It’s that time of year again; all the stores are packed full of red and pink. That’s right—it’s Valentine’s Day!
This holiday usually pressures you to spend a lot of money, but you shouldn’t have to. One way to save money is to pick a restaurant that’s close to home. The shorter the travel, the more money you’ll save on gas.
Let’s say, however, that you don’t have the extra cash to actually go out for Valentine’s Day at all. In that case, it might be worth trying some of the following ideas:
Cooking dinner as a couple. This not only allows you to bond, but will also save you some money.
Here are a few dinner ideas; prices may vary depending on brands, where you shop, ingredients you may already have, and sales that may be going on.
Dinner number one: grilled cheese and soup.
Things you’ll need: Bread, cheese, butter (for sandwiches); as for the soup, Bear Creek makes very good soup that tastes homemade—all you are required to do is add water.
You can expect the price to be under $10; the meal’s prep-time is about 10 to 15 minutes.
Dinner number two: Spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread—
Things you’ll need: noodles, sauce (Prego is a really good option for a fair price), meatballs (ones in the frozen food section will do), lettuce, salad dressing, and bread (garlic bread is an easy-to-prepare, delicious choice).
This time, expect the price to be a little over $15. Prep-time for the meal is about 15 to 20 minutes.
If you’re thinking of making plans to go out to eat, think about the long wait and noisy restaurant—not to mention the expenses.
Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about spending time with that special someone, so does it really matter what you do as long as you’re together?
There aren’t a lot of Valentine’s Day movies out in theaters this year. Instead of taking the usual trip to the cinema, perhaps this year you can cuddle up on the couch after dinner and watch a movie you rented—isn’t that more comfortable than rubbing elbows with strangers at the theater?
There are thousands of Valentine’s Day-themed movies, from romantic dramas to romantic comedies. Let’s say, however, you don’t like the romantic-type movies. In that case, you have millions of other movie choices.
The cheapest movie date would be for you to just watch a movie you already own, or even to borrow a movie you haven’t seen from a friend.
Netflix subscribers will have access to plenty of movies either to be shipped to you or available in your Instant Queue—only a few clicks away.
Renting movies is way cheaper than going to a movie theater. The most expensive movie rentals will only cost you around $4 from Blockbuster, the cheapest around a dollar at a Redbox located at stores like Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and Piggly Wiggly. You can find one nearest you at redbox.com.
You could even buy a new movie for less than $20 (depending how new and popular the movie is).
A final option is to find a movie on hulu.com. The best part? It’s free.
Now for what some would argue is the most important part of Valentine’s Day…The gift.
Finding the right gift can be very stressful for some people, so hopefully this can help:
One great option—and this is the cheapest kind of gift—would be to make something. Here you can try to think of an inside joke you and your significant other share.
You can make a card filled with coupons redeemable for kisses, hugs, massages, et cetera. Yes, it’s cheesy, but it’s from the heart, and that’s what Valentine’s Day is really all about.
Go to a craft store or a thrift store and find an old picture frame you can decorate and put a picture of the two of you in it.
If you really feel like you need to actually buy something but don’t have a lot to spend, Wal-Mart is a really good choice. You can get flowers, candy, and a small stuffed animal for about $20. To top it off, the Dollar Tree has sturdy balloons that last a long time.