You don’t need to go all out to have fun and celebrate with the ones you love on Valentine’s Day. The trick to making the day special is to make it out of the ordinary – something different. It’s even better if you do something thoughtful that’s out of the ordinary too. Women weigh in on ideas on what that could look like here. If you’re looking for what men want, I liked these two articles the best: think simple and practical.
Here are 9 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a Budget.
Make a Meal Together
Photo Courtesy of Davide Cantelli at Unsplash
Find some recipes you like online together or one person could do the entre and the other could do the dessert. Go grocery shopping and gather all the ingredients. The Datings Divas have ideas on how to make cooking more like a date if you’re interested. I personally like the 30 second dance party.
If you’re looking for recipe ideas these look yummy. Hmm. These sound good too.
Create a Romantic Ambience Anywhere
Photo Courtesy of FTD
FTD created a guide for creating the perfect Valentine’s Day ambience. The photos in the article are stunning. I especially like the tent and garden images I could see myself recreating at home. They even give you tips on how to recreate the image wherever you are. The best part is that these can be inspiration for a special meal at any time of the year. Here’s more from FTD:
“If it’s been awhile since you’ve swept someone off their feet, it’s definitely time to get creative this Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing more romantic than a candlelit dinner for two. It’s a classic way to treat your sweetheart to an intimate dinner, and something that you can easily create at home!
To help you plan the perfect evening, FTD came up with these 16 candle light dinner ideas that will be sure to impress your date. From creating a romantic picnic indoors, to a cozy candlelit dinner in bed, they created visuals for each idea featuring helpful tips so that you recreate the ambiance yourself! These ideas will certainly you create a memorably romantic evening this Valentine’s Day.”
Eat Chocolate
Photo Courtesy of NordWood Themes on Unsplash
Buy your favorite chocolate and some new types you’ve never tried. You could each do this or do it together. Place the chocolates on the tasting mat and then you can do one of two things:
Rate the chocolates with your eyes open, or rate them with your eyes close and guess the chocolate. I love surprises so I’d choose the latter. If you want to rate them with your eyes open, follow the instructions at Dating Divas. If you choose to rate with your eyes closed then the blind folded partner will have to rate and guess the chocolate type to the partner with the answer. If you use the same chocolate types and mix up the order, it’d be interesting to compare your ratings and see if you have the same favorite.
Watch a Movie
Photo Courtesy of Guillermo Nolasco at Unsplash
Okay, maybe you do this a lot anyway. Is there a movie you’ve been meaning to watch but for whatever reason you haven’t yet? Is there a romantic movie you both can watch? You can also see Valentine’s Day movie recommendations here.
Look at Old Photos or Create a Keepsake
Photo Courtesy of Too Many Login Names at Pixabay
This could be a great time of year to stop and remember all the great memories you’ve shared and reminisce. I think we’ll look at our wedding album. Maybe we could watch our wedding video, which we haven’t seen since we were married almost seven years ago. You can even make a keep sake of memories too like a movie of your favorite memories. I love the idea of creating a story you can print and buy using the pictures on StoryBird, a site I love to use as inspiration for writing, which you can learn more how to do here.
Play a Game
Photo Courtesy of The Andras Barta at Pixabay
These are game ideas I wrote about in my post Beating the Winter Blahs. If you have kids this has some good ideas for ideas after little ones are in bed and you’re tired.
If you have kids this has some good ideas for ideas after little ones are in bed and you’re tired.
If you are a couple looking for 2 player games I like how these lists comment on the wife and husband’s take on the game so you can see if it would fit your tastes. List 1. List 2.
And of course the ultimate list of other other lists people created if you really want to dive deep into the best two player games.
You could also play a game to guess how well you know each other and learn something new. I’m kinda curious what the most disgusting thing my husband ate was…All the questions I written for you, just write down your answers and give your partner a blank copy and compare. Maybe even a prize for the winner?
My favorite is playing Would You Rather. You can do this during commercials or just anytime you have some down time.
Give a Massage
Photo Courtesy of Mariol H at Pixabay
Melt provides online tutorials to give a wonderful massage. You get the best of both worlds; one is a relationship expert and the other is a massage expert, so you get a product that truly enhances your relationship. Their focus is to make you feel comfortable and improve those back massages you already do so you can feel even more confident in providing your partner a relaxing experience. If you find the price too steep for you, you can also watch this basic video for massage techniques.
Learn a New Skill or Be Silly
Photo Courtesy of Padrinan at Pixabay
Okay, this definitely depends on the couple but it’s worth putting it out there right? Try karoake. It could be really entertaining, especially after a few drinks. Here are some karaoke sites to try: site 1 and site 2. You could also be a kid again and do something crafty. I love origami. Okay maybe it’s a weird thing to do on Valentine’s day but sometimes I need special occasions to do my quirky ideas… If you want to try your paper folding skills here are some fun origami projects to try that are easy. Personally I like this shirt and tie. So cute.
Exercise and Get Sweaty Together
Photo Courtesy of Curtis Mac Newton at Stocksnap
Motivate each other and do something active together. Here are some couples exercises to try: couples workouts, an interactive workout together, couples exercises, and a 15 minute full body workout with weights with a partner.
Still looking for ideas?
How about the ultimate date night ideas list for Valentine’s day?
May your Valentine’s Day be a day Filled with Wonderful Memories.
You can also find ways to celebrate at home here: Valentines Day without Chocolate, Cards, or Candy.