My husband is a great amateur photographer, and this year for Valentine's Day, I'm giving him a private photo shoot. I'll set up a background and good lighting, assemble some fun props (a feather boa, for instance) and let him take some silly but sexy boudoir pictures of me. It's nothing kinky -- I promise -- but something fun we did when we first got together that I know he'll love trying out again. No one else will ever see the photos, of course. But instead of a trinket to put in a drawer or flowers that will wilt, we create a great experience together, a bonding moment both of us will remember for a long time. Cost: $0.
I like to make heart-shaped pancakes. If you don't have pancake molds, you can use a cookie cutter to "carve" hearts out of regular pancakes (and eat the evidence). This is a great brunch.
My husband and I celebrate V-day a week or so later - that way, the restaurants are all not booked, places are not crowded and we get to have our own special day. We used to go out to eat, but with a baby now, it gets harder. So we cook dinner together and watch a movie at home snuggled in the couch (with or without a wine) and talk about our dating days and pre-marriage/pre-baby fun days.
My husband and I are newlyweds, and this is our first valentine's day as married folks. My tip for this year is to talk about our goals - dream and let ourselves think about all the ways NOT spending money on a big NYC dinner will allow us to fund our future (even a little bit). You don't need money to dream.
one year i made an elaborate dinner of all supposed aphrodisiacs, including dessert of handmade chocolates topped by edible flowers. just looking up the aphrodisiacs and deciding what to make was fun all by itself ... there are some crazy ones!
Ooooh, Ipod ... daydreaming. We have definitely gone frugal with Valentines gifts. We usually keep it very casual. My husband loves beer and I seldom buy it (he does buy it himself), so I treat him to a 6-pack of something local. He usually gets me something small and chocolate, and we're both happy!
We always attend a free wine tasting so that we are able to enjoy different wines and not spend a dime. If that tasting also has nibblers, then that's an added bonus.
I have to say that the best V-day I ever had was when we stayed home in our bathrobes, watched a movie and ordered pizza. High romance, low cost!!
I don't know if this really counts as a V-Day tip, but it has saved us money.... My husband and I decided when we first got married that it was more important to us to celebrate our anniversary than Valentine's Day. It seemed silly for us to have two romantic holidays a year, so we chose to celebrate the one that was more meaningful for us. An added benefit is that flowers are affordable and it's much easier to find dinner reservations if you aren't celebrating at the same time as everyone else!
Homemade gifts are always the best. I do a lot of different crafts, so a valentine's gift might be a scarf or a hat (after all, it's winter!), a handmade plushy, a beaded necklace or bracelet (for my mom, not my bf!), a handmade card or mini scrapbook. I also love to bake and make candy, so Valentie's Day is my second big baking holiday after Christmas! I make cookies and use red and pink sprinkles on sugar cookies, and pink and red m&ms for chocolate chips!
I've taken to writing love notes as an alternative to spending money. I find that spending some time in a heart-felt note, expressing reasons and examples of my devotion, is much more meaningful than flowers or even (gasp!) chocolate as a v-day gift.
Handmade cards are always the best. They're much more meaningful than a Hallmark card. They're from the heart. They're more personal. And best of all, they're ridiculously cheap in comparison to Hallmark.
if you're single just stay in. that's the most frugal tip i can give. don't be desperate for a date, it is just one day of the year full of exaggerations and unnecessary splurging.
We avoid all the horrific, crowded, overpriced Valentine's day "specials" at "romantic" restaurants and cook at home. We buy expensive ingredients we don't normally allow ourselves and cook and clean together. But sometimes the cleaning doesn't happen until much later...
Ridiculously elaborate homemade cards are my favorite (then again, I'm 19 and my parents still have tons of paper doilies, glitter, and the like at home for free).
For our first anniversary my husband and I went out to a nice restaurant where we had creme brulee for dessert and it instantly became my new favorite. A few years later, he had gone back to school and money was tight. For Valentine's Day he surprised me by learning to make creme brulee himself and serving it for dessert. (He also made dinner.) I couldn't have been happier even if he had taken me out for an expensive dinner. And his creme brulee is much better than the restaurant versions.
Starting this year, my husband and I are trying something new. Instead of going out to an overpriced restaraunt along with everyone else in the world, or buying flowers that will be dead in a day or two, or chocolate which I will end up wearing on my hips, we are getting together with some other couples and are having a soup and sandwich valentine's party. Each couple has signed up to bring something and we're going to play games. It's a Valentine date, but it's not going to cost us an arm and a leg.
My traditional Valentine's Day gift for my husband is fortunately homemade. I make him a cherry tart (from frozen cherries, none in season so early; avoid the canned filling: awful) with a shortbread crust and put a cut-out shortbread heart in the middle of it. He loves it every year. And it's not too expensive or time consuming to make.
My husband is a great amateur photographer, and this year for Valentine's Day, I'm giving him a private photo shoot. I'll set up a background and good lighting, assemble some fun props (a feather boa, for instance) and let him take some silly but sexy boudoir pictures of me. It's nothing kinky -- I promise -- but something fun we did when we first got together that I know he'll love trying out again. No one else will ever see the photos, of course. But instead of a trinket to put in a drawer or flowers that will wilt, we create a great experience together, a bonding moment both of us will remember for a long time. Cost: $0.
My birthday is a week after V-Day, so we usually skip Feb 14 and celebrate both on Feb 21.
My other cheap tip: buy V-day chocolates on sale the next day. :-)
I like to make heart-shaped pancakes. If you don't have pancake molds, you can use a cookie cutter to "carve" hearts out of regular pancakes (and eat the evidence). This is a great brunch.
My husband and I celebrate V-day a week or so later - that way, the restaurants are all not booked, places are not crowded and we get to have our own special day. We used to go out to eat, but with a baby now, it gets harder. So we cook dinner together and watch a movie at home snuggled in the couch (with or without a wine) and talk about our dating days and pre-marriage/pre-baby fun days.
The best things in life are free. Write a poem. Take a moonlit walk together. Watch an old movie on DVD. Or better yet, do all three.
My husband and I are newlyweds, and this is our first valentine's day as married folks. My tip for this year is to talk about our goals - dream and let ourselves think about all the ways NOT spending money on a big NYC dinner will allow us to fund our future (even a little bit). You don't need money to dream.
Wait Till the next weekend, then buy gifts
one year i made an elaborate dinner of all supposed aphrodisiacs, including dessert of handmade chocolates topped by edible flowers. just looking up the aphrodisiacs and deciding what to make was fun all by itself ... there are some crazy ones!
Ooooh, Ipod ... daydreaming. We have definitely gone frugal with Valentines gifts. We usually keep it very casual. My husband loves beer and I seldom buy it (he does buy it himself), so I treat him to a 6-pack of something local. He usually gets me something small and chocolate, and we're both happy!
We always attend a free wine tasting so that we are able to enjoy different wines and not spend a dime. If that tasting also has nibblers, then that's an added bonus.
I have to say that the best V-day I ever had was when we stayed home in our bathrobes, watched a movie and ordered pizza. High romance, low cost!!
I am planning to make some valentine's day coupons for my hubby...everything from making his favorite peach pie to chores, and more romantic stuff. :)
I don't know if this really counts as a V-Day tip, but it has saved us money.... My husband and I decided when we first got married that it was more important to us to celebrate our anniversary than Valentine's Day. It seemed silly for us to have two romantic holidays a year, so we chose to celebrate the one that was more meaningful for us. An added benefit is that flowers are affordable and it's much easier to find dinner reservations if you aren't celebrating at the same time as everyone else!
Love notes every day starting the first of February, and home made, heart shaped chocolate chip cookies on the holiday itself.
Homemade gifts are always the best. I do a lot of different crafts, so a valentine's gift might be a scarf or a hat (after all, it's winter!), a handmade plushy, a beaded necklace or bracelet (for my mom, not my bf!), a handmade card or mini scrapbook. I also love to bake and make candy, so Valentie's Day is my second big baking holiday after Christmas! I make cookies and use red and pink sprinkles on sugar cookies, and pink and red m&ms for chocolate chips!
We have 2 young children and we'll be making heart shaped cookies for special people on Valentine's day.
I've taken to writing love notes as an alternative to spending money. I find that spending some time in a heart-felt note, expressing reasons and examples of my devotion, is much more meaningful than flowers or even (gasp!) chocolate as a v-day gift.
Handmade cards are always the best. They're much more meaningful than a Hallmark card. They're from the heart. They're more personal. And best of all, they're ridiculously cheap in comparison to Hallmark.
I love these give aways :)
I also love at-home romantic dinners. Deck out the house with candles, dance in your living room; no need for reservations or overpriced wine.
if you're single just stay in. that's the most frugal tip i can give. don't be desperate for a date, it is just one day of the year full of exaggerations and unnecessary splurging.
We avoid all the horrific, crowded, overpriced Valentine's day "specials" at "romantic" restaurants and cook at home. We buy expensive ingredients we don't normally allow ourselves and cook and clean together. But sometimes the cleaning doesn't happen until much later...
Ridiculously elaborate homemade cards are my favorite (then again, I'm 19 and my parents still have tons of paper doilies, glitter, and the like at home for free).
My wife and I are going out on a different day and having a "babysitting swap" with another couple to save money.
For our first anniversary my husband and I went out to a nice restaurant where we had creme brulee for dessert and it instantly became my new favorite. A few years later, he had gone back to school and money was tight. For Valentine's Day he surprised me by learning to make creme brulee himself and serving it for dessert. (He also made dinner.) I couldn't have been happier even if he had taken me out for an expensive dinner. And his creme brulee is much better than the restaurant versions.
Starting this year, my husband and I are trying something new. Instead of going out to an overpriced restaraunt along with everyone else in the world, or buying flowers that will be dead in a day or two, or chocolate which I will end up wearing on my hips, we are getting together with some other couples and are having a soup and sandwich valentine's party. Each couple has signed up to bring something and we're going to play games. It's a Valentine date, but it's not going to cost us an arm and a leg.
My traditional Valentine's Day gift for my husband is fortunately homemade. I make him a cherry tart (from frozen cherries, none in season so early; avoid the canned filling: awful) with a shortbread crust and put a cut-out shortbread heart in the middle of it. He loves it every year. And it's not too expensive or time consuming to make.
Please count me in for the drawing!