Help!!?? 10Th Anniversary Ideas on a Budget

My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary at university with 4 kids so I understand the no money and no sitter dilemma... What I did was got creative and while he had to work that day, I made up a bunch of poems and clues that went along with everything that I had planned out for the day. Everything that I had planned were things that we had done as dates when we first met. He sent me a yellow rose and a small teddy bear for a valentine the year we met so I had that sent to his office with a poem attached that had a clue for the evening, and basically every hour he would get another clue, by phone or by drop off. Of course his boss was totally in on it and thought it was the neatest thing ever and went right along with it. It gave the kids a chance to see some of the really great things that we did for each other when we were dating too; Some of the sentimental things from our dating days. We had a special dinner together with our children and I rented a projector and we watched a movie on a wall outside with big speakers, kind of like a drive in... one of our first dates... then put the kids to bed and relaxed with some bubbly.......

Totally inexpensive and the memories were more then I can ever replace. It was perfect!

Make him a memory book of some kind. I made my husband one when we were engaged and he cried. He's not a crier!! I used photos, and some quotes from messages we had exchanged as we were dating. He really loved it. I made it sall so it was more personal and guy-like (also cheaper).

For a budget event, I like to have a photo day. So for the day we dress some way - either intentionally grubby or dressed up or normal, whatever... then we go on location for a photo shoot with our camera. As much as people think they will hate it, I have done this with so many people and they ALL LOVE IT. So, you drive somewhere free - downtown alleys and briks, graffitti... or mountains... or streams... or fields of flowers/weeds ... a park... we even did a cemetary once - then you take photos of each other, use the timer, etc. You see your location in a whole new light, get great memories, and it's essentially FREE.

If you're looking for something sentimental and truly unique but that won't break the bank, you might want to try http://mydayregistry.com/gifts/anniversary-gift/, which allows you to
dedicate a special day to your loved one and is something they'll cherish forever, which is priceless :)

Happy Anniversary! If you want to do a family thing, what about a family picnic. Being in Colorado makes it easy to find a wonderful place. If you like history, in Littleton is a living history museum with animals and buildings from the 1800s. Its free, but asks if you could donate a couple of dollars, its a fun visit. Also what I have done with my hubby is have a snack around dinner time for the two of you while you feed the kids and then after bedtime, have a nice dinner just the two of you by candle light. I also had fun making a coupon book for a gift. I filled it with fun little things, such as one free massage, a favorite dinner, or my personal favorites were the foot in the mouth coupon ( if I was giving him grief about something, he got to turn it in so I didn't get to bother him about it the rest of the day) and the run away card ( if I wanted to drag him on errands or be social one evening and he didn't want to, he was able to get out of it) On each coupon I also wrote a reason why I loved him. Best of wishes to you.

Not sure how tight the budget is..... but maybe just an overnight somewhere nearby (a cabin in the mountains or a hotel with a nice pool). And celebrating with the kids is fabulous - I have always felt that our anniversary was a family occasion.

Happy Anniversary!

from a SAHM married almost 18 years and celebrated all but our first anniversary with kids!

Hi Rachel,
The traditional gift for a tenth anniversary is tin or aluminum, so perhaps you could fill a small tin with little strips of paper on which you write all the reasons you are glad to be with your husband, some memories from your ten years together, your hopes for the future, anything you can think of. Then over the next year he can pull one out and read it every day or week, or whatever depending on how many you think up.
Good luck and happy anniversary!

Congrats! You could do a scavenger hunt in your house that hubby and kids could do. Places or things in house that remind you of memories of the past years or anything you want. If you have a back yard a back yard overnight camping might be fun, if you like the outdoors. Kids would love it.
What ever you choose have fun and congrats!

R.,

How about doing a sitter exchange with a friend and then having a 'very special' evening at home -- a candle light dinner, your favorite romantic music playing softly, maybe some wine or champagne, a trail of rose petals leading to the bathroom for a shared bibble bath and more rose petals leading to fresh linens in the bedroom...

E.

P.S. A love letter to your wonderful husband telling him how and why you love him is a very nice touch!

Our favorite in-home, relatively inexpensive date is to buy a couple pounds of snow crab and some butter. It's on sale at Smith's for $5.99 a pound and Albertson's for $6.99 right now. Boil or BBQ it until hot (it's already cooked) and serve with melted butter. If you're feeling really crazy, BBQ a steak or two also! Two pounds of crab is enough for two adults and a four year old--and it's a 12 dollar date!
You could plan a whole B. meal for your hubby: soup, salad, main course, baked potato, bread, dessert, etc. or just stick to the basics.
Put the kiddos to bed and top it off with a rented movie ($1 a night from redbox at Albertson's and other places) or a relaxing bubble bath. You can take it from there!

Congrats on 10 years! Hope you enjoy your anniversary!

Dear R.,
HAPPY 10TH!!! We have been there, done that. :0) It seems whenever anniversary comes around we are broke. But it's OK.
With the kids you can make chocolate dipped strawberries, make your favorite meal, baloons, champagne (if it's in the budget) and rent some movies or watch home movies.

Or if you have a little larger budget, I love taking the kids to a paint your own pottery place. Choose 1 piece for all of them to help decorate for dad. He will LOVE it & so will the kids, for the baby just paint the bottom of his foot & do a footprint on the pottery. That way his "mark" is on it to. Only about $20! Have a blast & enjoy this HUGE milestone. G

Do you have a neighbor you could trade babysitting with? I don't remember the last time I paid a sitter, my friends & I trade off.
Last year (8 years) hubby & I just went out for dinner since it was a school night for the kids. Our anniversary is Labor Day weekend so our gift was a barbecue w/our friends on Labor Day.
Who says you have to do gifts? Hubby's belief is that Hallmark is making up new holidays each year to make us spend more money.
What about getting some food-from the grocery (something fancier than everyday stuff) or maybe a restaurant & doing a picnic at a park?

I wonder if it could be fun to plant something together in your yard together--either ten of something, or four of something to represent the people in your family. You could keep it budget-friendly with small plants and justify the expense as landscaping. ;)
Can your four-year-old count to 10? Maybe she could help you get 10 of some kind of treat your husband likes and do a little "counting to 10" show for him, so she won't mind when you set her in front of a movie to be with your husband.
Congratulations!

Hey Rachel,
If you where excited to take that trip... where was it going to be to? If you had a place already picked out. I would make some decorations fitting of that area and place them all around your room and get music from there off the internet and then make a meal that would be from there as well. Who says you cant still get away?? Put a movie on for the kids in another room where you will only have to check them a few times, if you cant figure out another option.

Another fun thing we did on our last anniversary was to make a fun dream board together of what we wanted the next 10 years to bring us. Its great to DREAM!!

What ever you decide to do Im sure it will be perfect as long as you can tell him what he means to you and vise versa then it wont really matter where and what your doing. Just enjoy each other.

Have fun,
S. W.

Just a thought, but what about a Hot Air Balloon Ride? I hear there worth the money, but not sure if you can bring the kiddies??

Good Luck finding an idea!