Cheap Valentines Day Ideas

Without appearing cheap. From the DLM Blog:

How to Have a Frugal & Happy Valentine's Day

Posted: 06 Feb 2009 05:18 AM PST

Being frugal and happy on February 14th can be easy, creative and fun when you plan ahead. This is your opportunity to declare your love and pinch pennies with a touch of class. Enjoy yourself. It’s all about love, not the amount of money you throw at a gift. Tell everyone!

Create an Experience

• Make dinner at home. Create a romantic atmosphere. Use a nice table cloth. Get out your best dishes and put a single flower in a bud vase. Cook his/her favorite foods. Make a special dessert. You could do this together and invite another couple. Dress your best…something special.
  


• Have an inside picnic. Create a magical place in your living room. Light candles and turn the lights down low. Place a blanket on the floor. Serve a fresh loaf of bread, cheese, fruit, dessert and your favorite drinks.
  


• Go out during “happy hour” when food and drinks are less expensive.


• Plan a progressive dinner with three other couples. Each couple chooses to serve an appetizer, dinner or dessert in their home.


• Go to a coffee shop and feast on coffee and fancy cupcakes.


• Pick up take-out food from an unusual place and include an inexpensive bottle of wine or your favorite beverage.


• Make a chocolate fondue with different exotic fruits. Include cut up pound cake, Twinkies and cookies. Take turns feeding each other.


• Make Valentine's day a family affair. Have the kids decorate with crepe paper, confetti and hand made hearts. Purchase sugar cookie dough and make and decorate cut out cookies together.


• Go on a date. Choose a special place out of town to spend the evening. Poke around in new places. Make it an adventure. Get dessert.


• Have a "Spa Nite." Give each other a massage. Rent a DVD if you need instructions. Use special oils and lotion. Make the room nice and toasty! When you are finished you can take a bubble bath together, drink champagne or sparkling water in fluted glasses. Later serve finger foods to each other.


• Play your favorite music and dance the night away.


• Rent a romantic movie, for example, Casablanca, The Notebook, Hitch, PS I Love You, Pretty Woman or The English Patient.


• Take a romantic walk on the beach, riverfront, in a historic city, public garden or park. Stop for hot chocolate or a drink.


• Go to a bookstore, browse and purchase a favorite book for each other.


• Take your date to a free or inexpensive play or concert at your local community college, near by university or a local city theatre.

Give a Gift

• Give an exquisite rose and one delicious truffle.


• Bake favorite cookies, cupcakes or candy for your Valentine. Serve warm.


• Create a goodie bag containing Hershey's kisses, hugs, candy hearts or any other pink, white, red or chocolate candy.


• Gather wild flowers or flowers from a friend or neighbors garden. Tie with a pretty ribbon and present with a hand made card.


• Written word is powerful. Plan ahead to write each other love letters stating the top 10 reasons you love, admire and adore each other. Put them in a fancy envelope, roll it up and tie with a pretty ribbon or put it in an inexpensive frame.


• Spend the evening writing haiku poetry. Haiku is Japanese poetry consisting of three lines, with the number of syllables of 5 (first line), 7 (second line), and 5 (third or last line). It can be fun, creative, intimate and meaningful.


• Decorate your home with red, white and pink balloons and leave love notes everywhere: in side shoes, a packed lunch, a coffee mug, a briefcase and on the mirror. You could do this in his/her car as well.


• Write short quick love notes. See if you can do 365 of them. Put them in a gift box that you decorate and give a gift good for one year.


• Create and give gift certificates or coupons that promise you'll wash the car, clean the garage, do the dishes, or whatever would make your sweetie smile.


• Decorate a memory box and fill it with your favorite souvenirs, photos, and other favorite or meaningful things that represent your love for each other.


• Create a photo journal. Purchase an inexpensive journal or scrapbook and put photos from the past inside. Write down your memories, stories and feelings next to each one.


• Get a friend to do a photo shoot of you. Create a calendar or frame some pictures as a gift. Make them sexy, fun and/or special.


• Create a video declaring your love for your Valentine, post it on You Tube and email the link to your sweetie.


• Download his/her favorite music and make a CD. Label it with a special photo and enjoy listening and dancing together.

Give rather than receive

• Gather materials to create and decorate special valentines for friends and spend the evening delivering them.


• Together send free e-cards to friends and family members.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Written on 2/08/2009 by Tess Marshall. You can find Tess at The Bold Life where you will be challenged to be more, give more, live fearlessly, take more chances and show up in the world unstoppable, daring and bold. You can grab a subscription and download her free e-book, “Flying by the Seat of My Soul.”

Photo Credit: ButterflySha