Q: My partner is having a birthday soon... end of decade... big one...money is tight at the moment, but I would appreciate any cheap ideas to have fun...
A: I am a HUGE birthday person!! I don't know the age, gender, etc of your partner but here are some general ideas: go on a day trip - there are many free places to go in your area like hiking trails & parks if you're outdoorsy, concerts in the park (lots of small towns have free ones in the summer), festivals (many communities have them in every season depending on where you live) - contact your local Chamber of Commerce or Google a place you're interested in going to. If you are a AAA member, contact your local office (I'm a AAA agent and help people all the time find places to go that are for special occasions); if there are friends and families who want to celebrate, consider a "bring-your-own-party" party where everybody brings some ingredient of the food/drink and maybe even a surprise! (when I turned 50, my sister gave a party and invited some people I never expected to be there - past friends, etc and when I turned 60, my son invited my brother and sister from NH and VA for the weekend - they paid their own expenses and we had some great times just being together); there's always the intimate at-home celebration with a movie (preferably one your partner wants to see and you don't!) and popcorn and a bottle of champagne (there are inexpensive brands); mainly, if you just spend some quality time with your partner doing something particularly pleasing to your partner, you will give a valuable gift. Homemade cards and gifts are also instant pleasers! My favorite is a scrapbook filled with old memories from you and from family and friends if you like. A personal note from each contributor along with pictures, etc make a moving tribute to someone you care about and something that can be kept forever. It can be presented at a "tribute" party (combined with the "BYOP" I mentioned above) which will be an occasion to cherish forever.