Valentine’s Day made easy, romantic and budget friendly!

Valentine's day has rolled over yet again.  After the last year we had, anything to celebrate is welcome.  The last year has taught us to be financially conscious.  People lost jobs and businesses shut down.  Not to mention that COVID-19 is still looming, and many restaurants are closed or on limited capacity.  What is a couple to do? Here are some easy ideas on how to make your Valentine’s day celebration romantic all while not breaking the bank.  

Gifts for her:

Single Rose.  Flowers are part of the essence of Valentine’s day.   And most women do love flowers.  Instead of a big bouquet, buy a beautiful, high quality long stem rose. It is beautiful and she will enjoy it.  Alternatively, a live flower plant like an orchid would also serve the purpose. 

 

 

 

 

 

Orchids will last a lot longer and they are beautiful and will cost you less than a bouquet of flowers at a florist.

 Jewelry:  I am a big proponent of real jewelry.  Nevertheless, since we want to keep things on a budget, high quality fashion jewelry can be a great gift. A brand I like is Kendra Scott.  They come beautifully packaged.  I have three pairs that have lasted several years and still look beautiful.  They also have beautiful designs.  Depending on the lady you are buying for, consider whether she likes small or large jewelry and purchase accordingly.   Here is a link with a discount code to get 20% off: https://share.kendrascott.com/x/hKLnbt

 

 

Lustrous robe:  Sexy lingerie is a gift for him but a lustrous robe is a gift for her.  A nice robe makes a woman feel feminine and beautiful. In line with the robe are silk or soft cozy pajamas.  These make for a great valentine gift.  I dare say that for a grown woman, this would be far more preferred than some skimpy lingerie.  But if you must, purchase the lingerie and add a robe or pajamas with it.  I personally love the store Soma Intimates.  It has beautiful intimate wear for women.  Use this link to get $15 off a $50 purchase.  https://refer.soma.com/catherinekary

Gifts for Him:

Valentine’s gifts for guys are not as easily defined as the ladies’ gifts.  Here is a couple of suggestions that are sure to please.

Fragrance:  Get him a cologne of a scent he has not had before.  It can be one for special occasions or those date nights.  Perfume is also a great Valentine’s gift for her as well.  Get her that scent that is for special dates, and when she wears it, she signals…. “dude I am in the mood” 😊!!

 

Love Coupons:  This is a zero cost, great gift to give for especially married women who tend to forget that husbands don’t just like sex, they need sex.  Make hand-written coupons on cute paper or little booklet that he can redeem from you.  Get creative.  The coupons can be for a massage, special meal that you make for him, sex, and even those bedroom acts that you may not care for but he absolutely loves, like a blow-job 😊!  This is you giving yourself to him.  Now, just let him know that he has to give you a hint in the morning on the days he wants to redeem his coupon so you can be mentally and physically prepared.  He is guaranteed to love this gift.

 

Things to do

A Nice Meal: Love and a nice meal go hand in hand.  My husband and I used to love going out on Valentine’s day for dinner.  However, since having children,  we do not go out for Valentine’s dinner on the actual day.  We find that restaurants are crowded, and the Valentine’s menus are often set and priced higher than normal.  We skip out on the Valentine’s day outing all together and instead, go to dinner a week before or a week after.  We had our date this past Sunday and it was wonderful.  The service was great especially being Superbowl day, the restaurants were well below capacity.  Therefore, choosing to go out for that dinner on an alternate day is a cost saver.  Also, consider going out for lunch instead of dinner, another way to save on cost.

A great alternative that I love and has been our tradition for the last 10 years, is a home cooked meal by hubby.  He has perfected one nice dinner meal of lamb chops, new potatoes in the oven and sauteed spinach.  It is a lovely meal and as a lady I find it so sweet that he cooks for us.  He also sets the table and will have purchased flowers and a nice sparkling cider.  Instead of going out, consider dining in.  Utilize that grill and make a meal for her.  Or, if breakfast is your thing, make her breakfast in bed and she makes the dinner meal at home.  The idea is to treat each other well, and to make each other feel loved.

 Our Valentine’s dinner this year will be a Home Chef meal.  Our meal is steak, potatoes and broccoli.  I am looking forward to the meal.  I like that the ingredients are fresh and come pre-portioned.  The meal takes little prep time and meals are ready in 30 minutes or so.  If you would like to try out Home Chef, here is a discount link for you to get $35 off your first order.

Make Dinner Special. Save $35 on Your First Home Chef Delivery.

Dessert: Strawberries and Chocolate are a Valentine’s day staple and typically cost a pretty penny at the store.  But it does not have to be so.  I learned a trick to get the same experience and flavor without the cost.  I make my own strawberries with chocolate dip at home with this one simple step.  If you have a fondue, especially a small one for two, get a chocolate bar, cut it up and melt it in the fondue to make the dip for your strawberries.  If you do not have a fondue, melt the chocolate slowly in the microwave, 10 seconds at a time and once it is melted, place the bowl in another bowl containing hot water.  This will keep the chocolate in the melted state while you enjoy the dessert.  He will love you feeding him that strawberries dipped in chocolate!!

This small one is great for melting chocolate

You can find a fondue where housewares are sold such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Walmart and Target.  Here is a link for a couple options for fondues on Amazon.  While this may not arrive by Valentine’s day, it is a nice to have at home for those romantic dinner nights.  We receive a large fondue as a wedding gift 15 years ago and we still use it.  I just ordered the little one to use for hubby and I.

 

 

  This larger one is great for the whole family to enjoy dipping fruits and other treats. 

 

 

 

Other Activities:

Horse Carriage Ride:  While this weather may not permit it this year, a horse carriage ride around the town can be quite romantic.  It is a thing of fairy tales and will make a girly girl think you are prince charming.  And, these usually are not expensive, yet oh so much fun!

 

 

 

 

Netflix and chill: One of the most romantic things to do is cozy up on the couch, light a fire and catch a romantic movie especially on these cold nights.  Life is busy, we get caught up raising kids and working to provide and all that can take the romance out of a marriage.  Sometimes we need to get back to the youngster days and just Netflix and chill.  Find that movie that makes her heart melt, and if it is not your thing, stick through it and trust me, you will be rewarded for it 😊…. redeem your coupon.

 I hope these tips help make your Valentine’s day fun and also save you some money.  Have a lovely Valentine’s day.  Please share in the comments the tip you liked the most.  

 Also, do share the blog with your friends and family.