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If you are on a tight budget, special holidays like Valentine’s Day can quickly become more stressful than fun. With a little creativity, though, you can make it a special celebration while spending a small amount or nothing at all!
Here are some fun and frugal Valentine’s Day ideas.
Fun and Frugal Valentine’s Day Ideas
Create anticipation
A big part of a fun date is anticipation. One fun idea is to send your spouse an invitation to the date. You could use paper and other craft materials you already have to make a card.
If you aren’t feeling so crafty you can order a card online, buy valentines at the store, or search online for a template. You could put it in a poem, write a note with “check yes or no” at the bottom, or even write it with magnetic refrigerator letters.
Be sure to include the time, date, location, and main event. Just remember, the idea is to take the time to make your spouse feel special and build up the celebration. After you have created your invite, you can leave it somewhere around the house for him to find or tuck it into his briefcase.
If you are having date night at home, it can be fun to make decorations ahead of time. This can help your home to be warm and festive for the special day.
Give a frugal gift
With time and planning you can create a special gift for free! One of my favorite ideas is to create a coupon booklet of services. This is a great way to support your spouse and think about what he needs.
Some ideas for things you could include are: back massage, movie night, foot rub, car wash, breakfast in bed, etc.
To save time, you can print these coupons on cardstock, cut them out, tie the booklet with a ribbon and you are done!
If you want to spend less than $10 you could give him his favorite dessert, candy, a photo book, playlist of meaningful songs, or a jar with 365 reasons why you love him.
For flowers, be sure to look out for daily deals. You can get a voucher for half off making it a much more affordable gift idea.
Have a date night at home
You can save a lot of money by having date night at home. You could put the kids to bed early and enjoy a night to yourselves.
An easy idea is to cook a special dinner and eat it by candlelight. If you decide on special menu items ahead of time, you can wait for a good sale to save even more.
Another option is to order in and eat picnic style on the living room floor. This is a fun way to mix things up.
If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous you could make fondue. You can go here to see some fun ideas for fondue.
For entertainment, there are tons of movies available if you subscribe to a streaming service, or you could rent a movie on Amazon Prime. If you are looking for a more interactive activity, you could make a fun dessert together and go through the Family Dinner conversation questions jar.
One fun dessert idea is to get a variety of chocolates and have a chocolate tasting.
Dine out in a frugal way
There are tons of ways to enjoy a night out and still save money. I love this option because not having to do dishes makes any day more fun.
One option is to call your favorite restaurants or look on their websites for deals. Many have restaurants have special coupons or deals available for Valentine’s Day.
For an very unique idea, one option is Waffle House. Select Waffle House restaurants have Valentine’s Day specials. They decorate and have heart shaped waffles, but you must make a reservation.
Other fun and frugal date ideas
There are tons of other options if you are looking for something more unique. This can be a great opportunity to do something different together and bond over a new experience.
For example, you could go to a class together. There are classes where you can paint, cook, etc. This can be a great way to learn a new skill together.
If you and your spouse are creative you could do something like paint pottery. You would then have beautiful pieces to display in your house to remind you of your special date.
For a frugal alternative, you could decorate mugs at home and then bake on the decorations. You can learn how here.
For the kids
Valentine’s Day can be fun for the kids, too! To make the day special for them you could give them cards and candy.
If your kids love crafts you could make Valentine’s Day decorations with them. On the day of, a fun breakfast would be pink, heart-shaped pancakes.
For more ideas, check out my post on Kid’s Valentine’s Day Ideas
What are you planning for Valentine’s Day? Let us know in the comments!
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