My Birthday – A Recession Experiment

Okay, so normally for my birthday, I go all out. This usually includes my husband "going all out" as well, as he's spent the last several birthdays with me. :-) My birthday is EXTREMELY important to me. It’s my favorite day of the year only after Christmas. And I normally start planning how I’m going to celebrate it MONTHS in advance. And I normally celebrate the ENTIRE month of October. I still plan to celebrate all month long, but I’ve been thinking and this year I decided to try something different.

Since we’re in an economic downturn - okay, so it's a recession- I decided to see how I could save a few bucks and still celebrate my birthday in grand (or semi-grand) style. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m compiling a list of things I normally do or would like to do for my birthday weekend. Using this list, I am planning to do all or most of these activities using a discount, coupon, or getting a freebie if I can. Only things that are $20 or less can I pay full price for.

Here are just a few things on the list so far:

Massage
Manicure & pedicure
Birthday weekend activities – festivals, shows, etc.
Birthday weekend brunch with friends
Lunch on my birthday by myself
Dinner on my birthday with my husband

I’ll be posting how the planning is going, discounts or freebies I find, and the end result. Wish me luck!