Fabulous Financials

I think birthdays are VERY important because it’s YOUR personal holiday.  The one day that’s all about YOU.  So I’m a firm believer that those who love you should recognize and honor your special day.  Not necessarily with elaborate gifts and parties, those are nice, but unique and thoughtful effort goes a long way.

As you know, someone very special to me celebrated a birthday in October.  Using a combination of your ideas in this post, here’s how I crafted a week of birthday surprises for less than $100.

MONDAY thru FRIDAY

I went to Hallmark and purchased a box of “Thinking of You” greeting cards that were blank on the inside.  The front of the cards had various images of things that bring you comfort or make you smile (e.g. sunset, sunrise, ocean and sand with footprints, sidewalk with large raindrops after a storm, etc).  I also purchased a bag of glittering confetti for visual interest.

For everyday of the week, I prepared a handwritten message to let him know how much he means to me and why.  I sealed each card with a Hallmark gold crown seal (to let him know how much I care! LOL!) and stopped by his office on Monday morning.  I was prepared to alter my morning routine and make that trek everyday, but one of my old staff members offered to do the special deliveries for me.  It was someone I trusted and it worked out perfect.  You see, my special someone is a creature of habit because he arrives every morning at 8:45 on the dot.  Too easy.  So every morning, he had a new card from me sitting on his keyboard with little blue and gold (his favorite colors) confetti lightly sprinkled on top of the card and around his desk.  And every morning, at approximately 9:15, I received a  phone call.

Total Cost:

Cards: $5.99 for box of 10

Confetti: $2.99 for 1 small package

SATURDAY

Taking advantage of this hidden gem, I copped two FREE tickets to the Shakespeare Theater Company in DC.  We dressed up in our Sunday best and went to see the most romantic story of all times - Romeo and Juliet.  I know this is cheesy, but neither of us had been to this theater in DC so it was more about the experience than the play itself.  But lo and behold, we both enjoyed the show and was fascinated by the all male cast.  Romeo and Juliet did a whole lotta kissin…so umm…yea. *side eye*

Taking advantage of this other hidden gem, I purchased a $25 gift certificate to Shula’s Steakhouse for $2.00 (you could also purchase a $10 gift cert for $0.80).  Premium Black Angus Beef and NFL football - a perfect combination for a hungry man.  Although he’d been there before, I had not, so it was just as much a treat for me as it was for him.  The food and drinks were divine, the service was a little slow (but we weren’t in a rush), and the prices were…umm…pricey. *shrug*  If you’ve never been there before, I’d say it gives Ruth’s Chris a little competition.

Total Cost:

Theater: Free

Dinner (w/ gift certificate): ~$65

Sunday

On Sunday, we opted to say in and make it a Blockbuster night - or should I say a Netflix night.  I purposely added his movie requests to the top of my queue and they promptly arrived on Wednesday.  I prepared a lasagna and salad for dinner (BabyGirl’s special request) and an upside down pineapple cake for dessert (his special request - had to call my mom for help *shhhh*).  By 9pm, half the cake was gone and only enough lasagna for BabyGirl to take for lunch on Monday.  By the looks of things, I’d say dinner was a success.

Total Cost:

Movies: Unrelated cost

Dinner: Unrelated cost

Grand Finale

On his birthday, I had one more card for him.  This one was personally delivered when I knew he’d be in the office.  I also embarrassed him with an arrangement of blue and gold helium balloons and a birthday cake with candles. LOL!  Everyone in the office came over to sing happy birthday, and to both of our surprise, they already had plans to take him out for lunch.  I was invited, but didn’t have time to attend.  I’m sure lots of fun was had by all.  When they left for lunch, I sat down to write the final message in his birthday card - a message with specific instructions that, I later learned, had him sitting on the edge of his seat for the rest of the day. LOL!  Unfortunately, I didn’t received a follow up phone call this time, but the instructions were followed to a “T”.

Total Cost:

Balloons: $6

Birthday Card: $4.99

Birthday Cake: $14.99

Evening Plans: the look on his face was worth a million dollars!

I know you were wondering if I stayed within my $100 budget.  But umm, it depends on what you count as “birthday” expenses.  Some things, I consider an investment. LOL!