As soon as the holiday season is over and Christmas decorations come down, the stores are stocked with Valentine’s Day merchandise. From cards to candy and flowers to jewelry, the costs can add up on showing the one you love just how much you love them. Which is why it is so important to keep in mind what really matters during the holiday.
To help you make the most of Valentine’s Day and stay under budget, we share a few tips on how to spend the holiday and your money — whether you’re in a long-term relationship, a newer courtship or even single!
Take your fondue to the next level with Nutella! [Credit: SaucyMouth.com]
For the Long-Term Lovebirds
It can be a lot of pressure to find a gift or plan a date for your long-time beau. Maybe you two are used to spending nights on the couch watching Netflix and eating take out, and you want to do something special to spice things up. That doesn’t always mean spending more money though. One of the best ways to show you love someone is to take the time and effort to cook for them. Maybe they have a favorite dish or one that you remember eating at a special time in your life (like your very first date). Taking the time to learn and cook that dish is a great way to show you love them and is cheaper (and possibly healthier) than going out to eat!
You can also get creative with the meal by making a special dessert (like this Nutella Chocolate Fondue), buying their favorite bottle of wine, mixing them a fancy Valentine’s Day themed cocktail (like one of these), or capping it off with a walk in the park, cuddling on the couch and watching their favorite movie, or a nice bubble bath. Even a gesture like letting them relax while you do the dishes can go a long way and won’t cost you a dime!
Subscription boxes are the gift that keeps on giving [Credit: YouTube/YC Rhino]
For the New Relationship
It can be hard to strike the right balance between a thoughtful gift for your new significant other and going overboard, but keeping it light and fun and knowing what that means for your partner is the key to a successful Valentine’s Day date. One of the best ways to do this is with gift cards for “experiences” like brewery tours, wine tastings, or cooking classes.
This kind of gift says that you see a future together where you two can do this fun thing together. You can find these kinds of things online at places like GreatAmericanDays.com starting from less than $50 per person. You can also give the gift that keeps on giving and order them a subscription box related to their interests, whether that’s puppies, pasta, or pinot noir. These boxes can be ordered for as few as 3 months at a time and some (like the coffee, cake, and candle clubs) come in at less than $100 so you can enjoy the rewards together without breaking the bank!
Yoga with friends is a good way to unwind on Valentine’s [Credit: Yoga2All.com]
For the Singles
When you’re single, Valentine’s Day can feel overwhelming, with “date night” deals flooding your inbox and nauseatingly cute pictures filling your social media, but there are ways to avoid all this. First of all: make plans with a friend or a group of friends to do something to take your mind off of it, then plan a fun activity.
You can get together and do a yoga class, play board games, watch movies with your celebrity crushes in them, or just talk and laugh (which can be therapeutic in it’s own way). You can even do things you’d do with a significant other, like exchanging low-budget gifts or going on “dates” to a museum, concert, or spa.
To top it all off, you can all agree to do a “digital detox” and put away your phones for the night to avoid checking social media, or worse, sending a text to your ex. The best thing to do is to just keep busy and have some single friends around for moral support and remember, it’s only one day!
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Hopefully these tips helped to make your Valentine’s Day a little less daunting, both for your emotional well-being and bank account and just remember, what’s really important is showing the ones that you love that you care.
Let us know what your low-budget Valentine’s tips are, and how you’ll be celebrating in the comments below!
The Hudsucker 
Great ideas. Thanks for sharing.