Cheap but Sweet Birthday Gifts for a Wife

Money is tight these days, so you can't buy your wife the jewelry or other expensive gift you'd like to get her for her birthday. She insists you don't have to get her anything, but you aren't sure if it's a trap. Sound familiar? Believe it or not, there is a win-win outcome here by choosing a simple and inexpensive birthday gift that has a special meaning to your wife.

First, there is the gift of labor. If she works outside the home or you can get her out of the house somehow on her birthday, find a way to get the place cleaned while she is gone. The cheapest method is to clean it yourself unless you simply can't find the time. There are housecleaning services available these days, but some of them are rather pricey, not considered cheap to most of us. (cost: zero-$75)

Most women, especially women who work full-time jobs, love to have a break from the kitchen as well, so the labor of love you perform could be the birthday dinner. This really should be something you make yourself, even if you don't think yourself much of a cook. You probably should purchase the items you need to create the dishes so you don't mess up the wife's meal plans by using what is in the house, but that's your only expense. Eating at home is certainly a lot cheaper than dining out. Treat your wife as a special guest in your home, taking her coat, suggesting she relax while you finish preparations, pulling out her chair. Afterward, do the cleanup. Don't say you'll do it in the morning; if you do, she'll probably go wash the dishes as soon as you turn your back, and then you have undone a lot of the gift's impact. (cost: zero-$25)

If you can afford flowers (or a plant if there are allergies involved), sending them to your wife's work or home is a wonderful treat that can be cheap. It makes a person feel special to get a delivery when nobody else does, particularly when everyone can see a beautiful small bouquet; it doesn't have to be the biggest, most expensive bunch. An added bonus to those sent to work is that everyone there now knows it is the lady's birthday and will be giving good wishes. It is also nice when you bring the bouquet home, however, and such delivery will usually save a few bucks. (cost: $10-50)

If you do want to bring home the birthday bouquet for the wife, considering pairing it with something else cheap, such as a gift of your time. Coming home an hour early from work and saying you did it just because you wanted to be with her is a statement that has a lot of depth. After dinner, ask what movie she would like to watch and rub her back and shoulders occasionally as you view it. Top off this evening with a single rose on her pillow if you didn't bring home a bouquet, and it's sure to be a hit. (cost: $2 or more if you can't make up the missed hour from work somehow.)

If you have a full day to spend together for the birthday, you can make it a gift that lasts all day or all afternoon. Beforehand, check to see what events will be taking place in your neighborhood that she might enjoy that are also cheap. For instance, zoos and museums often have free days, or days that the entrance fee is canned food or books. Have a list of these events handy along with other ideas that are cheap, like feeding the ducks at the park, hanging in the coffee shop for a couple hours, playing an online game together, playing some sport (like tennis, basketball, or maybe just passing the football back and forth), or maybe taking a hiking trail. Let her choose what events she is interested in; she may even have some ideas to add. If you choose and organize carefully, the only cost for this day could be that for gas. (cost: zero-$35)

Husbands often seem to feel that they need to spend extravagantly on birthday gifts for the wife, but doing so can sometimes cause more trouble than pleasure. After all, the wife probably knows the budget situation just as well as the husband, and she may feel guilty or angry or both if he spends more than she feels is justifiable.

And a gift from the heart is much more meaningful. Gifts that you spend time thinking about are worth more than the finest jewelry that you pick up at the last minute, having forgotten to get a gift for your wife. You can keep your relationship close and your budget intact by giving a birthday gift to your wife that is more of yourself than your money.