It’s important to show your partner how much they mean to you, and Valentine’s Day is the traditional date for exchanging cards and gifts.
Only in the 14th century was the feast of St Valentine associated with love and romance and made popular by the writer Geoffrey Chaucer. There’s a great Valentine’s Day article on Wikipedia about its origins.
Even though Valentine’s Day is very commercial (a day created by Mr Hallmark as the joke goes!), I think it’s still important for couples to show each other how much they care. It can be all to easy to take each other for granted.
Although the financial outgoings are much less than Christmas, it’s so easy to go overboard and spend lots of valuable cash you don’t have!
You don’t have to remortgage your house to get a thoughtful, romantic Valentine gift. In fact, it’s often more special when something is handmade, or some thought has gone into buying it.
Read on for my budget Valentine Day Gift ideas…
My motto: The less you have to spend, the more imagination you put into it.
This year St Valentine’s Day lands on Saturday 14th February so I can imagine plenty of restaurants being packed out – make sure you book early if that’s your plan. Don’t forget to use one of the restaurant offers listed on moneysavingexpert.com for a cheaper meal at her favourite venue. It’ll mean you can treat one another and keep within your budget.
Ideas For Cheap Valentine Day Gifts
Candlelit Dinner
Why spend a fortune on a meal out in a restaurant? Spend a bit of time shopping for all your favourite foods and cook your own slap-up dinner for two. Light a few candles, open a nice bottle of wine and play some soft music and you’ve got the perfect Valentine’s night.
Enjoy A Night In And Be Pampered
With our hectic lifestyles we love nothing more than to sit back and relax in the evening. We’re all cutting down on spending so make it a cheap night in. Run a hot bath with lots of bubbles, throw in a few petals from the garden, light a few candles and you have your own spa for two. Enjoy a glass of vino, give each other a back massage or foot rub. Afterwards unplug the phone and snuggle under the duvet on the sofa to watch a film or two.
Love Notes
The simple ideas are often the most effective. Leave love notes throughout the house declaring your undying love for each other. If you’re the creative kind why not devise a funny limerick or romantic poem. The effort you have put in will make it a winning Valentine’s Day gesture.
I.O.U. Tokens
Another effective gesture that works a treat and won’t cost a penny. Just write an I.O.U offering to do something for your partner when requested. It could be something practical such as making her lunch for a week or something sexy such as a massage one weekend. There’s no limit with this Valentine gift idea – just use your imagination.
Create A Photo Collage
Hunt out a collection of your favourite photos of each other. Holiday snaps, Christmas or Birthday parties and make them into a framed collage full of your happiest memories as a couple.
CD Compilation Of Their Favourite Music
A song can say a thousand words. Creating a music list that only means something to you both is both cheap, romantic and shows you remember their favourite songs. This is an old favourite but works everytime. A classic Valentine’s Day gift.
Valentine’s Day Presents For Less
If you’re still looking to buy a Valentine’s present, there’re plenty of ideas
- Find Valentine’s Day gifts for under £10 from sites like GiftChooser.co.uk.
- Cheap Valentine’s flowers and perfume.
- Get 40% off sparkling wine and champagne at Wine Rack, Threshers and Victoria Wine until 14th February 2009 with this 40% off voucher (pdf).
Ideas For Cheap Valentine Day Cards
Even if you can’t afford a present, make an effort to get a card one way or another. Here are some great suggestions.
Buy Cards Online
Not having time to pop to the shops for a card is not a valid excuse to forget a card. Buy your card online from websites such as Moon Pig. It’s quick to do, cheap and can be personalised. If you use Moonpig.co.uk lots its better to prepay and get an extra £5 for free.
Send Cards Online
If your loved one is far away from you, an e-card is the perfect way to send your Valentine a card. There are hundreds of sites that will let you do this – one of the oldest and best is Blue Mountain. If money is a real issue, send an email message and change the text colour to red. Simple!
Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards
The most romantic gesture is the one that takes the most effort. Make your own with card, glitter and glue, use fancy clip art on your computer or print out a Valentine’s Day Card template. Find more ideas at http://familycrafts.about.com.
(Image by ButterflySha on Flickr)