Got a sweetie, but not a lot of spare cash? Here are some ways to make your lover feel adored without breaking the bank.
1) FEED THEIR APPETITE AT HOME. Got cooking or baking skills? Now is the time to put them to use! What’s the difference between a homemade filet mignon and one at a restaurant with jacked up prices on Valentine’s Day? Nothing, except the $50-300 you’ll save, depending on where you go. Know how to make chocolate or a mean batch of brownies? Your chocolate loving beau will love that as much, or even more then any commercialized bar or box. Yours is made with more love, after all. If you are super visually oriented, and can’t shake the idea that a A Valentine’s Day gift should have pretty packaging, a simple bow can do wonders to dress something up. You could also wrap some items in cellophane and put them in a regular gift box that you decorate yourself for more visual pizazz.
2) SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH THEM. In Gary Chapman’s book “The Five Love Languages” he writes that all of us have a certain “love language” that speak to us more than others. One of them is “quality time”. If you suspect, or know (and why not ask) that your partner’s primary love language is quality time, then simply telling them you want to spend a few hours with them, uninterrupted, with no cell phones or computers, to spend however they choose. You’re sure to win the lover who likes quality time over this way.
3) LET NATURE INSPIRE YOU. Have you ever been on a walk outside and found a beautiful shell, leaf, or feather, and felt like nature gave you a beautiful gift? Why not give it to your nature-loving beau so you can share your appreciation of nature together? You could even use what you find to make something, which brings us to the next idea…
4) THE HANDMADE GIFT. Know how to paint, sew, knit, sculpt, make soap, candles, or do iron or word work? Do you garden? Then get busy! This will go over especially well if your lover’s primary love language is “receiving gifts”. If you can’t afford supplies for a gift, look for items from nature or that you can upcycle. Case in point: one holiday season many years ago when I had very little cash I gave my stepbrother a picture frame that I hade decorated with beer bottle caps. It cost me a whopping $3.99 for the frame and nothing for the caps I had scavenged at parties, but he flipped, because he said nobody ever made him anything homemade. We’re talking about a guy who lived in Beverly Hills and wears designer clothes, too. Or, create a memory box by collecting things that are meaningful to you and your Valentine from your past dates. Tell them how and why you remember each item from the box that contains several special memories of you, together.
5) A PLANT. This eco-friendly cousin of cut flowers typically costs less, uses less resources, and lasts longer than the bouquet tradition, and can smell just as nice and look just as good.
6) AN ACT OF SERVICE. Know your partner is overwhelmed by housework, paperwork, or errands to run? Why not tell them to take the day off and kick their feet up while you get busy taking care of their chores for them? This will work especially well if your partner’s love language is “acts of service”.
7) MASSAGE. You don’t need to hire a professional. If your partner is big on physical touch, you can always give them a sensual scalp or other type of massage yourself. Feeling insecure about your massage-giving abilities? There are books on this topic you could most likely find one for under $20 or even $15, maybe even less at a used bookstore. But don’t stress about this, even washing your lover’s hair for them can feel fantastic!
8) PRACTICE TANTRA OR OTHER SEXY SURPRISES. I’m not going to get into this in detail here, as this is a public forum where children might be, but there are plenty of books and magazines on the topic 😉
9) THE GIFT OF MUSIC: I remember in high school my yet to be high school sweetheart courted me with a mix tape. I am dating myself, I know. I get that the modern day version of this is the digital playlist; but if your guy or gal is a music lover, why not make them a playlist they will be sure to treasure?
10) THE HANDWRITTEN CARD OR NOTE: If your partner’s primary love language is “words of affirmation” then they will LOVE that you verbalize your love for them into words. It doesn’t matter if the card is store bought or hand made; what’s important is that you have put it in words. You can speak your compliments as well – it just might be music to your lover’s ears.