So it's my third wedding anniversary tonight. We got married just two days after Christmas in a lovely snow covered little chapel in New England. It was beautiful, but now we are stuck celebrating our anniversary every year after already blowing our money on presents for everyone else. And so we usually have very little to spend on each other.

This year my wife's gift to me was to get food poisoning so we didn't even spend money on going out to dinner, but here are some other suggestions for celebrating on the cheap. Some of these also work for Valentine's Day...

1) Recreate your first date - Now, I don't mean go all the way and pick her up at her parent's house and try to score some beer with a fake I.D., but if you didn't marry your high school sweetheart you should be able to pull it off. Have dinner in the same restaurant. Watch the horrible movie you went to see that first night. Get some coffee at the same Starbucks you met at and go for a walk. Whatever it is, it will make you remember what made you fall in love that first time.

2) Cook her a meal - As I mentioned in the Valentine's Day gift ideas post last year, cooking for your wife is about the easiest way to impress her. Unless you always do the cooking, then maybe switch it up for a change?

3) Quiet evening at home - (If you have kids, this may mean sending them to the grandparent's house or a sleep-over somewhere else.) We don't have kids, but around the holidays we usually have so much to do that just an evening of nothing with a bottle of wine and sitting by the fire can be nice. If you don't have a fireplace there are several options available for your TV via Netflix.

4) Long walk on the beach - Everyone always claims they like it, but who ever makes time for it? Do it at sunset and bring a picnic for extra points.

5) Clean the house - I admit I am a lousy housekeeper, but I try. You can also spend a little and hire someone to come in and do the cleaning for a day if you are truly hopeless.

6) Rub her feet

Need more ideas? Check the list of traditional and modern anniversary gift themes for more ideas. I see that this year, our third, would traditionally be the leather anniversary--or the modern crystal anniversary--though I can't think of anything to do with those suggestions.

I can't think of any more right now, and I need to rub my wife's feet so I will sign off. I better start planning next year's anniversary now. Food poisoning is likely a once or twice in a lifetime coincidence on our anniversary. I promise I had nothing to do with it either.

What inexpensive yet thoughtful anniversary gift ideas do you have? Share your ideas with me in the comments.