On the day of Feb. 15th, I always write what me and my girlfriend did every week until February 7th of the next year, where I would spend that entire week making a calendar of our past.
My husband and I never go out for Valentines Day, instead we cook a nice dinner at home and usually rent a few special movies and just spend some quality alone time together. With being a Mom and my husband working two jobs, just spending time together, with the Grandparents babysitting the kids for a night, is like heaven.
Thanks so much.
Cheesy though it is, the best (and cheapest) Valentine's Day gift I've ever received was a love letter handwritten on lined paper. In this fast-paced, high-tech world, it is a rare gift when a person takes the time to express how they feel in a meaningful way.
For a frugal valentines day I would make a homemade meal with some creativity of course, and set the mood with some candles which I have already and maybe rent a romantic movie and well I'll leave a few things for the imagination!
luckofdraw777(at)gmail(dot)com
how about burning a cd with songs that mean a lot to both.........or some handmade "tickets" that can redeemed for such things as a favorite home cooked meal, or no whining during the basketball playoffs, or a few hours of UNDIVIDED attention.......or control of the remote......
My girlfriend and I are both college kids, so we don’t have any money. But as readers of this blog know, money has nothing to do with fun.
This year for V-Day, I made a DVD movie/slideshow based on a Mission Impossible-esque message, (it just doesn't actually self-destruct at the end) and secretly snail mailed it to my girlfriend.
This DVD has a message along the lines of “we need your help….there is a dangerous agent operating in your area. He goes under the alias of “My Name.” He has been engaging in espionage. We also know that he was the mastermind behind a whole series of events in 2008 (at this point, several photos of our previous dates accompany the narration)…. He is a very dangerous agent and must be captured. Our intelligence tells us that he will be in such-and-such location at this time. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to capture him. This disc will self destruct in 5 seconds….BOOM”
Once she “captures” me, the ensuing “interrogation” will uncover the “secret information” I have---a love letter.
This project was dirt cheap, as the only expense I incurred was about $1 for postage. To make the DVD, I used software that came with my laptop (PowerPoint, MovieMaker, and DVDMaker) as well as free audio-recording software I found online (Audacity). My computer has a microphone, so that made the narration of the message easy. Also, I found several libraries of free sound effects on the web.
My best frugal V-day tip is one that my fiance and I have done for the last couple years.
We always celebrate Valentine's Day on February 15th.
The flowers are cheaper, restaurants aren't booked, and it's just less stressful for us to not be out in the crowds trying to get last minute cards, flowers, candies, etc.
My fiance and I have been trying to pinch every penny over the last year for our June Wedding. This month we will be taking it a step futher with a no spending month. Aside from essential groceries and other clear NEEDs we will not spend and cash on wants. We saved up a few gift cards from Christmas so we can go on a date, but other than that we will be at home enjoying each other's company and preparing items for the wedding. We plan to save around $400 this month and day dreaming about the wedding is pretty romantic if you ask me! It does help that Feb is the shorted month though ;).
I think a great V-day date that is frugal and yet meaningful is the most simplest: Staying in and having both people cook dinner, and then afterwards sitting down to watch some movies (each person gets to choose one video!!!). As for gifts, no need to spend!! Why not have each individual create a card/letter to the other to express their love for one another and/or give a handmade gift! Although being able to eat out is nice, I think being able to enjoy each other's company at home without company is far more meaningful.
My husband and I like to cook a special meal together on Valentine's Day. On one of our first ones together, he tried to do it all himself and wound up nearly cutting his finger off! So it's best as a team effort...
I lost track of how many times the author said "take this with a grain of salt" or "homelessness sucks" or ""95% of the time these people are genuinely in trouble." I'm paraphrasing, but the author was writing an article about the small minority of homeless people who are either not homeless, choose to be that way or are simply con-artists. The list was clearly tongue in cheek, and if you can't understand irony or sarcasm then stop reading this guy's blog. Maybe get a life?
I was always told that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Cook a lavish meal with lots of love, and I'm sure your man will absolutely love that gift!
Thanks to you, Walmart, the sponsors, and the other 11 Moms for the chance. Happy Val's Day!
I really like the flashlight gift Julie. It's so economical and useful. Coffee Mug is also a good one. People really go for a cup of coffee every morning. So this is a no brainer.
My wife and I don't get out very much due to having to boys under the age of 2. In fact ever since my first son was born (20mos ago) we have only been out by ourselves as a couple twice. So this Valentines day the ideal gift that she will appreciate is having someone watch the boys for a couple hours so that way we can spend some quality time together and have a nice(peaceful) dinner.
this is just stupid.
really? better off as a "bum"? really? mental health and substance abuse cripple the majority of homeless people in the US. i have no personal stories of homelessness and i certainly never wish to even after your account of how wonderful it would be.
i am so disappointed.
Cooking a meal together and spending the evening creating an Ipod playlist of our favorite songs has become a tradition for us. We burn the list to cd and keep it the car so we can listen any time. It's pretty cool to go back and listen to previous years' cds/lists and be reminded of special moments through songs that were meaningful to us that particular year.
On the day of Feb. 15th, I always write what me and my girlfriend did every week until February 7th of the next year, where I would spend that entire week making a calendar of our past.
She looks forward to it every year.
My husband and I never go out for Valentines Day, instead we cook a nice dinner at home and usually rent a few special movies and just spend some quality alone time together. With being a Mom and my husband working two jobs, just spending time together, with the Grandparents babysitting the kids for a night, is like heaven.
Thanks so much.
Cheesy though it is, the best (and cheapest) Valentine's Day gift I've ever received was a love letter handwritten on lined paper. In this fast-paced, high-tech world, it is a rare gift when a person takes the time to express how they feel in a meaningful way.
For a frugal valentines day I would make a homemade meal with some creativity of course, and set the mood with some candles which I have already and maybe rent a romantic movie and well I'll leave a few things for the imagination!
luckofdraw777(at)gmail(dot)com
how about burning a cd with songs that mean a lot to both.........or some handmade "tickets" that can redeemed for such things as a favorite home cooked meal, or no whining during the basketball playoffs, or a few hours of UNDIVIDED attention.......or control of the remote......
our bets tip is that we do not go out on V-day, we go out the weekend after and save ourselves the inflated costs of dining out.
I will be writing down the story of how we met in either children's storybook format or as a slideshow/simple movie with illustrations.
My girlfriend and I are both college kids, so we don’t have any money. But as readers of this blog know, money has nothing to do with fun.
This year for V-Day, I made a DVD movie/slideshow based on a Mission Impossible-esque message, (it just doesn't actually self-destruct at the end) and secretly snail mailed it to my girlfriend.
This DVD has a message along the lines of “we need your help….there is a dangerous agent operating in your area. He goes under the alias of “My Name.” He has been engaging in espionage. We also know that he was the mastermind behind a whole series of events in 2008 (at this point, several photos of our previous dates accompany the narration)…. He is a very dangerous agent and must be captured. Our intelligence tells us that he will be in such-and-such location at this time. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to capture him. This disc will self destruct in 5 seconds….BOOM”
Once she “captures” me, the ensuing “interrogation” will uncover the “secret information” I have---a love letter.
This project was dirt cheap, as the only expense I incurred was about $1 for postage. To make the DVD, I used software that came with my laptop (PowerPoint, MovieMaker, and DVDMaker) as well as free audio-recording software I found online (Audacity). My computer has a microphone, so that made the narration of the message easy. Also, I found several libraries of free sound effects on the web.
Eating and cooking at home always saves money!
My best frugal V-day tip is one that my fiance and I have done for the last couple years.
We always celebrate Valentine's Day on February 15th.
The flowers are cheaper, restaurants aren't booked, and it's just less stressful for us to not be out in the crowds trying to get last minute cards, flowers, candies, etc.
You know, it actually doesn't sound so bad... It's not like my current career track is a whole a lot more promising.
My fiance and I have been trying to pinch every penny over the last year for our June Wedding. This month we will be taking it a step futher with a no spending month. Aside from essential groceries and other clear NEEDs we will not spend and cash on wants. We saved up a few gift cards from Christmas so we can go on a date, but other than that we will be at home enjoying each other's company and preparing items for the wedding. We plan to save around $400 this month and day dreaming about the wedding is pretty romantic if you ask me! It does help that Feb is the shorted month though ;).
As a couple, or as a family, spend a couple of hours making a simple scrapbook of old photos and documents.
I think a great V-day date that is frugal and yet meaningful is the most simplest: Staying in and having both people cook dinner, and then afterwards sitting down to watch some movies (each person gets to choose one video!!!). As for gifts, no need to spend!! Why not have each individual create a card/letter to the other to express their love for one another and/or give a handmade gift! Although being able to eat out is nice, I think being able to enjoy each other's company at home without company is far more meaningful.
Thanks.
My husband and I like to cook a special meal together on Valentine's Day. On one of our first ones together, he tried to do it all himself and wound up nearly cutting his finger off! So it's best as a team effort...
I lost track of how many times the author said "take this with a grain of salt" or "homelessness sucks" or ""95% of the time these people are genuinely in trouble." I'm paraphrasing, but the author was writing an article about the small minority of homeless people who are either not homeless, choose to be that way or are simply con-artists. The list was clearly tongue in cheek, and if you can't understand irony or sarcasm then stop reading this guy's blog. Maybe get a life?
I was always told that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Cook a lavish meal with lots of love, and I'm sure your man will absolutely love that gift!
Thanks to you, Walmart, the sponsors, and the other 11 Moms for the chance. Happy Val's Day!
I really like the flashlight gift Julie. It's so economical and useful. Coffee Mug is also a good one. People really go for a cup of coffee every morning. So this is a no brainer.
That's neat. I guess it had to be somebody's Dollar Tree, right?
My wife and I don't get out very much due to having to boys under the age of 2. In fact ever since my first son was born (20mos ago) we have only been out by ourselves as a couple twice. So this Valentines day the ideal gift that she will appreciate is having someone watch the boys for a couple hours so that way we can spend some quality time together and have a nice(peaceful) dinner.
That Dollar Tree pictured is my Dollar Tree!
Why not use the ipod gadget to send v songs to the other?
Make munchies.
this is just stupid.
really? better off as a "bum"? really? mental health and substance abuse cripple the majority of homeless people in the US. i have no personal stories of homelessness and i certainly never wish to even after your account of how wonderful it would be.
i am so disappointed.
Cooking a meal together and spending the evening creating an Ipod playlist of our favorite songs has become a tradition for us. We burn the list to cd and keep it the car so we can listen any time. It's pretty cool to go back and listen to previous years' cds/lists and be reminded of special moments through songs that were meaningful to us that particular year.
Buy your own food and cook it at home. Send the kids to bed a bit earlier and snuggle up together with a romantic move and warm blankets.