Spend Less This Valentine’s Day (And Win an iPod Touch!)

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***Congratulations to Emerson (Comment #360)... You have won the iPod Touch.  We have contacted you by email, and you will have 48 hours to claim your prize, or another winner will be drawn. ****

 

I’ll admit that I’m not as crazy for V-Day as I once was.  The romance is still there, but my husband and I quit getting extravagant with our gifts once more of our money started going toward diapers.  Still, it’s the little things that can touch your heart, so why not start small with a personalized gift that won’t break the bank?  Here are our favorite tips:

 

Last Minute Valentine Cakes on the Fly– Myscha makes bakin’ up some love seem simple.  Maybe because it really is!

 

Couplehood:  Avoiding the Valentine’s Clichés – Some might call Andrea cynical.  We call her amazing.  Read up on how to avoid being put into some kind of predictable “love box,” and gain some frugal inspiration at the same time.

 

Valentine Ideas for the Single Crowd – I know.  Not everyone is “lucky in love.”  But some would consider themselves pretty darn lucky to be single.  (This one’s for you.)

 

Flower Power: A Guide to Frugal Valentine’s Flowers – Roses are a racket, but that doesn’t mean you have to forgo the flowers.  This guide can save your marriage (and at least $50.)

 

Cheap and Romantic Ideas for Valentine’s Day – Perfect for any day of the year, these are just plain sweet (and many are free!)

 

There’s no excuse to avoiding a great gift, just because you’re a little strapped this holiday.  If in doubt, a modern version of the mix-tape is always a great idea.  To help you out, we’ve teamed up with Walmart and Nestle to give one of you lucky readers an 8GB iPod Touch – perfect for uploading your favorite tunes from Walmart.com (or any of the top love songs picked by the 11Moms.)  We’ll even throw in a gift card for your first 10 songs!

To be eligible to win, comment on this post with your favorite frugal V-Day tip.  You have until February 10th to enter.  (Winner will be announced on February 14th!)  U.S. and Canada only.  Must be 18 or older to enter.

Wise Bread will not sell or use your email address for any purpose other than to contact the winner. 

And don’t forget to check out all the cool gift ideas, tips, and promotions at http://www.walmart.com/sweetideas.  They include a cool “Blow a Kiss” phone app, special eValentines, and a totally affordable holiday gift guide.  Can you feel the love?

Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.

Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.


Guest's picture
Valerie

The truth is we express to each other every day how much we love one another, so our best Valentine's tip is to ignore the hype and celebrate one another every day of the year!

Guest's picture
steve

we review love notes from our courtship period

Guest's picture
Marci

Last year, my boyfriend and I decided to save money on valentines day, and had the best night of our lives. We went to walmart and picked up some blue construction paper, some of our favorite snacks (chips, cheese, crackers, popcorn, etc) and some small votive candles. We also picked up some of the cheapest, lowest thread count sheets they had (luckily they were having a sale - $2 each ($4 total). We went home and I started cutting out stars from the construction paper, and taped them to thread we had at home at different lengths. We hung the stars from the ceiling all over and used push pins to tack up the sheets. Using a small cd player we had at home, we put on some music, lit the candles around the tent on tables, and crawed in. We put a towel down under the food to keep the mess limited, and ate our favorite snacks all night long. It was really romantic to spend time together one on one, acting like little kids camping out in our living room and it probably cost us a total of $25. It was well spent!

Guest's picture
Lorie S

Since we have children now, we make home made cards for each and we do some fun baking together!
I'll make the familys favourite meal(homemade pizza) and for a special gift, my hubby does dishes and kitchen cleanup!

Guest's picture
David

We have a tradition of writing poems to each other on special occasions. They can be funny, loving, meaningful, or silly, it really does not matter. The important thing is that they take time and they show how much you care. Added bonus: they cost nothing! Once you get into writing poetry (even if it terrible, every single time) it really does become fun. The longer you've been with your significant other, the easier it is because you have more memories to draw from.

After you've amassed a collection of poems over time, it becomes a great bonding activity to re-read them to see how your relationship has progressed.

It's a fun, frugal way to say "I love you!"

Guest's picture
Dave

Best frugal gift on Valentine's day is a quiet day with my wife. I will pamper her with breakfast in bed and we will watch chick flicks all day and relax.

Guest's picture
Chrissy

Wow, so many people with wonderful Valentine's plans! My partner and I don't really celebrate it, so I guess that's my frugal tip.

Guest's picture
Matt

My frugal tip for cold MN weather on Vday: A walk around Lake Nokomis followed by your favorite way of helping each other warm back up.

Guest's picture
joanna smith

Valentines Day to me isn't about giving gifts or cards to the people you love, it is about letting them know how you really, truly feel, straight from the heart. Often times I try to find the words to express myself, but often feel frustrated at myself for my feeling deep inside that I did not do so adequately. So my favorite frugal V-Day tip is to make a Compilation Music CD for my loved ones tailored to specifically let them know how I truly feel about them by selecting songs whose lyrics speak for me. I have quite an extensive music collection so I have an almost unlimited amount of songs to choose from and what is nice about giving this Frugal Valentines Day gift is that you are able to accomplish so much at one time! 1) You are giving that person a MOST UNIQUE gift that no one else has, 2) You are truly expressing through MUSIC how you truly feel about that person in the most relaxing, enjoyable and entertaining way that you can convey a message, 3) They are going to LOVE YOU for taking so much time out of your busy day to make this one of a kind gift for them, and lastly 4) It doesn't cost you a thing, but your time, heart and deep soul searching. I select the songs first and foremost based on the lyrics because this is a gift of expression, second is the rhythm and genre of the music, and third it has to be a musical artist I know the receiver can relate to and enjoys listening to. I hope this inspires someone out there to make this gift of music for their loved ones! Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts!

Guest's picture
Alice

My husband and I don't really celebrate Valentine's day. We think that every day should be a special day and that it's important to reach out to each other each day. If we were to celebrate, I think the best thing would be to enjoy a "do nothing" day together. No schedules, no phones/internet/etc, just a day together hanging out, talking, and enjoying the company.

Guest's picture
Lisa Bishop

My Dad makes dinner for my mom and me. He buys us each a box of chocolate and some flowers.

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juneflame

My favorite frugal V-Day:
-When I woke up to go to work, my partner had left flowers in my car
-After work, he had loaded a ton of love songs onto his ipod, lit the house full of candles, and made a very nice dinner for us.

It was all very romantic, very special, and very frugal.

Guest's picture
sharon travis

strawberries dipped in dark chocolate are a delicious,healthy treat for your valentine

Guest's picture
Marc

My fiancee and I usually keep Valentine's Day low key. Our plan this year is to have a nice dinner at home.

I'll send her flowers at work about a week early, so they'll be blooming when Valentine's Day comes around. They always show up as buds and take about 2 days to get to full bloom. She'd rather have blooming flowers on V-Day than buds. They're cheaper right before Valentine's and I always use a coupon to bring the price down. I also don't include a vase because she has several at work, which saves $10-15 each time. I would estimate I pay <50% of a "normal" retail V-day price.

Guest's picture

As kids, we all liked to make forts and hide in them because they were our own space, and no one could tell us what to do. In the same way, a Valentine's day fort is a great way to turn your living room into a fun and cozy retreat. Set it up in front of the fireplace, or the television - your choice. Add your favorite meal, person and movie and you are set to go!

Guest's picture
Graig

My roommate and I have taken very different paths on Valentine's dinners. Last year he had just started seeing some girl and to impress her, cooked something that it turned out she didn't even like, a rack of lamb. He went to a high-end butcher and even took an employees suggestion on wine... at $50 for the bottle. I flew solo last year, but the year before I found out that my date's favorite italian dish was Chicken Francaise, a relatively simple and much cheaper dish to make, all while still allowing an impressive looking plate. Let's also be real, there's about a 3% chance that your date is a wine snob, so a $15 will probably wow her just the same. A little homework goes a long way.

Guest's picture
ryan

My wife loves this because it shows a lot of thought and I love it because it's fun for me. I use clues, hints, and misdirection to give suspense and surprise, making Valentine's Day the best day ever.

Each year gets better and better. But the first time I tried this it didn't really work out too well because I had my timing off. Toward evening she got a secret phone call from a phone she didn't recognize instructing her to go on this little scavenger hunt, which would allow me to sneak into the house and surprise her with dinner. But the scavenger hunt, instead of being a quick 30 minutes took about an hour. So she came back tired and dinner was cold. :( But we had a lot of laughs and we'll remember it for always and forever.

Guest's picture
Dan

Get some scrapbooking materials very affordable and make homemade valentine cards they are a great investment and people will ove them, alos they take very little time to make. Another tip I have is to make up coupons for your spouse such as I will make dinner one night of doing the dishes another night.

Guest's picture
Tom B.

I write 2 poems for my wife every year. One from me, and one with help from our kids (6 and 8 this year). I'll also leave little notes in different spots with a hint on where to find the next one. The poems are waiting at the end.

Guest's picture
Faye

Don't have a significant other. Okay, for those that have to celebrate- bake cookies! My best valentines day gift was a box of homemade cookies (his favorite), a bar of toblerone, and candy. Thoughtful and cheap.

Guest's picture
Pete

My tip is to celebrate Valentine's Day one day after the day itself. You'll save a fortune on restaurants, flowers and pretty much everything else. Why pay extra if you don't have to?

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Jen

A group of my friends (4 couples) have regular ethnic nights where we bring dishes from a certain country. Our next night falls on V-day, so the men have decided they are in charge and they will be preparing and serving the women! They say they have several surprises in store, but since they are in charge of making all of the food, it will be relatively inexpensive and lots of fun!

Guest's picture
Monkey

I never celebrate valentines day. Every day should be the day you treat your SO well.

Guest's picture
Jason

We try to go see something at night that costs under $15 (a movie, a reading, any kind of performance) and then go to a restaurant with a cheaper late-night menu!

Guest's picture
Kate

I did this years ago. Only costs an extra stamp. Makes a love letter extra special.

From http://www.squidoo.com/valentine-nebraska:

"♥ Address your cards as you regularly would if you were mailing them yourself (stamp and all).

♥ Put all of your cards into one envelope, and mail them to:

Cupid's Mailbox
P.O. Box 201
Valentine, NE 69201

♥ For delivery by February 14th, your cards must be received by Cupids Mailbox by February 5th. All letters received after this date will still receive the cachet, but might not be delivered until after Valentine's Day.

♥ The Valentine Post Office starts sending out stamped letters on February 5th."

Guest's picture
Kate Farnsworth

In our house, Valentines day is about the kiddos, they love making heart shaped cookies (with pink icing of course), making hearts out of red construction paper and gluing paper doilies to them, and this year we are giving out valentines that I designed on the computer!

Guest's picture

Hubby has to work that Saturday so we planned to hit up the sale racks the next day and buy each other valentine candy and cards at 50% off. He loves peanut butter cups! The limit is to three dollar and the winner is the one with the most stuff!

Guest's picture
Tiff

Instead of spending money on a fancy dinner, we are going to Busch Gardens (we have annual passes) which is one of our favorite places.

Guest's picture
Amir

Take time instead of money for Valentine's day. For example: make a card, make a dinner, made a CD.

Guest's picture
Molly

If you've worked all day on Valentine's Day but want to avoid crowds, babysitters, and having to pay a tip...get takeout! One of the nicest restaurants in my neighborhood offered a dinner-for-two that came packaged in a big tin pan with a lid, just needed to be warmed up in the oven for 10 minutes. No cooking, no dishes, but cheaper than a restaurant.

Guest's picture
Nick T

Make candlelight dinner together and share a good bottle of red wine

Guest's picture
davwri01

I will be cooking a special dinner for my sweetie - traditional italian.

Guest's picture
Guest

Well, if we REALLY need to save money, as we have in the past...actually, some of our best Valentine's days were those times...

Get someone to babysit (if needed!) for FREE. Meaning, a relative, most likely.

Then stay in, get a Redbox rental, or have a Netflix movie ready, microwave popcorn, and either order a pizza, or a few cheesesteaks, or just have a quick, easy, premade, heatup dinner, by candlelight in the kitchen or living room.

Splurge and turn the heat up for a few hours if you usually freeze for a living, in the name of saving money, and just cuddle.
Make sure the room is clean and smelling good. Candle light, shades down, etc...

We've had our best times this way. And we didn't really spend anymore than we would have on a regular night.

<3

Guest's picture
Guest

Chinese New Year often falls near Valentine's Day, so if you're fortunate enough to participate in the asian holiday, you can collect red envelopes and make them into a card or an origami-inspired gift.

Guest's picture
Shel

The most memorable valentine's day I had was when a man I was dating made dinner for me at my house. It was nice to be able relax in my own home while he did all the work. He used one of Rachel Ray's valentine's menus from her website which turned out great. Rachel's menus used ingredients that are inexpensive and easily found and the meal was amazing!

Guest's picture

Personally, I consider the quality of our relationship to be more important than any money we could spend on gifts. We agreed: no gifts this year. We're more than happy to just spend time together. Last year I wrote him a love letter and he cooked dinner. This year, we'll stay in and cook together. That way there's no long wait for an overpriced dinner. Just time together.

Guest's picture
Ed

A simple romantic haiku

Guest's picture
Cynthia

At the after-Christmas clearance sales, I buy non-specific decorations, ribbons, and candy for 75-90% off. I use the red for Valentines Day, and the green for St. Patricks day.

Guest's picture
Devon L

My favorite but inexpensive valentines gifts are a cute old-school homemade card! Decorated with ribbon and other things you can find around the house. Inside it put a favorite picture of the two of you together! Then just spend the day together, watching movies, hiking, cooking or going out for dinner. Its a simple but cute way to celebrate Valentines!

Guest's picture
Cindy Robinson

We always love to make hand made Valentines Day cards at home. We have a lot of craft supplies and generally use what we have on hand - stickers, googly eyeballs, construction paper and assorted other bits of paper to give it some pizazz! Thanks for the opportunity to enter & win!

Guest's picture
Frances

Spend the whole day in bed.

Most people think that Valentine’s Day isn’t a “real holiday” and that they’re not supposed to take the day off of work. Forget that. Call in sick and spend the entire day in bed with the one you want to be there with. Order in cheap takeout and get to know each other again. Now that is romantic!

Guest's picture
Hannah

My husband and I have found that the most romantic times we have shared have been when we are trying something new together. We laugh, we joke, and we remember the reasons why we first fell in love. This year we have resolved to do more adventerous things that we noramlly wouldn't do. Now, I know that things do cost money, however, we have found ways to go places and do things for significantly less money. So far we have gone white water tubing ($10 tube rental) , ice skating ($9 per skate rental)
Museums and local attractions that we have been able to save a lot of money on because I have found great deals and coupons...you can find then for almost anywhere on dealguild.com as well as Toronto.com (or whatever city you live in. When people ask us what we want for Christmas or birthdays I ask for a restaurant card we have been able to eat out and go to movies many times for free. This valentines day we are planning to take a cooking class together and the best part is we get to eat the food afterwards! We will probably go ice skating again too...it was lots of fun! Well have a great valentines day everyone! I loved reading al your tips as well ;)

Guest's picture
Hannah

My husband and I have found that the most romantic times we have shared have been when we are trying something new together. We laugh, we joke, and we remember the reasons why we first fell in love. This year we have resolved to do more adventerous things that we noramlly wouldn't do. Now, I know that things do cost money, however, we have found ways to go places and do things for significantly less money. SO far we have gone white water tubing ($10 tube rental) , ice skating ($9 per skate rental)
Museums and local attractions we have been able to save a lot of money on because I have found great deals and coupons...you can find then for almost anywhere on dealguild.com as well as Toronto.com (or whatever city you live in. When people ask us what we want for Christmas or birthdays I ask for a restaurant card we have been able to eat out and go to movies many times for free. This valentines day we are planning to take a cooking class together and the best part is we get to eat the food afterwards! We will probably go ice skating again too...it was lots of fun! Well have a great valentines day everyone! I loved reading al your tips as well ;)

Guest's picture
Caroline

He cooks for me, and gives me the day off from cooking. I make him an ice cream cake.

Guest's picture
Evie

With the kids out of the house, we have a Valentine's evening at home. We make dinner together and then cuddle on the couch watching a favorite movie. No need to spend a fortune. The most important thing is being together.

Guest's picture
Kasey

My frugal tip is to try to remember to get something small but with personal meaning - this year I went straight to Etsy and picked up something for way less that I would have spent had I gone to the mall, but it's a gift with more meaning and probably nicer!

Guest's picture
Ray

25 roses are ALWAYS $19.72 @ Sams Club.

Guest's picture
Linda Lansford

We buy cards and save our money for more important things

Guest's picture
Kym

My favorite frugal V-Day tip? Break up right before Valentine's Day. It's worked for every guy I've dated so far.

No, I'm not kidding. I'm 27, and have yet to have actually had a SO on Valentine's Day. I've been dumped on Super Bowl Weekend 4 times.

Guest's picture
Tina

I saw this on craftser and decided to make one for myself (for him): http://www.craftster.org/blog/?p=329

It's a DIY "52 Reasons Why I Love You" book. The only problem? I'm stuck on #37.

Guest's picture
Erin

I make all of my valentine cards on the computer and print them in order to save money - I can't believe the price of some of the store bought cards!

Guest's picture
Vanessa

My love and I are staying in. I am making dinner and we will have a movie night. I am 2 months pregnant. So, there will be no alcohol or expensive or rich foods. Just me, my man, and a nice simple night in. :]

Guest's picture
Blandy

If you're single, get together with friends, or at the very least treat yourself to something nice!

Guest's picture

I have worked with retail floral establishments every Valentine's day since I got married, so I am too tired to go out to a fancy dinner on the holiday. So instead we usually opt for a nice breakfast out on President's Day the Monday after the holiday. Eating breakfast out is always cheaper than dinner. This year Valentine's is a Saturday so it could be a great excuse to change things up and try breakfast instead of dinner--or even cheaper make breakfast in bed. Ah, the romance.

Second tip is at the flower shop. Almost everyone has a vase and often times it is a beautiful crystal one that is sitting empty in a curio cabinet. If you don't have one yet go to a discount store like Ross or Marshall's to pick one up (the flower shop I work at buys vases at those stores and marks them up considerably). Then have the florist arrange something besides red roses in the vase. Seriously, so cliche. If you have to have roses then ask the florist about making something with short/medium stem roses, which will often save $20-$30!

Guest's picture
RickMc

This February 14th will be our first as a married couple. As young newlyweds passionately working our way out of student loan debt, we're definitely headed toward a frugal V-day. Needless to say, reading everyone else's own frugal tips and traditions has been immensely helpful.

For us, however, Valentine's Day will be spent revisiting our recent wedding and honeymoon -- an evening filled with cards, pictures, videos, vows, and most of all, intensely wonderful memories.

Guest's picture
michael lee

My wife and I are going out on a different day to save money.

Guest's picture
Guest

This one worked for me last year: I had him pick out a movie he wanted to watch (we have Netflix) and then I went and bought his favorite candy and made popcorn and bought his favorite beer. He felt like a king and it was super easy and cheap!

Guest's picture
Michael

I am going to make dinner for my girlfriend and enjoy our time alone together. I anticipate laughter and slow dancing to her turntable (we found some 50's ballroom music that we like to...well it is funny to us) while I cook and that is all I really care about. I will get her some flowers, but not roses. I find them to be unoriginal. I think I am going to take the advice of a website and purchase a book on flowers so she can look through to see exactly what the type of flowers mean.

We will have fun.

Hopefully I can surprise her with an IPOD Touch as well. But that is up to my favorite website: WiseBread.

Michael

Guest's picture
Bonnie Warren

Sometimes the Way to your Heart is in your stomach.... My husband made me a delicious, romantic Valentine's Dinner. It was so wonderful, and made with so much love.

Guest's picture
Taryn Parker

My tip is to wait until Feb 15 and take advantage of all the Valentine's Day merchandise and treats on sale, and go crazy!

Guest's picture
KimD

My husband leaves me love notes on my desk through out the day (post-its are so much cheaper than cards), as well as emails through out the day. He has also written a love poem for me and translated it into Italian. super inexpensive, but definitely meaningful and cherished. We also do a homemade dinner in; something that we both love but hardly ever make - that way it's a bit more special than every other home-cooked meal.

Guest's picture
Elita

Put the kids to bed and enjoy some mommy and daddy time! ;) A little baby oil heated up makes a great massage oil.

Guest's picture
JOvan

For VDay, I do something for my wife that I don't necessarily do all the time but that I know makes her happy, like put the baby to bed without being asked or give her a foot massage. She comes to bed in lingerie. :)

Guest's picture
Marina

Nix the baby's breath, ferns, and additional greens. Nuff' said. ~THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU~ I really needed this tip!

Guest's picture
Adam

I make my own Valentine's Day gifts. This year I'm dating a girl that has a couple minor health problems and has to take some pills every day to keep them under control. I decided to do a whole play on the love is a drug idea.

I got an old pill bottle, and I am writing up a "prescription" for "Love" and will paste it on the bottle. I plan to fill it with little heart shaped chocolates or candies of some sort. I plan to make my own card with something about how the FDA would outlaw love if it actually were a drug, if possible, I'll get a doctor's prescription pad to write the card on.

Feel free to steal this idea ;)

Guest's picture
Larry N.

If you purchase Valentine's Day gifts during the Christmas season or before that, you'll save a lot of time and maybe money, as stores seem to charge more during these holidays. Problem is with things that expire quickly. Using coupons also helps too,

Guest's picture
Maureen

A nice breakfast in bed of crepes, berries and cream and champagne sets the day off wonderfully! Simple, special and relaxing.

Guest's picture
Jen

I always think of Valentine's Day as Amateur Night, sorta like New Year's Eve. :)

This year, instead of celebrating in a restaurant, we'll make a great dinner at home and Netflix a movie. (This seems to be the theme of most of the posts...)

Guest's picture
Samantha

My husband and I usually just rent a good movie, make popcorn and cuddle while we watch. We have outgrown the pricey dinners out and the sappy gifts, we just share what we love about one another and hope for many more years together!

Guest's picture
Krista

My fiance and I are trying to save for our wedding so this year we're going to exchange homemade cards and then make dinner together and (weather permitting!) go skating...inexpensive but still romantic and fun!

Guest's picture
Davene

baking cookies for a loved one on Valentine's Day - using heart shaped cutters, a little pink frosting and maybe dip a few in chocolate. Pretty hard to go wrong...

Guest's picture
JM

In the past, I've gone out for expensive dinners on Valentine's Day, but it always felt like fulfilling an obligation about what my boyfriend and I were "supposed" to be doing on Vday. This year, I have a new boyfriend and I hope to start a new, low-pressure tradition. I would like to spend the afternoon browsing at a bookstore, picking out books for each other and ourselves and having a conversation about why we chose each one. I envision some goofy books and some serious ones. I think it is a great way to get to know another side of your sweetheart without spending any/much money, since buying the books is really beside the point!

I'd like to follow that up with a nice, home-cooked meal of risotto (cheap and way easier than you think), wine, and chocolate.

Guest's picture
Morgan

Hm... most of my favorite cheap valentine's tips have been covered by other commenters, but I'm always a fan of cakes. I love cake decorating (I'm so hip, I know), so I do enjoy making a cake with a bizarre yet affectionate message. Cupcakes are even better- they're small and not too much, but you can definitely write something cute. I like making some during the day and leaving them for my s/o when I leave for my night-shift job.

Which brings up the topic of working opposite shifts of your s/o. If you never see them, it's always nice to leave notes on the microwave for them, start the coffee, leave a meal to re-heat, whatever. It's not terribly romantic, per se, but it lets them know that you remember them ;)

I am, however, an artist by trade, so I tend to make some bizarre but (i think) cool valentines. I've made them with scrap metal, stained glass, I've done small jewelry, made cards with photos I've shot, the whole bit. Really, a little creativity goes a LOOOOONG way. The best one I ever got were some heart mittens that were poked into my coat pockets with a note. When I left for work, I put my hands in my pockets and found the mittens and the note. It was about the cutest thing ever.

Guest's picture
Caroline

My way to save money is to use the library! There are a ton of books on everything from love poems to romantic meals, and movies and CDs to take out too.

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LisaW

I love making unique, hand-made cards. They're more special and save a lot of money!

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Ashlie Beal

My favorite Valentines Day was taking a vacation to Hawaii where we honeymooned. Frugal?!?! Yup. We never left Maryland. Instead we cranked up the heat, put on shorts and played a cd of Hawaiian music we purchased on our honeymoon. Both of us took charge of cooking two "authentic" Hawaiian dishes. We even did a little bit of decorating with some inexspensive houseplants and photos. It was cheap, fun and romantic. What more could you ask for!

Guest's picture
Ashley

a tip for the single girls out there..invite all the other single girls over, buy a few bottles of wine each and rent sappy love stories..if you can't spend it with a mna spend it with the most important ladies in your life.

Guest's picture
Arlene

My husband's birthday is on Valentine's Day, and I told him years ago that we just celebrate his birthday, because Hey! Everyone should have their own special day, right? And most importantly, we did not NEED to celebrate some special day for him to tell me he loves me, because he shows me how much he loves me every day of my life!

Guest's picture
Arlene

My husband's birthday is on Valentine's Day, and I told him years ago that we just celebrate his birthday, because Hey! Everyone should have their own special day, right? And most importantly, we did not NEED to celebrate some special day for him to tell me he loves me, because he shows me how much he loves me every day of my life!

Guest's picture
Caroline Morin

So many great suggestions have come up already.

We keep it simple. Since our philosophy is to respect and cherish each other every day, we really don't see V-Day as a huge deal. We'll make a point of putting other things to the side and just spend time with each other... perhaps watch a movie and enjoy some sweet snacks.

Guest's picture
Susan Kieu

Instead of buying cards for your loved ones, make them. It's cheaper and more thoughtful

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Diane G

We just like to spend the evening at home taking with a good bottle of wine. Looking at pictures of good moments spent together like trips or parties is a good conversation starter.

Guest's picture
Marie N

I highly recommend to all those hard-working couples to take this Valentine's Day and turn it into a R&R day for the two of you. If your lucky and don't have to work the weekend you can start the day with a hot shower for two or a hot soak for two. Follow that up with a couples massage...first you do him, then he does you. What happens next is up to you. Round out your morning with a simple breakfast croissants and cut fruit served with your favorite brew. It won't cost you much...massage oil and the cost of breakfast...but it will set the tone for the rest of the day.

Guest's picture
Mitchell

(freaaa@gmail.com)

I think the best gifts are those they are made rather than bought.
So one good idea is to write new vows to each other each V-day.
Not only is it free, but its very personal, and is something that
can constructively be used to keep the marriage or relationship
on the right track.

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Pankaj

We plan to stay home, cook a simple dinner and watch our new big screen HDTV!

Pankaj

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Anne

I try to bake something special, and we grill steaks or something that we don't have often. Dinner will be a family thing with the kids included. Usually if it's on a weeknight, that's all we have time for.
I prefer a homemade card if dh has time, he makes great ones :)

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Bing

My favorite is to cook our own romantic dinner, which will be no less tasty, but much cheaper! We always have fun cooking together!

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Guest

You can see Valentine’s Day Gifts here
http://valentinegiftssavenow.blogspot.com/

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Jillian Veit

It's always nice to make gifts...cheap and from the heart!

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Riley

My favorite Valentine's Day idea is the Valentine's Day average. Friends of mine in college used to do this. Instead of going out on Valentine's Day with the rest of the world and fighting for reservations and paying exorbitant prices, they would go out to their favorite local place the week before Valentine's Day and then again the week after, figuring the two celebrations would average to one Valentine's Day celebration. They had twice as much fun for less money and without the crowds and hassle.

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Quanda Dykstra

Have a romantic Valentine dinner at home. After dinner spend the remaining of the evening watching a movie.

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terry

I like to bake a pan of brownies on Valentines Day. I use heart shape cookie cutters once the brownies are cooled and frosted with chocolate, I cut out hearts and give them to my loved ones.

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Courtenay

Find a new recipe or recipes that you've never tried and that you both decide on then go shopping for ingredients that you don't have and make a day or evening of cooking and eating together.
Thanks!

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Heather

Our whole family prepares the celebratory meal together. We write each other notes of appreciation and do things to help and show our care. We also try to go for a walk or hike together. We live in a warm climate, so this is a nice treat. This has evolved as we have three young children, and we are trying to avoid the consumption/consumer trap of most holidays. We try to show that time spent together is better than stuff

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Aliya D.

Start a journal the year before (365 days before) for him or her, adding one entry every day. Make it about him/her in some way, whether that be a poem, a small thought, a quote you read, something he/she did, your feelings aboyt him her (good or bad). Although these may seem time intensive, it's really not. All you do is spend a few moments each day, writing a few sentences (or more if you feel like it). I find it to be a heartfelt and sweet way to show someone how much you really love and care for them every single day!

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Gail Anderson

As our kids have gotten older, they still like to do something for Valentines. We decided to do something different one year and decorated the door of a widow in our neighborhood with red, pink and white hearts of various shapes. We put words on them similiar to the little heart shaped candies. We went over late night on the 13th and taped the Valentines to the door. The kids enjoyed seeing the Valentines hang on her door for the rest of the month. They talked about it all year, about the first of February the next year, they wanted to do more than just the neighbor, we did 3 doors that year. The tradition has continued, we have a fun dinner at home with the kids then get out the colored paper and get to work, making our hearts. This year the kids have 8 different widow's and widowor's in mind. I am glad that I have instilled in my children the importance of helping others.

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Janet

We avoid the crowds and unnecessary spending and go out for a hot chocolate treat on Valentine's Day.

I would love to win - thanks for having this giveaway.

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James Nickerson

I love showing up to my honey's office and hand delivering flowers! Less expensive and lot more fun!

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Angela

I love getting fresh cut flowers from our garden. I see them everyday in our yard, but when they are brought in special for Valentine's Day - it makes me smile.

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jaime

everybody gets all twisted up over valentines day. kay jewelers has done a fantastic job of raising the expectation from chocolates to diamonds over the years. but for us, what keeps the magic alive is using valentines day to remember why we love the PEOPLE in our lives, not the things. a nice dinner, and then we play the 'why do i love you' game. we remember things that made us start dating, and then, the defining moment that made us decide to say 'i love you' for the first time, and so forth, up to the birth of our kids, and then we tell them why we love them, and stuff. all told, it runs about an hour and a half, and at the end of the night, everyone feels super good about themselves, and the relationships in the house are stronger for it.