Thrifty Traveler Tips

Thoughtful Valentine’s Day Gifts on a Budget

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and with that special day can come a huge price tag. Are you racking your brain or the internet to find something romantic for that special someone without breaking the bank? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! There are plenty of other ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day that don’t come with a huge price tag.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to show that special someone how much you love them without hurting your wallet.

Contents

1. Surprise them with breakfast in bed!

1653410_10200619605813189_2111916715_nWho doesn’t like breakfast in bed? No, seriously.. Have you met someone yet who doesn’t appreciate waking up to a nice warm breakfast and a cup of coffee? That sounds like heaven to me! I made these pancakes last year and they turned out absolutely perfect! I made pancakes as I usually would, then divided the batter in half. I added red food coloring to one of the bowls then cooked all of the pancakes as I normally would. After they came out I used a big cookie cutter in the shape of a heart to cut the middle of the pancake out. I then swapped them so the normal colored pancakes had a pretty red center and the red pancakes had a cute tan heart in the middle. It was a hit, but maybe the bacon had more to do with it than my creative pancakes!

2. Candles and romantic music

Light candles and have “your song” on when your significant other walks out of a room or gets home from work. It’s a beautiful way to let them know how much you love them as you pull them in for a nice slow dance around the house.

3. A nice foot massage

Everyone knows how amazing massages feel but you don’t have to be a professional to give your significant other a nice foot rub. All you need is some nice scented lotion and you’re good to go. It’s nice to be pampered and see your significant other take care of you.

4. Get a picture framed

This is such an easy one to do! There’s always that one picture you just haven’t gotten around to yet. Shutterfly gives away free prints every once in a while that make great gifts. I recently got a 16 x 20 inch photo for just the cost of shipping from them and love it. A picture is perfect for Valentine’s Day because it’s a memory frozen in time for you and your significant other to look back on and see how far you’ve come!

5. Cook them a nice dinner!

1653587_10200617041029071_1520415919_nGoing out to eat on Valentine’s Day is far from romantic. There are people everywhere, long lines, and it’s quite expensive too. One of my favorite things to do on Valentine’s Day is to come up with a beautiful dinner instead. It can still be cheap even if it looks fancy! Check your grocery store to see if any expensive steaks are on sale, get a cheap bag of potatoes, and a can of corn and you have a gorgeous steak dinner with mashed potatoes and corn as a side. My personal favorite is Chicken Parmesan, and it’s so easy to make! Most people don’t realize that but it looks and tastes fantastic!

 

6. Do some chores

Yeah, I said it. It’s every girl’s dream though to come home to a completely clean home and be able to relax. Let’s face it, it will only take you an hour or so and it will show your significant other that you listen to their needs and want to help them out. It will also make them relieved and in a much better mood knowing they don’t have to tend to all of these chores before they can sit down and relax with you.

7. Open When …. Letters

This was one of my favorite gifts I ever gave. It was a stack of letters for my boyfriend to open when the time was right. I had one that was open when you’re hungry and it included $10 enough for him to get his favorite Chinese meal including delivery and a tip. I also had one for when you’re feeling exhausted and it had a few dollars for him to stop by a gas station to pick up an energy drink. They were so fun to do and included ones such as when we’re fighting, when I’m being moody, etc. It can be whatever you want them to be and you enclose a handwritten (or typed) letter inside an envelope with the words Open When (whatever the occasion is). There are tons of examples on Pinterest if you need help getting started.

8. Custom Coupons

These were one of my favorites growing up. I would make a bunch of boxes from a piece of paper and cut them all out. Then I would write something on them like: Good for one batch of your favorite cookies or Good for one load of laundry, etc. Then my parents got to “cash” them in whenever they wanted one of the coupons I gave them. It was a neat way to “give them presents” without actually buying anything. It was also the gift that kept on giving because they got to use it whenever they wanted. My dad still has some stashed away from 10 years ago to use when I come home since younger me forgot to put an expiration date making them technically still valid. Haha!

9. Take a scenic drive

Sometimes it’s just nice to get out and go on some adventures. Is there a pretty waterfall nearby or a gorgeous overlook you just haven’t made time to go see? Maybe it’s just a ride in the car to sing as loudly as you can to a song, or just enjoy being together. I love just sitting next to my honey in my truck as we drive just to explore the areas around where we live. Travel can make a relationship stronger in so many ways, and you can read about how it’s done that for me here. It can be so relaxing to just hop in a vehicle with no time constraints and no real plan other than being with your best friend.

10. Take a walk

Tyler and IIt can be a simple walk around the neighborhood, a lake, or an extreme hike. Whatever you and your partner enjoy, and are physically prepared for. I prefer just a nice slow walk around the lake near our apartment hand in hand, just taking in the beauty of Colorado. It’s so relaxing and nice to get to talk and catch up on life. It gives you some romantic alone time with your love and if you time it right you could even catch a beautiful sunset. I like to convince my boyfriend to bring along a fishing pole or two so we can stop partway around the lake to fish, because that’s something we both enjoy.

11. Snuggle up to watch a movie

Cuddling is one of my all time favorite things to do and it’s always great to see new movies. It doesn’t even have to be a romantic one. It can be a funny one, a scary one, or an all around action packed movie. It’s taking the time out of your day to hold the other person close that really counts!

12. Do something you both love

Every couple has a few things in common that they like to do together from working on a car, to playing video games, to playing board games. It’s something that you can bond over and do as a couple, which is really important. I love playing video games with my boyfriend not necessarily because playing video games is my favorite thing in the world, but because we can laugh at each other trash talking the other team when we are doing great, and our hilarious comments when we aren’t doing so well.

At the end of the day, it’s not about the flowers, chocolate, or expensive gifts. It’s about spending time with that special someone in your life and showing them how much you truly do care about them. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about how expensive of a gift you can afford, when most significant others just want the most important gifts of all, your love and attention. So how are you going to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Thoughtful Valentine's Day Gifts

Jess