The first of the Christmas credit card bills typically comes due near the end of January, so saving on Valentine’s Day is a high priority for many couples. With a little creativity, it’s possible to have a romantic and memorable time with the love of your life without spending a lot of money.
Regardless of what you decide to do, remember that this holiday is about showing your partner how much you genuinely love him or her. Since true love has nothing to do with money, you could potentially have the best Valentine’s Day ever without spending a dime. When you do decide that spending money is appropriate, be sure to establish a spending limit based upon your normal budget. A hard limit on your Valentine’s Day expenditures may be the only thing that keeps you from spending too much money.
Cook Dinner Together
Did you know that in most households one spouse tends to do the majority of the cooking? Because of our natural tendency to divide responsibilities among all participating members, it’s not uncommon for the cooking to fall completely on one individual. On this one day of the year, why not try cooking dinner together? If you can do so without killing each other, it’s certainly a lot less expensive than a reservation at a fancy restaurant.
As an added bonus, cooking dinner together could provide a perfect night of romance. Unbelievably, many men are turned on at the sight of their ladies working in the kitchen. Similarly, working together on making dinner helps provide that connection many women are looking for when it comes to romance. Working together on dinner is a great way to create a romantic atmosphere.
Dancing in the Living Room
If you have the space in your living room, turning down the lights and dancing to romantic music makes a great Valentine’s Day activity. Even if you need to move a few pieces of furniture, most living rooms are large enough to accommodate an evening of dance. So send the kids off to the babysitter, pull out your dancing shoes, and a trip the light fantastic with the love of your life. Dancing together is one of the most romantic ways to enjoy time with the one you love.
For those who are inexperienced, there are several options. First, you could simply join your partner in an embrace and slowly sway back and forth to the music. If you want to be a little more involved, you can rent instructional DVDs and learn the techniques in the few months preceding February. This option provides a little extra romance as you spend a significant amount of time learning how to dance together. Finally, you could take dance lessons at local studio.
Stay the evening in a Local Hotel
Rather than spending a lot of money on flowers and candy, you might be able to find a great deal on a local hotel room for just a little more money. Hotels generally begin advertising their Valentine’s Day packages just after the Christmas holidays conclude. You can get a one-night stay, a two-day weekend for highly discounted prices if you book early enough. While staying at a local hotel may not seem like a big deal, it can be. Keeping your romance fresh is a matter of breaking up the monotony of routine. Just a single evening in a local hotel can sometimes be enough to do the trick.
One of the places you might find a great hotel deal is through online travel sites. Travel sites work in partnership with hotels to offer great deals on accommodations. Some of these services allow you to bid on hotel rooms while others simply search for available deals and offer you multiple choices. Either way, using an online travel site will generally save you money as opposed to dealing directly with the hotel or a travel agent.
Rent a Romantic Movie
Another great idea is to rent a DVD of your favorite romantic movie. This is not necessarily the best option for guys who might prefer action flicks, but even the least emotional man may still enjoy the fringe benefits that come after the movie. Dim the lights, pop some popcorn, and enjoy your favorite flick relaxing on the couch together. If you’re feeling extremely adventurous, you might even try two movies instead of just one.
Visit the sight of your First Date
If your first date together happened when you were young, it’s quite likely that the sight of that date was pretty inexpensive. Why not revisit that place and relive your memories? Perhaps that means going for a burger at a local fast food chain; perhaps it means a stroll on the beach or a bike ride in the park. Regardless, remembering your first date often brings back memories, which will help reignite your romance. Revisiting the place where a marriage proposal was made can be very romantic.
When you’re planning for next Valentine’s Day celebrations, just remember that money is not the primary objective here. Plan some time together that allows you to devote your full attentions to one another without the distractions of work, the kids, and household duties. Make a point of dedicating some quality alone time to one another so that you can reignite the romance and passion. Even if that means spending as little money as possible, it’s definitely worth it.
I agree with these recommendations completely. Valentines day doesn’t mean you have to spend a bunch of money trying to impress your significant other. A diamond is romantic but at $25.00 set of Roses with the right setting at the house would and a card would suffice. The time spent together would overall have much more impact and truth to your feelings that any amount of money.