shared a bit of my anniversary at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was a simple start to a lovely day to celebrate our nuptials nine years ago. For the last few years, we haven’t been able to take an anniversary getaway as we would have liked but we’ve found ways to still make the day special.

While filling you in on what ELSE we did, I’m gonna drop a few tips to help you have a budget-friendly anniversary.

1. Remember Your Anniversary Date

HA! First things first! I’m not sure how men a person could possibly forget their anniversary, but if sitcoms and movies are a reflection of real life, it must be happening somewhere, right? Keeping that date well in mind will not only make for a pleasant anniversary, free from the silent treatment, but it’s important to help you get through the rest of this list.

2. Start Planning Early

Once you’ve got the date stamped in your brain, you can — and should — give yourself enough time to plan a day that your love will enjoy, especially if you don’t have the means to hop on a plane to Bora Bora (#GOALS) just yet. You don’t wanna be caught out there the day of, scrambling to figure out something inexpensive to do and end up at Mickey Ds.

Tradition has it that the men would plan the anniversary happenings and maybe surprise the wife, but that doesn’t always have to be the case.

Ladies, some months out, ask the boo if he’s already got something planned, you don’t have to ask what. If he doesn’t and you’ve got some ideas, why not plan something together? If you have an idea that you wanna surprise him with, that’s fine too! But, bottom line, give yourself some time in case ‘Plan A’ won’t work.

And if you REALLY need a trip, planning early can most definitely save you some dough! Catch those early bird discounts and get bae on a beach.

3. Keep it Simple Yet Romantic

A leisurely walk along a close-by beach, through the park or your local Botanic Garden is a peaceful, romantic and inexpensive way to spend some quality time and reconnect with your mate. Even if you’ve gotten used to living in a bustling city like NYC, you’ll surely appreciate a quiet spot where you can just admire the beauty and be stress-free.

While the beach and park are free-99, the botanic garden may cost you but it’s easy on the pockets. Contact your local botanic garden to find out when/if they have free or discounted days and take advantage of that bad boy!

4. Stay Local

Don’t stress thinking you need a trip in the mix to celebrate. I’ve done that in the past, got all sad that I was too broke to be a jet-setter. But all you need is each other! *cue violins*

So, after the park, we had an early dinner at Burger and Lobster. Good food, great ambiance, doesn’t break the bank!

If you do your homework, I’m sure you’ll find that your city has some fun, low-cost or free things to do. If you’re in a tourist city, find out what they do and do that! Peep how Anniversary 2015 went down:

First, we had an amazing brunch at our favorite chicken & waffles spot, Sweet Chick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Then, since I had never been on the Roosevelt Island Tramway (like so many other tourist-y things in NY!), hubby hooked that up real quick. As an actual part of our MTA system, all I needed was a MetroCard and the views were awesome! Once on the island, we frolicked through the park a bit then came back to the mainland for a movie and dinner. No plane ticket necessary.

5. If You Can, Include a Splurge

*singing screaming* “NAAAANTS INGONYAAAA-MA BAGITHI BABA!”

Yaaasss!!! Do you understand that I’ve been wanting to see The Lion King since it hit Broadway in ’97?! Oh… the Hubster did good! I was grinning from ear-to-ear once Circle of Life started… do you HEAR ME?! Yes, I’m still super excited!

If your boo thang has been wanting to do something since forever, you will score big points if you can work it out. Again, here’s where early planning comes in… tickets were bought in January! No, they weren’t exactly cheap but if you save big in other areas, it may allow for some wiggle room for a bit of a splurge… like LION KING ON BROADWAY!!

EEEEEEEKK!

Of course, there are other ways to scale down like cooking your mate’s favorite meal or a couple’s massage courtesy of Groupon… whatever works! In the end, it’s all about sharing special moments together no matter where you are or how much you spend.

What fun and low-cost things have you found to do in your city?