Je t'aime... The Great 'how to have a romantic Valentine's on a budget' Hunt

A question about : Je t'aime... The Great 'how to have a romantic Valentine's on a budget' Hunt

The Great 'how to have a romantic Valentine's on a budget' Hunt

Let's not over-commercialise Valentine's Day. Roses, chocolates and candlelit dinners might earn brownie points, but they can come with an unromantic price tag. How do you treat your loved one without breaking the bank?

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Best answers:

• A home cooked meal, surprise your other half by doing the chores they'e normally responsible for (i know i'd appreciate that!), run them a relaxing bath, give home made gifts eg a photo album of the two of you. Thoughtful gestures mean a lot more than flashy expensive ones.
• A date night in. Both dress as though you are going out - relaxing bath first. Then have a nice meal (supermarkets do dine in for Ј10 deals) or just drinks and snacks as though you were in a restaurant or pub. No TV on - just background music and conversation. Nice box of chocolates. Simples!
• Every year since we met I've done a salt baked sea bass for dinner. Every year it goes a bit wrong and the fish ends up far too salty to be edible, but every year it gets a little better than last. Kind of a cute game we play (and the backup dinner that I have to make in a panic).
  Salt & fish only cost about Ј6 from the supermarket, so never breaks the bank.
  Other than that - just doing something different, whatever it is, makes it a better day/evening. Even going to a different cinema than usual counts.
• On Valentine's Day some people's thoughts might turn to love, but the cost of condoms can be a passion killer. It is worth contacting the local Family Planning, (or Contraceptive and sexual health), service for free supplies. They normally offer free condoms for all comers, (ahem, cough), men or women, all ages.
• Just don't bother with it? I've never "done" valentine's day, I feel it a bit of a rip off.
• Asda have some great fake rose petals and heart confetti for a Ј1 and some heart candle tealights Ј2
• I've found a love note in my boot, and wandered around with a big dumb grin on my face all day...
  (Had it been in my wallet I might have missed it competely.)
  Car key, bus pass, pedestal locker key, door key, tucked in the brassiere laid out for next day... wherever your beloved has a good chance of finding the blasted thing.
  Nice paper if you can, spelled correctly if only for the shock/ awe/ novelty...
• Me and my partner are pyrotechnician's and on valentines day this year we should be doing a display for the Danny Nightingale ball. So we will miss out this year but I guess we can do something on the Saturday instead.
  Steph xx
• People always bring up homemade vouchers on here, until this year I'd never thought of it as a particularly good idea. Except that over Christmas I bought vouchers on groupon, livingsocial and wowcher for people, but I didn't want them to know how cheap they were (hey, the treatment's the same!) so I went on word and looked on the templates and made my own voucher with all the info of the treatment, with address and how to book and expiry date. Printing it at work () on card and sticking it in a nice envelope.
  Because of how nice the templates were/easy they were to adapt I had the idea to make my boyfriend some vouchers for V-day, but really specific to our relationship. So while other couples enjoy massages and home cooked food, it's not that special to us, however a voucher ~"allowing HIM to pick the film we watch with no argument from me"~ will go down well. (must include an expiry date!) and a voucher ~"Two hours of Resident Evil in our pants"~ or a ~"Restaurant trump card"~ (His choice without question) will also go down well.
  Homemade, thoughtful gifts can go down well if they are specific to the relationship...
  ILOVESMILIES.
• I'm planning a steak dinner at home, with a bottle of a rather nice wine I was given for christmas and put aside for a special occasion. Steak is a huge and very occasional treat for me, but I'm using my nectar points so in effect it's 'free'. Side order of chips (Ј1 900g frozen spicy thick-cut chips on offer) and salad (Ј1 mixed-leaf bag) and a home-made cake (25p Sainsbury's basics sponge mix plus 1 egg 30p, bit of icing sugar and electricity approx 45p = total Ј1) for pud, baked in a heart-shaped tin (free off freecycle) to acknowledge the occasion and voila! Ј3 for a very nice dinner for two, with a couple of gristle-y steak offcuts for the dog, so much nicer than going out!
• Hi everyone, newbie here! Long time reader first time commenter!
  It may not be the most budget worthy in the long run but I'm due our first child on 12th February so as far as I'm concerned I'm giving my other half the gift of life!!!
• Having a nice everyday meal in the evening at home then we'll have a bath together and early to bed, then he gets his present!