Getting that Happy feeling from Bed Bath and Beyond

This weekend for my birthday, my husband arranged for a sitter and we drove into the city to party with P. Diddy at Ciprianis, where we sipped Bacardi like it was my birthday. No, not really, but I wish!

Actually, this weekend my husband surprised me with a birthday dinner out with friends. I couldn't have asked for a better gift. I thought we were going to my BFF Rabia's house for pizza, totally forgetting it was my own birthday, and was surprised when we ended up in the parking lot of my favorite Chinese restaurant. Rabia and her family were parked in the parking lot waiting for us there. If I had known we were going out to eat, I would have dressed up more, all I had done was wear a little lipstick and thrown on a sweater and jeans, but we were with close friends so it was all good. Just so you know, we didn't go to the Band-Aid Lo Mein restaurant, that place is the husband's favorite place, even after that yucky incident! The place we went to for my birthday is really nice, and surprisingly, only has a 10-15 minute waiting time compared to the rest of the restaurants in New Jersey. It seems everyone and their mother eats out on a Saturday night in Jersey. Even the wait at the Olive Garden runs on average 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

So during the meal, while the kids were running around the restaurant looking all the live fish in the aquariums, my husband presents me with a Happy Birthday card. Inside was a mushy message plus two $50 gift cards, one was for any store in the mall, and the other for....Bed Bath and Beyond!? I was a little surprised to see the gift card for BBB, but husband knows me well. I can't ever leave that store without buying something, so he might as well pre-pay for the damage. I'll go in for pillowcases and come out with a lazy susan countertop organizer, decorative fake flower arrangements, or splatter guards to put on top of fry pans (hey, the sign said "try me" for $9.99 and I did, and realized that I wasted $9.99, even with the Big Blue 20% off coupon.)

No, I didn't get that Isabella Fiore bag I wanted. ~sigh~. You all didn't think I was actually going to get it, did you? No, we've got bills to pay just like anyone else, but someday when I win the lottery, or my stock in FTO hits the roof, then I might treat myself to it.

Until then, I have some gift cards burning a hole in my wallet. I think I'll buy more MAC makeup with the mall card, and some throw pillows for our bare living room sofas from BBB. Special Note about the Big Blue Bed Bath and Beyond coupons: these never expire, so pick a drawer and hoard them. Or keep them in your glove compartment, so when you are in the parking lot of BBB, you can't say "Oh, I forgot my coupon at home." My husband thinks those Big Blue cards are a marketing gimmick to get people into the store, and he's probably right, but I love getting the "I saved 20%" feeling every time I go there and use them.