Last year, I went to the meat counter at the local gourmet market and purchased a cooked crab (one is plenty for two adults), and had the butcher crack it for us. I made baked potatoes and a nice salad and splurged on a nice bottle of wine. I set the table with our wedding china and pretty flowers and candles. The best part is that my "accomplices" were our two tween-age daughters, who were our waiters for the evening. They thought it was a hoot, and it is nice for them to know that Mom and Dad really are still in love (OK, maybe just a little gross, too, which is also hilarious). Then, after the dishes were cleared, they set out an ice cream sundae bar with all the fancy toppings we never buy, and we all sat down together for dessert.
I started reading Mother Earth News online, and their site was pretty informative, unless you want anything about Canada. After writing in a letter asking if there were any resources that could be suggested for Canadians, and being rudely brushed off, I turned my attention to Harrowsmith Country Life and read it cover to cover including the advertisements. For the States, Mother Earth, and Make and all of those are pretty good, but if you are Canadian and you don't want to transpose everything 5 growing areas down, Harrowsmith Country Life is wonderful.
If we have a gift card to a decent restaurant (we usually do from Christmas), we go out. If not, we make dinner at home and might pick up dessert.
When we go out, we tend to go out on a day other than the 14th - dinner prices seem higher on Valentine's Day and many restaurants seem focused on getting you in and out.
Valentines day is really important to me. As it is one of my favorite holiday's, I tend to go all out. However since there is an economic crunch and I don't think it would be smart to spend 200+ this valentines day. I've found that If I cook dinner at home *candle lit of course* and pick flowers out of my own garden. The thought and work that went into the whole ordeal makes it that more special. No matter how much money you spend will never replace what YOU do for him/her.
I've taken a photo with my 2 year old and put it in a pretty heart-shaped ornament...that's what my husband is getting this year for Valentine's Day. I will make him dinner and dessert, too, of course. This is a very frugal and sweet way to say I love you!
Valentine's is the day my husband and I got engaged, so when we had money we would spend it getting a nice room out by Point Reyes (where we were engaged). Even then we always brought our own homemade meal and dessert. So to continue in the tradition, but make it even more frugally we could go just for a day trip. This also means we can bring our two daughters (which saves on babysitting) and we can all play at the beach or go for a hike. It can still be romantic and make for a great family memory. Plus, there are never crowds at the park on Valentines. (Just remember to bundle up a bit.)
If you're looking for handmade but are all thumbs, there's always etsy.com- not everything is inexpensive, but there are bargains to be had. I just turned down diamonds in favor of a handmade piece of jewelry for about $20. Unique and cheap!
So, I'm not a big fan of most types of candy and I don't care for chocolate. The one type of candy I enjoy is only available at Valentines. Yes, I love those chalky, cheesy Sweetheart candies with the love messages.
And what's really strange is that I like them best when they're just a little stale.
When we first started dating, my (now) fiance worked at pharmacy. The pharmacy always carried those individual boxes of Sweethearts.
A few weeks after Valentines Day, he'd show up with an entire display box full of Sweethearts! Once the holiday was past, he would save the entire stock from being tossed in the garbage.
And they're stale...just like I like them! There's probably not many girls out there who'd be happy with free, stale candy for Valentine's Day. :)
My tip - celebrate more than just "romantic" couple hood love. I'm having a board game party with friends to celebrate platonic love. So instead of going out some place with too much food, that's too expensive, with too much of a crowd, I'll be at home with my loved ones playing games and enjoying a potluck meal.
I've never been really into Valentines day, and I hate all the money wasted on flowers, chocolate, dinners, etc (I know, I'm such the romantic). So, a few years ago, I told my boyfriend that I didn't want anything, but if he had to buy me something, all I wanted was some of those candy conversation hearts.
Well, he took me up on it. He came home from work, tossed a big bag of candy hearts at me, and we had a nice dinner, but nothing special.
That's when I realized that I did want some romance. A bottle of wine and some flowers might not be practical, but it's nice to splurge on things once in a while!
Luckily, my boyfriend knew me better than I knew myself. Later on that night, he proposed.
So I got a bulk bag of candy and a diamond ring in one night.
I like to make a really nice dinner at home and have a bottle of wine that we've bought and save for a special time. Also, I make dessert. Last year I made chocolate lava cakes.
More fun and cheaper than going out.
my dad does this for my mom and it might just be cheap- but I find it romantic...
Every year he gives her the same card with a new note on it. I'm not sure how many years he's been doing it, but the card is pretty full and each new note is unique. It saves money and also is a reminder of all the years of love.
Write a love poem for your spouse with dry erase marker on bathroom mirror. That's sure to put a smile on his/her face! If you don't want to come up with your own, try Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets.
The easiest and cheapest thing to do on V-day is buy a carton of strawberries, melt some chocolate, and dunk away. Feed each other and let the fun begin! ;)
Great post and comments - I think that men don't realize how very important this day is to women (and even women don't like to think it is) But, a man can really damage a relationship by ignoring that day or letting it slide by a bit.
We like to create a romantic setting, candles, fine china, etc. And then have a very filling helping of a local fast food joint. This year we are leaning towards Jimmy John's or Arbys.
We've tried doing the nice restaurant thing, but with how busy they are we're better off at home.
How about a coupon to your spouse for your spouse to enjoy a day off. Essentially you would agree to tend to the children and to the chores on a day of your spouses choosing so that your spouse could do whether she/he wishes.
Since we both enjoy cooking together, we splurge on some good-quality seafood or meat and cook a really nice meal for ourselves, and then enjoy dinner together. We've been considering dry-aged steaks... total dinner cost would be $30 for two of us, at most.
Make her favorite dish, pack it up and have a late night picnic at any local park. Champagne is a must!!!
Last year, I went to the meat counter at the local gourmet market and purchased a cooked crab (one is plenty for two adults), and had the butcher crack it for us. I made baked potatoes and a nice salad and splurged on a nice bottle of wine. I set the table with our wedding china and pretty flowers and candles. The best part is that my "accomplices" were our two tween-age daughters, who were our waiters for the evening. They thought it was a hoot, and it is nice for them to know that Mom and Dad really are still in love (OK, maybe just a little gross, too, which is also hilarious). Then, after the dishes were cleared, they set out an ice cream sundae bar with all the fancy toppings we never buy, and we all sat down together for dessert.
I started reading Mother Earth News online, and their site was pretty informative, unless you want anything about Canada. After writing in a letter asking if there were any resources that could be suggested for Canadians, and being rudely brushed off, I turned my attention to Harrowsmith Country Life and read it cover to cover including the advertisements. For the States, Mother Earth, and Make and all of those are pretty good, but if you are Canadian and you don't want to transpose everything 5 growing areas down, Harrowsmith Country Life is wonderful.
If we have a gift card to a decent restaurant (we usually do from Christmas), we go out. If not, we make dinner at home and might pick up dessert.
When we go out, we tend to go out on a day other than the 14th - dinner prices seem higher on Valentine's Day and many restaurants seem focused on getting you in and out.
Valentines day is really important to me. As it is one of my favorite holiday's, I tend to go all out. However since there is an economic crunch and I don't think it would be smart to spend 200+ this valentines day. I've found that If I cook dinner at home *candle lit of course* and pick flowers out of my own garden. The thought and work that went into the whole ordeal makes it that more special. No matter how much money you spend will never replace what YOU do for him/her.
I've taken a photo with my 2 year old and put it in a pretty heart-shaped ornament...that's what my husband is getting this year for Valentine's Day. I will make him dinner and dessert, too, of course. This is a very frugal and sweet way to say I love you!
Make a card, make a nice dinner, stay home and snuggle.
Really, do you need all the comercial stuff?
Valentine's is the day my husband and I got engaged, so when we had money we would spend it getting a nice room out by Point Reyes (where we were engaged). Even then we always brought our own homemade meal and dessert. So to continue in the tradition, but make it even more frugally we could go just for a day trip. This also means we can bring our two daughters (which saves on babysitting) and we can all play at the beach or go for a hike. It can still be romantic and make for a great family memory. Plus, there are never crowds at the park on Valentines. (Just remember to bundle up a bit.)
If you're looking for handmade but are all thumbs, there's always etsy.com- not everything is inexpensive, but there are bargains to be had. I just turned down diamonds in favor of a handmade piece of jewelry for about $20. Unique and cheap!
Making a special dinner together and homemade cards and notes are the way to go
So, I'm not a big fan of most types of candy and I don't care for chocolate. The one type of candy I enjoy is only available at Valentines. Yes, I love those chalky, cheesy Sweetheart candies with the love messages.
And what's really strange is that I like them best when they're just a little stale.
When we first started dating, my (now) fiance worked at pharmacy. The pharmacy always carried those individual boxes of Sweethearts.
A few weeks after Valentines Day, he'd show up with an entire display box full of Sweethearts! Once the holiday was past, he would save the entire stock from being tossed in the garbage.
And they're stale...just like I like them! There's probably not many girls out there who'd be happy with free, stale candy for Valentine's Day. :)
If you are going out to eat on Valentine's Day, go for a nice breakfast or lunch - it's often much cheaper than dinner!
Another thing I like to do on Valentine's Day is to make breakfast in bed for my fiance and me... then we can snuggle and eat pancakes :)
My tip - celebrate more than just "romantic" couple hood love. I'm having a board game party with friends to celebrate platonic love. So instead of going out some place with too much food, that's too expensive, with too much of a crowd, I'll be at home with my loved ones playing games and enjoying a potluck meal.
I've never been really into Valentines day, and I hate all the money wasted on flowers, chocolate, dinners, etc (I know, I'm such the romantic). So, a few years ago, I told my boyfriend that I didn't want anything, but if he had to buy me something, all I wanted was some of those candy conversation hearts.
Well, he took me up on it. He came home from work, tossed a big bag of candy hearts at me, and we had a nice dinner, but nothing special.
That's when I realized that I did want some romance. A bottle of wine and some flowers might not be practical, but it's nice to splurge on things once in a while!
Luckily, my boyfriend knew me better than I knew myself. Later on that night, he proposed.
So I got a bulk bag of candy and a diamond ring in one night.
I like to make a really nice dinner at home and have a bottle of wine that we've bought and save for a special time. Also, I make dessert. Last year I made chocolate lava cakes.
More fun and cheaper than going out.
my dad does this for my mom and it might just be cheap- but I find it romantic...
Every year he gives her the same card with a new note on it. I'm not sure how many years he's been doing it, but the card is pretty full and each new note is unique. It saves money and also is a reminder of all the years of love.
Write a love poem for your spouse with dry erase marker on bathroom mirror. That's sure to put a smile on his/her face! If you don't want to come up with your own, try Pablo Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets.
The easiest and cheapest thing to do on V-day is buy a carton of strawberries, melt some chocolate, and dunk away. Feed each other and let the fun begin! ;)
Great post and comments - I think that men don't realize how very important this day is to women (and even women don't like to think it is) But, a man can really damage a relationship by ignoring that day or letting it slide by a bit.
We like to create a romantic setting, candles, fine china, etc. And then have a very filling helping of a local fast food joint. This year we are leaning towards Jimmy John's or Arbys.
We've tried doing the nice restaurant thing, but with how busy they are we're better off at home.
Mike
Actually pre-1982 and some 1982 pennies are 95% or so copper and the rest zinc. After the the recipe was reversed.
I'm going to make my boyfriend a homemade valentine, red construction paper, lace, magic markers and all! :)
How about a coupon to your spouse for your spouse to enjoy a day off. Essentially you would agree to tend to the children and to the chores on a day of your spouses choosing so that your spouse could do whether she/he wishes.
Since we both enjoy cooking together, we splurge on some good-quality seafood or meat and cook a really nice meal for ourselves, and then enjoy dinner together. We've been considering dry-aged steaks... total dinner cost would be $30 for two of us, at most.
There is no substitute for something made by your own hands. Dinner, Woodworking, Massages, chores etc. My wife will take any of the above!