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by Hope

You can imagine my utter joy when Gymnast ended his 18th birthday Saturday with the statement “best birthday ever” and then reiterated that again on Sunday. Anyone who knows him, knows that is high praise indeed. I love my, baby son, but phew, he is high maintenance.

Here’s how I pulled off the best birthday ever with very little money…

1. Dollar Tree for the win on new birthday gifts. I picked up a pack of birthday bags and filled them with like items that I knew he would use. There was a car cleaning bag, snack bag, and journal/dream big bag.
2. I visited the local coins and currency shop where they have $0.10 candy and filled his existing water bottle with candy. Then wrapped it.
3. Finally, I scoured the house for things that I could gift him…jump rope, phone controlled outlet, velcro straps, and command strip hangers all got wrapped up and gifted.

The Day’s Activities

I made a Texas style breakfast at home…breakfast burritos.

Then Beauty, he and I headed to downtown Atlanta where we spent the day taking pictures of him at one of his favorite picture taking locations Ponce City Market, i.e. playing paparazzi. He drove so I didn’t even have to pay for gas.

He also did some shopping. Beauty and I enjoyed sitting in the air conditioning after several hours of running after him with cameras.

Throughout the day, I shared memories and videos specifically made by far away family members to celebrate him on social media platforms. He spent the evening reviewing all his photos and the 12ish social media posts I had posted throughout the day and all the comments from friends and family far and wide.

All in all, a great day. A hot day. An exhausting day. But a great day. And I am so proud of making it a success with less than $20 spent. Birthday on a budget for the win!

Read More Birthday Posts from BAD & Around The Web

$0.99 cupcakes – Twins’ Birthday

Double Dipping as a Birthday Present

Birthday Help – The Big 21

A Birthday Wish for My Missing Son

Good Old Fashioned Paper and Pencil Budgeting Is Best

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.