Creative Valentines that aren't costly

So, it’s nearly Valentine’s Day. And coming off three months of gift-giving occasions in our family, our budget is generally pretty well depleted by the middle of February. Not only that, but I’m not a big jewelry girl and, as much as I LOVE to cook with chocolate, it is not my treat of choice.

We also think Valentines has gotten a bit over the top. My teenagers have taken to calling it “Singles Awareness Day.” None of them have boyfriends or girlfriends at the moment (thank goodness, since two of them aren’t even old enough to date!) so for them it’s not a particularly significant day.

So, we put our heads together and we’ve come up with a list of ideas for letting someone know you love them without spending bucketloads of cash. Some are more romantic and some are more fitting for parents & kids or for friends.

10 Low-Cost Ways to get your Valentine Message Across

Make their favorite dinner–or at least their favorite dessert. Yes, you can go out to a fancy restaurant and spend a week’s grocery budget (or more) on a special dinner–and share your special evening with everyone else on the planet who came up with the same idea. Or you can stay home, cook something amazing (or even order in if you’re not a cook) and have a private and romantic dinner. Candles, a nice tablecloth, soft music and the china–not the Chinette–will really help here.

Write your special someone a love note. Tell them all the things you love and appreciate about them and how thankful you are that they are part of your life.

Instead of writing just one note, write several and make it a treasure hunt. Give a clue in each note to the next one. You can even include a small token or treat with some of the clues and notes. And, of course, the treasure leads to you! You AND dessert isn’t a bad treasure, either.

Give your valentine a hug. A really big hug. As we say at our house–hug them like you mean it!

Take care of a chore or two. Does your sweetheart have a task that they just can’t stand? Make their day and do it for them. I know this one always makes me happy.

Pack your sweetheart’s lunch for school or work and put a little love note in it. Nothing too mushy that’s going to really embarrass them (a little bit is ok) or get them into trouble. Just a sweet little note–and maybe a candy heart or a cookie–to let them know you’re thinking about them all day long.

Make a CD (or playlist) of your favorite love songs and put it in their car CD player so it starts up when they start their morning commute.

Write a love poem. If you’re not good at thinking up poetry on your own (I think funny ones are perfectly acceptable, too), find a favorite one and use pretty paper and calligraphy–or the computer–to make a beautiful copy that expresses your sentiments poetically.

Watch a romantic movie together. Not in your budget to buy one? You can always rent at Redbox. Pick up a bottle of sparkling cider and a little dessert to go along with it. Need inspiration? Here’s a list of romantic movies to help you along.