Anniversary Coming up - Looking for Creative Idea

Here are some "date-night" ideas from members of the Flylady yahoo group. It looks like most people are trying to keep costs down. Perhaps there will be some inspiration. www.flylady.net/pages/datenight.asp.
There is also tons of ideas for Valentine's Day. It could certainly offer some ideas:
www.flylady.net/pages/romantic.asp
www.flylady.net/pages/romantic2.asp

My husband and I have been doing scavenger hunts for each other's birthdays. We don't have any family around to have a party (nor do we really want a party). But we set up clues of places to go - the kids help us figure it out. It spreads out the day and makes it MUCH more interesting than opening our small gifts in a matter of minutes. His last birthday the clues took us to a favorite park (and I brought a morning snack of coffee cake and smoothies), then to the library (where I had a book on reserve about the year he was born - the kids got a little history lesson and we had a good giggle), and the last clue took us to another park that had a free event (and I had packed a picnic and brought some toys). Remember good car tunes for the journey. It was an awesome day for everyone. Half the fun is the anticipation - the planning is well worth it. Maybe your husband and you could each plan half of the day. And the clues could have old pictures of the two of you.
Have fun.
K.

PS = Maybe the scavenger could involve collecting ingredients for a special meal and have small treats along the way: a trip to the farmer's market, a specialty cheese shop - and some places do tours (a bakery, a chocolate shop).

12 years.. 12 months! Have a family calendar made with each month depicting something special in that year of your life together. IE.. Wedding Day, January.. birth of daughter 1, daughter 2, first house, favorite camping trip.. you get it!!!! Congrats! You should be very proud!

P.S. Of course, give it to him over dinner in your lingerie!!!

We like to go to the zoo on our anniversary. It is sometimes fun to spend it with your kids (or without) and then the meal isn't the focal point of the day. Look in the paper to see what special events are going on in your area. Sometimes just attending a fair or local event is just different and fun and doesn't usually cost too much money. Sometimes it is nice just to get a pizza and relax afterwards with a netflix movie. Homemade cards are nice too. Congratulations on your anniversary! I will be celebrating my 13th year with my best friend this year.

Hi S.,

Congratulations!!

How about a home movie theater? My husband turned our room into a movie theater - put two chairs in front of the tv, put table in between with popcorn, drinks and movie candy, plug computer speakers into tv to get surround sound (if you don't have it), and get a movie he likes from redbox ($1) or library (free).

As for dinner, since your post said you enjoy healthy recipes, surprise him with an unhealthy meal. Maybe grilled italian sausages complete with onions and bell peppers served with vinegar fries.

This takes me back to my days in FL at the state fair....

For Father's day, I treated my husband to a spa day at home... I used my living room as the pedi/maniure area, the family room as a massage area and kitchen as the facial area. Each room had candles - I got Amber Glow which is a manly scent from Yankle Candles, sports, money and cars magazines from the library, quite sounds from the library. I had grapes, strawberries, cheese & crackers and sparkling apple cider in the "waiting room". To make it interesting and to prolong the time so he could have a chance to snack in between, I changed clothes after each station. He really enjoyed it!

Enjoy your day!

Love & blessings
L.

We have a massage school in our town that charges less than some of the more expensive places. You could look for an inexpensive massage place that might do massages on both of you. My husband is now hooked on them! It is very relaxing and he might just enjoy it! There are also people who come to the house and do massage so you might look into the expense on that. In today's economy, you should be able to find some bargains. We did this for our recent 22nd Anniversary.
Best wishes!

One of our first anniversaries together I could not afford to purchase my husband any type of gift as I was in college and he kept an eagle eye on expenditures. I created a gift certificate booklet for him that included such things as making his favorite dessert, washing his car, and other various treats (some intimate). He still asks me at times when he is going to get another gift booklet and we have now been married for 36 years.

find a picture of the two of you and have it framed along with a letter of a quick journal of the good times together.

How about a picnic. You don't have to go out to a park or picnic area unless you want to. You can have it in your backyard or in the house on the floor on a nice quilt or blanket. A picnic can be romantic if you make it so. You can even have candlelight during the picnic if it is at nighttime. Prepare the food in advance at home and pack your picnic basket. You can have it all set up for when your husband gets home as a surprise. You can have little notes strategically placed in the picnic items kind of like a scavenger hunt for the jackpot. i.e. You found this note, look for more and see what your prize will be. Use your imagination with how to reward your hubby for finding the note that says Jackpot on it.

Have fun and hope you enjoy your evening together. Have a blessed time.

Blessings,
N.

Put together a photo album that tells a story about him or the two of you or your feelings for him. You can use those super-inexpensive 4x6 "brag book" that hold about 36 pix. Usually get them for about a dollar.

I made may husband a simple stuffed animal last year & he keeps it on the bed beside him & takes it with him when he travels.

My husband makes me coupon books with things like "good for one back rub" or "put the kids to bed".

Have fun!
And Happy anniversary!

P

This is more of a gift but my 10th anniversary is comming up and I found some old pics of when me and hubby first started dating and the first few years together and I scrapbooked them and put them ina small 8x8 scrapbook and Im going to give him that. We are also going to the place we met for a picnic ( a local river is where we met while swimming with mutual friends) and a swim. Then Im renting the first movie we went to see together for that night

Since funds are limited, you could have dinner at home but then go out for dessert. Depending on your location you could try dessert at the Melting Pot (reservations required). Or even somewhere that serves great pastries or ice cream or custard. Maybe you could find a pretty place to have dessert and watch the sunset or sit along a river.

How about a massage or a day "off" from family work and letting him go play golf w/out feeling guilty.

Buy a nice bottle of wine, rent a movie that he will enjoy, you put the kids to bed, eat dinner in front of the movie while drinking wine.

How about a night away. You can get a hotel for under $100 and just go out to dinner, out dancing, and then stay at the hotel.

Sports tickets of whatever is in your area, baseball, football, hockey, etc

This past Father's Day I had pics of me and the kids made and put the best one in a frame for his desk and the rest in a photo album for him.

A nice book if he reads, bottle of wine, and a day with rest and no chores.

Take him on a picnic and fishing if that is something he enjoys.

Go take a cooking class together where you make your meal right there together.

Go to a wine vineyard and take a picnic with you. We have one here in town, did not see where you live but you may have one as well. It is very romantic and only pricey if you buy several bottles of wine! :o)

plan a camping night with just the two of you since you say you like camping.

Make him a cake!

Have fun!