Ideas for Celebrating Anniversary on the Cheap

[freeazabird]

My husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary in a few weeks. In years past we've always gone to a fancy bed and breakfast to celebrate, but this year we are going to cutback. Any suggestions for nice ways to celebrate that aren't too pricey? Thanks!

[LibrarIan]

Are either of you opposed to camping somewhere rustic? An evening or two in the quiet nights of nature might be just the ticket.

Or get dressed up all fancy, put on some Sinatra and dance in your living room. Candles and wine.

A couple I know goes on biking marathons on their anniversaries. Maybe that's an idea?

[TrMama]

Last year DH and I hiked a new trail. It was lovely.

[darkadams00]

No idea of your age, location, or preferences so here's the take from an outdoors couple. "Inexpensive" usually means an outdoor activity for us:

*Moderate - Sailing lesson and a picnic = ~$125.00. If you're near a lake, it's a unique experience for most folks and makes for lots of laughs and great pictures.
*Moderate - Canoe and a picnic = ~75.00. If you're near a navigable river, canoeing requires fewer skills than sailing. You might not even need the lesson--especially if the river is fairly shallow.
*Frugal - Day-hike and a picnic = ~$25.00. If you're near the mountains, it's fun. Plan for less walking and more relaxing. Areas away from the common tourist spots are the best. It's an anniversary after all.

Yeah, we picnic a lot too.

If your anniversary always includes an overnight stay, you will always be forking over funds for lodging which will always keep your costs a bit higher than a day trip. We prioritize our vacation/travel plans annually and usually celebrate our anniversary within a couple hours' drive from home or less. We travel further and spend for lodging at other times in the year.

[Eric]

Buy a gently used copy of the Kama Sutra.  That's pretty cheap fun.

[SisterX]

My husband and I love to trade off cooking a fancy meal for each other.  Picking a cheap but good wine, coming up with more than one course and usually making something we've never made before, turning on Sinatra Radio on Pandora (+1 to the earlier suggestion of Sinatra), and following up with a fancy dessert.  We linger over the table for a couple of hours and chat and laugh and have a blast.  Dance in the kitchen if our song comes on, do the dishes together or leave them for tomorrow if we're too food hungover.  :)  Yeah, that's one of my favorite days of the year.

[Mrs. Frugalwoods]

Last year DH and I hiked a new trail. It was lovely.

This is exactly how we celebrated our 6th anniversary last month. Of course, it's also how we celebrate pretty much everything :).
We then cooked dinner at home and enjoyed the time together. No gifts or cards for us, just great conversations and reflections on our marriage.

[teen persuasion]

Any local free music or theater festivals?  We try to attend Shakespeare in the Park at least once per summer; we've been going since college, over the years we've brought friends, our dog, and the kids.  Pack a fabulous picnic, bottle of wine, blanket for lounging on, and a bit of cash for when the actors pass the hat at intermission.

[socaso]

Last Valentine's I made a fancy meal with my husband's favorite dessert and I bought cocktail makings because he's really in to fancy cocktails right now. I also programmed a playlist of romantic songs on Spotify. I have the free version with ads but it was no mood kill to either of us. The whole thing was less than $70 and the bulk of the money went to cocktail makings that we had for weeks to come.

Last year for our anniversary we went for a bike ride on the beach and then hit a happy hour at a fancy place in a part of town we don't often visit.

[lifejoy]

Pay $50 to have someone clean your house for you. Put a chocolate on your pillow. Go to the grocery store and buy fancy brunch fixings :)

That is my dream staycation!


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[AssetGrinder]

head out camping for a couple days.
 Head to some natural hot springs if any close by.
go for a horseback ride
grab some kayaks and have a picnik on an isolated island
do some hiking/rockclimbing
set up a nice dinner on the beach with a waiter /music
go for a sunset sail on a boat
get dressed up and go dancing
get high , get some munchies and watch a movie if u dont get high ever
rent an ice rink and go ice skating

[parsimonious]

I just had my eight year anniversary about two weeks ago!

We walked to our local neighborhood gas station (it's actually kinda fancy) and bought some ice cream out of the freezer.

It was a really nice treat and going for a walk with my favorite person in the world...best anniversary yet. ^-^

[G-dog]

Can you recreate your first date (assuming that was relatively inexpensive)?
Go to a massage school for massages
Go to a local art feast/ethnic fest or county fair (lots of these go in in my area in the summer)
Take a class together from the adult ed in your area
Go for a drive in or to some rural area - enjoy the scenery
Go out to look at the stars - find a really dark area away from city lights
Play a game together

[freeazabird]

Thanks everyone, great ideas!