Save Money on Valentine’s Day (Win $25) |
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[Last year I posted these tips to save money. I'm disappointed in myself for not being able to come up with more original ideas. I'm going to pay that penalty with my wallet. The person with the idea that I like the best will earn $25 via Paypal, Amazon, or Ebay gift certificate (winner's choice), from me. Just leave your idea in the comments before Monday noon Pacific Time to qualify.]
Save Money on Valenties's Day:
- Write a Love Note - This was suggested by a couple of people. I did that last year. I was reading a book on writing that mentioned the 10 most beautiful adjectives in the English language. I found a way to work them all in. I think it came out a little forced, but still worked. It's the thought that counts.
- Surprise Him/Her - Writer's Coin comes up with probably the best tip I didn't think of. He mentioned a treasure hunt around the neighborhood which works well. He also mentioned a hot air balloon which doesn't really fall in our frugality goal (I've looked into them, not cheap).
- Celebrate at Home - There were a few suggestions that could work together for a romantic time at home. My caveat with this is that you really have to make it special because the venue is simply ordinary. However, if you can pull it off this idea has big dividends as you are already near closed doors.
- Breakfast in Bed - Marie astutely noted that Valentine's Day is on Saturday, which makes this a definite possibility. I give a couple of bonus points, due to the location... can't get much better than bed.
- Cook a Special Dinner - Erica and Fitwallet suggested that you cook at home. She suggested lobster, a great steak, or shrimp scampi (Richer and Slimmer suggested heart-shaped pasta. We've done the steak before for special dinners. In the past they were gifts from Omaha Steaks. We haven't done the seafood, because I'm not a fan. I'd rather take her out just to not have to deal with the kitchen smelling like seafood. Also, alcohol is much cheaper at home, so this can be a big savings.
- Cue up a Movie - Kosmo suggests buying a cheap DVD or package of them as part of a Valentine's gift. Amanda mentioned that if you belong to Netflix, you could go that route.
- Cue up Music and/or Cut a Rug - Fitwallet brought up the idea of dancing. I'm not big into dance, but I could probably brush off some ballroom tricks from classes a few years ago. Also, my cable television has all sorts of commercial-free romantic music. Momma suggested an iTunes playlist of meaningful songs to the two of you.
- Massage Oils - Looking for something after dinner? Erica suggests breaking out the massage oils.
- Do Some Chores - Penelope Pince mentioned it as a tip. I really thought this would have gotten forgotten as it's not typically thought of as romantic. However, I've personally found it to have its rewards. The smell of bleach equals clean to my wife... and clean equals sexy. When I invent bleach-scented cologne and make millions that last sentence won't sound so weird. This wouldn't be the only Valentine's gift, but it would be work well in combination with the Celebrate at Home package previously mentioned.
- Go For a Picnic - Someone (didn't leave a name) mentioned this idea for those in warmer climates. Sandwiches, good scenery, and a bottle of wine (which may or may not be legal in your area) all add up to a good time.
- Do Fixed Price Activities - Fitwallet also mentioned that museums are typically the same price any time of year. Thai or Indian food could work as well.
- Tour the Romantic Places of the Past - Penelope Pince mentioned you can go to where you had a first date or first kissed or other milestone.
- Rent a Hot Tub - Erica gave this suggestion which I hadn't thought of. I don't know how I forgot renting a hot tub as part of my secret Elimidate fantasies. Too much information?
- Plant a Rose Bush - I'm a little surprised that this would get a great reaction, but Marie said it was one of her favorite gifts.
- Celebrate a Different Day - Abigail suggested that we celebrate Valentine's Day on the 15th. It makes sense because the date itself doesn't seem to represent anything special. We often go out the weekend or two before. It's not as crowded and we get into the places that we want to without paying any special markups. For Valentine's Day itself we'll do something small like takeout.
- Exchange Small Practical Gifts - Marie noted that her husband likes to grill and would appreciate silicon brushes for sauces. I would love this gift if I didn't already have a couple of silicon brushes. I like them quite a bit for grilling.
- Have an unValentine’s Day - One of my favorite trips also comes from Abigail. She mentioned this for the single folk out there. Rent some bad unromantic movies and eat fast food.
As for me and wife's plans... we agreed to book a weekend in Cambria, CA - a place we've been to in the past. It's not overly frugal, but we are driving so it's cheaper than some vacations. We'll visit wineries which have free tastings much of the time (though we'll have to get a chauffeur to be safe). One day we'll have a picnic with some wine that we picked up from the previous day. We'll also go to the nearby Hearst Castle if we can fit it in.
[Editor's note: I wrote last paragraph last year. However, it is true for this year as well. We are looking to book a weekend at the same place and do the same things. Looks like it's becoming tradition.]
This post deals with:frugal ideas, romantic time, saving money, valentine's day
... and focuses on:Spending
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I went ahead and linked to the contest and reminded my readers to get entered… Or to just steal some of these fabulous ideas to dazzle a loved one. Then take all the credit!
Hey it’s 2000 pennies in one swoop. :-)
As a writer, I should’ve come up with the love note bit. Oh well, thanks for the mention!
And balloon rides are not only expensive, they’re impossible to plan since conditions need to be perfect. We waited a year to finally go!
I’ve never been to Cambria but I’ve been lots of nice, beautiful pictures. Have fun on your trip! And thanks for the advices.
Nice post
Everyone can save money in small and seemingly insignificant areas if you know how and where to do it.
These are all great ideas
Great tips! I’ll be coming back to learn more about saving money!
Rent a hot tub? I wish I love those things. Go for a picnic? Maybe in California for you Lazy Man but for people in Canada I would suggest going skating. This year I am taking the girlfriend out to a comedy club and then coming back to my place.
We saved money on Valentine’s by not celebrating it–that is, until my wife emailed me and said I bought “I love me gifts” for $162.73. I guess I can forgive her for being a foreigner and mixing up Valentine’s is for “I love you” and not “I love me”.
@ Tim,
haha that’s hilarious!
I’m actually going to be spending my v-day at home rather than here at school, working and then doing laundry! woo-hoo! :D
what are the 10 most beautiful adjectives?
It turns out they weren’t all adjectives… You made me go back and look at my notes from the book I was reading a year ago, but here you go:
tranquil, murmuring, mist, melody, luminous, lullaby, lush, golden, dawn, chimes
The source is:
Complete Idiot’s Guide To Writing Well by Laurie Rozakis
I’m not sure how definitive it is, but they seemed like nice enough words at the time… You can probably see how a few of them can fit together to make a nice poem.
Your link to me is dead, since it’s going back to the blogger address :)
http://www.observingcasually.com/
I went the movie route again as part of the gift. There are some insane deals – 4 packs of GOOD movies for $10.
My idea is to give her little reminders of all the fun you’ve had in the last year (or whatever timeframe you choose) by sharing little mementos of your time together.
For example, I might fill a photo frame with pictures from good times we’ve had recently or I might remind her of a fun vacation we took by making a meal that we enjoyed together there.
The thing I think is cool is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make Valentine’s Day meaningful to her.