Valentines Day Gifts for your Sweetheart (on a Budget)

Some people love Valentine`s Day, some more cynical people loathe it as a commericial and expensive holiday, and kids just seem to love any excuse for a holiday.

But Valentine`s Day doens`t need to be expensive, a small thoughtful gesture can take the place of an overly grand and costly  present.

 

You don`t need to make reservations at the most expensive restaurant in town, (which you probably should have done already because they will be booked weeks in advance) a home cooked meal can be just as special and I am lucky my husband is a fabulous cook.

Try to dig out those candlesticks that you have but never find a reason to use, cook a meal that you don`t eat every Tuesday. In our house we have Steak or Salmon for special occasions paired with fresh steamed vegetables green beans, carrots or asparagus and rice and potatoes. Or you could slow cook a nice pot roast, and if you prepare in advance you can base your meal on sales on the grocery store. Or maybe just that one signature dish you can cook due to your limited cooking skills

And I don`t think there is any better foreplay for me then doing dishes. Yes my dishwasher broke a month ago and I cried a little bit on the inside that day and am now doing dishes 364 days a year - I refuse to do them on my birthday but there seem to be double the next day for some reason.

My husband buys me cards from Hallmark for Valentines Day, Christmas and my birthday that are so sweet and so romantic they have literally brought a tear to my eye more than once. But if you are on a budget (or just realized Valentine`s Day is in 6 hours and all the stores are closed) you can skip the overpriced $8+ card print one off for free and take some time to write a heartfelt message to your sweetheart.

To help you out  I created a round-up of my favourite free, printable Valentines Day cards: (and some you can personalize with how long you have been going out for or your own photo)

 

Everyone associates a bouquet of roses with Valentines Day which is nice but they seem so overpriced especially for the holiday so instead buy her a bouquet of her favourite flowers, pick her a bunch of her favourite wild flowers (if you don`t live in Canada and everything is covered with snow) or my personal favourite buy her an inexpensive potted flower from Walmart or a garden center. You can buy a small rose plant for $8 or less and it will last a lot longer... well unless you have a black thumb like me in which case I`m lucky if it will last two weeks.

I also love the fruit or candy bouquets as something unique, but they are a little pricey. So you can make your own for only a fraction of the cost. You can find the step by step tutorial for the below candy bouquets from Amateur Hour

 

What are your favourite creative (and inexpensive) Valentines Day ideas ?