Ideas for Valentine’s Day: 7 Ideas for Valentine's Day on a Budget

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and you may already be wondering how it’s going to fit into your tight budget.

Well, we’re here to tell you that treating your beloved on Valentine’s Day does not mean you need to break the bank!

With a little forward planning, you can avoid any last-minute panic buys (including a rush to the supermarket after work for a card and some over-priced wine and chocolates… we’ve all been there!)

This year, how about making Valentine’s Day something a little out of the ordinary… something really special that you and your partner will remember.

7 Ideas for Valentine’s Day on a Budget

Below are some ideas for Valentine’s Day to get you started, but this day is about you and your partner, so be sure to do things that have real meaning for you… things you’ll enjoy that don’t cost an arm and a leg!

1. Make a Mix Tape (or CD!)

If your partner is a fan of music, go retro and make a mix tape or CD of your favourite tunes, or any special couple-y songs you may have. Thanks to iTunes, this job is a lot easier than it was back in the day!

Feel free to decorate the jewel case with hearts and flowers… it is Valentine’s Day, after all!

2. Put Your Memories in a Box

This idea requires a little more effort, but it’ll be worth it when you see the look of delight on your partner’s face!

Pick out a nice wooden or metal box and fill it with items that remind you of cool times you and your love have spent together; think tickets to a gig you both loved, a receipt from a fancy meal, plane tickets from your first trip away together, a leaf from a tree that you stood under the first time you kissed… whatever makes it personal to you, put it in the box.

Then, next Valentine’s Day you can add to the box, making this the gift that really does keep on giving.

3. Make Your Own Card

Most Valentine’s cards you buy in the shops are over-priced, impersonal, and are never as lovely as a card made specially for you.

So, this year, consider handmaking a card for your partner; even if you don’t think you’re particularly creative, a handmade card that you’ve personalized (maybe with a photo of the two of you on the front and/or a saucy poem inside!) is going to something that your partner wants to hang on to for years to come.

4. Give the Gift of Time

In this world of hustle and bustle, it can be difficult to find a few uninterrupted hours to spend with your partner, so how about giving the gift of time this year?

If it’s possible, take a day off work and spend it with your partner doing whatever it is you both like to do, whether that be a nice long walk on the beach, a trip to a (free!) museum, or spending the day snuggled up on the sofa with a bottle of red wine and a handful of old romantic films on DVD (if you don’t own any, rent some from the library).

If you have kids, see if you can find someone to watch them for the night so that you truly enjoy this time together with no distractions (however cute the distractions may be!)

5. Eat at Home

If you fancy skipping the crowds plus saving some money by eating at home but don’t want to spend hours get overheated in the kitchen, don’t despair!

Many supermarkets do a deal where you can get a decent pre-cooked three-course meal to be heated up at home (lovely, posh ready meals, basically!), plus a bottle of Prosecco, and it usually only costs about a tenner.

So, find a deal you like, get out the candles and fairy lights, and prepare a lovely meal at home without the hassle of pots and pans to wash up afterwards!

6. Change the Date!

How about this year you get rebellious and make February 15^th your Valentine’s Day?

This way, not only are you doing things a bit differently and putting your own stamp on Valentine’s Day, but you’ll also save money if you do decide to go out to eat.

Restaurants notoriously jack up their prices on Valentine’s Day because they know it’s the one night of the year where it’s guaranteed they’ll have customers. On the 15^th, the prices will be back to normal.

Before you go, look on Groupon or vouchers.co.uk to see if you get even more money off on your favourite restaurants. Who knows? You may be in luck!

7. Pick a Star

Finally, if you want to get really romantic on Valentine’s evening, put together a picnic and a flask of hot cocoa, pop on some warm clothes and drive somewhere where you can see the stars as clearly as possible.

Pick a star (a star chart will help here!) and make it yours. Maybe you can even make a pact to come back and “visit” your star every year. It doesn’t get much more romantic than that.

Right, now it’s over to you.

Do you have any special, budget-friendly ideas for Valentine’s Day? Are there any little traditions you and your partner do that have survived the years? We’d love to hear from you!

7 Fun and Romantic Ideas for Valentine’s Day While Spending Less