How To Celebrate 30 Years of Marriage
Ruefully smiling, I contemplate how I would have chosen to celebrate our 30 years of marriage. An overnight away in the hill country perhaps or Husband and I could have stayed at the Riverwalk. This time of celebration would have included hours to reflect upon the past 30 years of life together and time to plan for the next 30 years to come, if the Lord should so grant.
Yes, this frugal woman even at this time for special celebration considers the aging cars, the house repairs, the grandbabies here and on the way. Husband, however, wants to celebrate our anniversary with a trip to Maine! As Texas transplants from the east coast, we miss fall foliage, crisp days, and the architecture of New England. Family memories abound from our visits to Acadia National Park in years gone by when our now married children were younger. Youngest Son has few remembrances of these trips and so Husband wants us to celebrate this milestone of marriage with Youngest Son and return to this place of natural beauty and cooler weather.
Yes, this frugal woman gulps at the thought. Husband though begins to save, selling some silver coins from his youth, putting aside some of his weekly stipend and continuing to look for other ways to make it happen. An opportunity for some less expensive car insurance adds some more to the pot and generous older children contribute to the dream. Marriage is often about two very different people learning how to make life work with harmony. And so a replacement vehicle would wait and the house repairs would be our next project.
Dear friends, fellow New England lovers, ask to join our trip and share our costs. Youngest Son makes new memories and Husband's heart is refreshed with rocky hikes, gorgeous views and memories relived. Celebrating sunrise on the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park with his loved ones brings great joy to his heart. I too enjoyed the sights, the familiar smells of humus earth and turning leaves.
Husband surprises me with a special night for just the two of us and we spend some time reflecting on years past and plans for the years to come. We are grateful to be debt free in this season of life and know this trip would not have happened otherwise.
Now home with bills paid and seeking to get back into routine, I paused to reflect on how we accomplished this trip which was certainly not in our every day budget. Our vacation category is $600 a year. Adding to this amount took some creativity. Husband was motivated and, as I already shared, came up with some interesting strategies. Perhaps these ideas may help you to do something out of the regular budget as well:
changing insurance companies to a savings of $400
selling some silver coins and/or gold jewelry
saving weekly personal allowance
saving all rewards credit from credit cards to apply to the trip
taking a trip with another family to increase the fun and share the expenses
applying some of the regular food and gas budget for the weeks away
Of course the best part of the trip was being grateful for the reason we went in the first place! Thirty years of marriage is a precious milestone and we give honor and glory to the Lord for His blessing upon our marriage.
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5 Responses to “How To Celebrate 30 Years of Marriage”
November 8th, 2011 at 9:59 am
Very Nice Post! Really hits home since we are Vermonters here living in San Diego and our 40th is coming up in Dec. Your not just a Frugal person your a New Englander that explains it all. Congrats on the 30.
November 8th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Congratulations on the 30 years of marriage. My husband and I will celebrate 30 years next Sept. I am planning our first cruise. We will not fly. We will be going from Galveston. I have done a lot of research and I am proud of the plans I have made. By Sept. I will have the trip paid for.
I save for this with coupon use, I save my ‘mad’ money, and I work extra hours from time to time.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Congrats! 30 years is awesome and deserve special treatment! I’m still a long way from there, but we made the first really big marriage milestone, half my life in love with the same man:D
November 10th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Thanks frugaljoe! I do hope you celebrate your 40th with frugal gusto! We drove through Vermont on our trip. What a lovely state! Although I love New England, (has anyone ever read any Gladys Tabor books?) I am actually originally from New Jersey. The southern part of the state which in my youth was small towns and farm country.
Roxie:
Congrats to you too! I hear there are some incredible deals on cruises. When visiting Bar Harbor on our trip we were able to connect with a friend who landed there on a cruise stop and she said her cruise experience was fantastic!
Shannon:
What an encouraging way to describe your marriage.!
November 14th, 2011 at 10:18 am
Congratulations on the 30 years! This was a really nice post to read. It seems that the two of you are not only close but also share the same values and interests. You definitely deserve some time together and I’m glad you could make the trip.
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