This year wasn't a big birthday for my husband... He just turned 28. But he has wanted this sword for a while now, even before it was released. Well, last year (in October) I started using coupons. I had never used them before and was excited to see how much I was saving, right from the get go. By the time Christmas came, I was really getting the hang of stock-piling and building a food storage while spending less than we had previously done. We hadn't cut our over-all monthly grocery bill by that much yet, but we really were saving quite a bit!
The day after Christmas, I had a small amount of cash from our Grandparents that I had really no idea what I wanted to spend it on. And I decided that day, that if I could show just a bit of self control for the next year, I could easily afford to get my husband the sword that I knew he wanted so badly. I figured by the next Christmas, I could easily stash away enough cash to get it for him.
For the next few weeks, I tried to research the sword... only I didn't know what it was called, where to find it or even what it looked like to know if I had stumbled across it. I needed help and couldn't get it from my husband without ruining a perfectly good surprise... Then I remembered that his friend at work (who happened to be my friend on Facebook) so I sent him a message asking about it. He told me that they had recently gotten their last shipment in and that the sword was no longer going to be made. So I knew I couldn't wait for Christmas. His birthday was coming up in April , and it had to be then or never. So I made a plan...
Every time I went shopping with coupons, I would get a portion of the total money saved from coupons and sales in cash back, and stash it where Justin wouldn't find it. If I saved$10-$15 I would get $10 cash back, if I saved $20 or more, I would get $20 cash back. $20 was my limit in cash back as we still wanted to save money. Also, we are on the same cell phone family plan as my Mother, so we pay the full phone bill every month and she gives us a check afterwords for her portion of the bill. Now that we were saving money using the coupons, I was also able to take that check she gave me, cash it, then add that to the pile for Justin's birthday. I tried not to let him know I was saving small wads of cash here and there, and was determined for him to at least not know how much I was spending. If he did, I know he would figure out what I was up to, and the element of surprise would be lost!
My husband was a little more perceptive than I thought... I had to change the plan.I had saved almost enough for the sword alone (about $500) but he was getting suspicious... So I had to think of something fast! I decided to throw a surprise party (an idea I had played around with a few months before) to help throw him off the scent. If I was hiding a large surprise party, I could strategically "let slip" a couple details here and there that would have him stop thinking about the gift. I contacted a bunch of his old friends from high school that I knew he still liked and got along with, but also they had never really contacted me, some of them I had never even met! I left my phone out once for him to see a text message from one of them, and that worked like a charm! (He won't even know I did that part on purpose until he reads this blog post)
So I kept saving, and my budget plan went from $500 for the gift up to $700 for the gift, the party, the food, and all the other trimmings and trappings for a party. THEN he made a comment and asked exactly how much I was spending for his birthday... I was in trouble... I knew he would notice I was saving a LOT each month sooner or later, I had just hoped it would have been later rather than that!!! I still had more than two months to go!
I told him it didn't matter... and that he really didn't want to know. But that I would tell him after his birthday had past if he really wanted know then. Fortunately he said "OK", so my plan was back on, but I had to come up with another way to get him away from thinking that I got him that dang sword!!! I didn't care if he found out about EVERYTHING else! I just wanted the sword to be a real surprise!
SO, I had to get some more gifts on top of it.
The day of the party finally arrived. I had planned for my brothers to take him bowling while I got the kids out of the house for the night, and set up for the party. (another thing I needed to pay for.) Once the guess started arriving, I felt like I could breathe a little bit.
Justin came in the front door and was so kind to act surprised about the party. There were streamers out all over, and even little party hats I made everyone wear. We all talked for a while, then opened the presents that everyone had brought him, we even played heavy heavy hangover. It was fun. I got him two games for the WII and a remote control helicopter, I made a big deal about this, and got all kinds of excited to see his face when he opened it. (The sword was all wrapped up and hidden in my daughters closet still.)
After the gifts were open, we ate dinner. A kid favorite, hot dogs and chips! We ate the food and talked about what everyone was doing now, and catching up. I slipped out of the room and grabbed the LARGE wrapped gift (it was so heavy, I was worried I was going tp tear the paper open just bringing it into the other room).
My plan had worked! After opening the games and the helicopter, he didn't even think for a second there was more!!!
He opened the gift, almost shaking out of excitement. When he saw that it really was what he had hoped it was... well... it was just AWESOME!
Then we played games (I even got a Pin the Tail on the Donkey game, though we didn't end up playing it) and ate the cake I made... It fell apart because it was so big, but it tasted amazing!!!
The kids we gone for the night, so we were able to sleep in a bit. Then next morning I had planned to take him breakfast and a movie as well, but he opted to go to the store and buy a movie, then get McDonald for breakfast and come home and eat in out pajamas while watching the movie (We got Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1)
It was by far, the most I have ever spent on him. And I won't be doing it again... at least for a few years! But I was glad I was able to give him a great day.
After all the gifts, bowling for him and my brothers, the party itself and the stuff the morning after, I ended up spending just under $1,000.00 in cold hard cash (yes, one-thousand) for his birthday. Definitely NOT the frugal way to go. I wouldn't recommend doing it more than once or twice in your WHOLE life... But I learned something from this...
If you tighten your belt and have a reasonable and worth-while goal in mind, you can save the money to do it! Whether it's that vacation you've been dying to go on, or simply pulling your family out of debt, you CAN do it! I CAN do it! I saved almost $1,000 in a little less than four months. My husband and I are so excited to see how realistic it is for us to save up for a house now. To be able to get a larger car for our three children to fit in.
I hope this inspires some of you to save for the things that matter to your family, if so, I'd love to hear what you are saving for!
Happy Savings!!!
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