Little Ways to Save Money on Special Occasions

The highest use of capital is not to make more money, but to make money do more for the betterment of life.
Henry Ford

It's fun to entertain and to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and but it's also expensive. These events aren't often accounted for in our budgets, and it's always a challenge to mark these special times without breaking the bank.

GRATIS GIFT WRAP When buying gifts, ask about free store gift wrapping or decorative store gift bags.

ALMOST HOMEMADE Use a cake mix and canned frosting to make a birthday/anniversary cake for a cost of about $3.00.

ARTISTIC LICENSE Buy a cake from the bakery that is frosted by not decorated at substantial savings over a decorated bakery cake. Decorate the cake yourself. You don't have to be an artist to create a beautiful design. Use plastic toy figures, photos, silk flowers, candies (M & Ms, gum drops, jelly beans), candy letters, designs cut from greeting cards, or coconut dyed with food coloring.

SPECIAL SUPPER Make the birthday boy or girl's favorite meal for dinner. This requires a little advance planning, but children rarely ask for a complicated meal.

BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST My mother bought packages of the individual-sized cereal boxes for our birthdays. The birthday child got first pick of the cereal. We only had these small cereal boxes for birthdays, and they brought a special start to a special day. A gesture doesn't have to be extravagant to be noticed.

INTIMATE GATHERINGS Children don't need a large birthday party every year. When they're not having a birthday party with all their friends, have them choose one or two friends and an activity such as swimming, bowling, a movie, or going out for pizza.