9 Thoughtful Ways to Have a Great Valentine’s Day

Forget the cards, candy, and flowers.  If you’re looking for thoughtful ways to have a great Valentine’s Day without blowing a ton of money, then this article is for you!

Valentine’s Day can be a fun time to celebrate the ones you love.  But it can also come at a pretty steep price if you’re not careful.

Unlike when we were all small children and exchanged those chalky candy hearts, the expectations when you’re an adult can be quite a bit different.  But they also don’t necessarily have to be.

If you’re stuck with what to do for your significant other this Valentine’s Day, then here are 9 tips that you can use to inspire your imagination without fearing a giant bill later on.

 

1- Talk about it.

You can save yourself a TON of trouble if you just do this one thing first: Ask your spouse “Are we getting each other anything this year?”  If the answer is a solid “no”, then congratulations.  You’re done.  For a lot of couples (especially ones that have been together a long time), this is a perfectly sensible arrangement.  If, however, you sense any skepticism or resentment about not doing for Valentine’s Day, then read on.  It sounds like you’re going to need to come up with something.

 

2- Take the first step.

There’s a lot of pressure on us to get things right on Valentine’s Day.  The right gift, the right food, the right outing, etc.  And though it can be fun to keep surprises from each other, we might inadvertently be torturing ourselves to make this whole thing out to be a bigger deal than it really is.  As you can guess, this can lead to spending a whole lot more money than you had originally planned or is necessary.  Instead, why not take the bull by the reins and say “I’ve got Valentine’s Day.  Just relax.”  That way you can comfortably plan something sensible without having to feel like you’re reaching for the stars.

 

3- Forget the usual gifts.

Flowers, chocolates, jewelry … all of these things are very nice and fun to receive.  But they can also cost an unnecessary amount of money – simply because its Valentine’s Day.  I’ve heard of people paying $79+ to have roses delivered.  Roses?  That’s a great gesture and all, but they are after-all just flowers.  Plus I’m sure both you and your significant other can think of a lot better ways to spend $79.  Instead, use your money to do something a little less cliché.

 

4- Make it all about them.

Whenever I’m stuck on gift-giving ideas for my wife, I can always default to a gift certificate to a spa day. Why?  Because it forces her to do something for her and her only.  In particular, I love gifting a massage.  A massage is like a puppy, and who doesn’t love puppies?  Ladies, don’t think this is just a one way street.  Guys also love massages too.

 

5- Do something you were going to do anyways.

Is there a place the two of you have been talking about going to lately?  Perhaps a show, shopping center, new restaurant or bar that you’d both really like to try?  Why not double-down and finally make it happen on Valentine’s Day?

 

6- Do something new together.

Maybe the two of you could take a class together on cooking, karate, aerobics, etc.  No matter what it is, don’t worry – it’s more about the goofy time you spent together as opposed to what you really got out of it.  Along those lines, I’d say the more ridiculous, the better!

 

7- Cook for each other.

If you’re like me and never, ever cook, what a memorable surprise it will be for your spouse to finally see you take charge in the kitchen and find out what the stove is for.  Word to the wise – there’s about a billion ideas on Pinterest for simple meals you can make.

 

8- Tell them what you’re really thinking.

Forget the card.  Why don’t the two of you put the kids together, snuggle up under a blanket, and really tell one another how you really feel?  By the way, a glass of wine (or two) can really help with this one.

 

9- Hold a scavenger hunt.

If you’re planning to stay home, why not have a little excitement?  Go around the house and hide things that are significant to the both of you.  Then create a map with clues.  What do you win at the end?  Well … that’s for you to decide.  Again, a few glasses of wine will really make this one more interesting.

 

Featured image courtesy of Fiverr