We’re not big on Valentine’s Day in my house. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gotten a Valentine’s gift from my husband, and one of those gifts was delivered to the hospital as I was in labor with my middle daughter, Eilis. It was a barefoot and pregnant bear from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Ummm hmmm. Maybe it’s better he doesn’t send gifts.
But here it is, Valentine’s Day is upon us, the economy sucks, but you still want to do something for your Sweetie. Here are some great ideas that won’t break the bank – some are even free – and they are really the kind of gifts your honey will appreciate.
1 – Coupon Books – Homemade coupon books can be GREAT gifts. Make them at home on your printer, or even handwrite them. You can include romantic coupons for a bubble bath for two, a candlelit dinner you make your tired wife, or a nice massage. You might want to go with practical gifts like you’ll go with your husband to the boat show or play World of Warcraft with him (you know he’d love spending the time with you); or offer to bathe the little ones and put them to bed for your wife while she watches Project Runway. That might even get you something extra!
2 – Parlor Picnic – Not only are the restaurants going to be packed, it’s expensive to go out and eat. Whether or not you have children, a parlor picnic (or a bedroom picnic) can be a beautiful, romantic, and less expensive way to celebrate Valentine’s day. To make it easy on yourself, you can pick up some prepared foods at your local grocery store. Our store also has things like a Mediterranean bar, where you can get freshly made hummus, olives, mozzarella cheese, and toppings for bruschetta. If your grocery doesn’t have those types of things, a picnic of cheese and crackers with pepperoni; fresh fruit; and other snack type foods works well. Spread out a blanket on the floor, dim the lights, put on some music or a romantic movie, and enjoy each other’s company, crowd free and stress free.
3 – Hit a Museam – While the maddening crowds are headed out to the restaurants, head to the museum. Especially because Valentine’s Day is on a weekend, you can take your sweetie to your local art museum, natural history museum, or whatever type of museum you guys might enjoy. It’s less expensive than heading out to a fancy dinner, and you can stop on the way home at your favorite coffee shop for a sandwich and a hot cocoa. We all know chocolate has aphrodisiac properties, so this might really be a good thing!
4 – Let’s Do Lunch – Forget competing with the crowds for dinner. Take your Valentine to lunch! Because the big day is a Sunday, you’ll find that many restaurants not normally open for lunch just might be. Lunch is typically a less expensive meal than dinner also, so check your local newspaper or look online to see what restaurants in your area are offering Valentine lunch specials.
5 – Sunday Valentine’s Brunch – This is another great way to celebrate and save a little money. Instead of waiting to share s romantic dinner with your Honey, check out some of the places in your area that offer a Sunday brunch. We have one near us that offers an enormous brunch selection for $14.95 per person, and you can start your day early with the one you love. If you do brunch, you can take a walk together afterwards, holding hands, at a local park or lake, then grab a hot chocolate to warm up together.
6 – Scenes from the Movie Ghost – You remember it – the steamy scene where Demi Moore is making something on the pottery wheel and Patrick Swayze comes up behind her and the two of them play with the melting because it’s so hot in their clay. Okay, so you don’t have to get that hot and bothered, but there are plenty of ceramics studios around, and this can be a really fun date. The price varies, depending on the piece you choose to paint, and I know the pottery places around our house allow you to bring in a bottle of wine, something to snack on, even a pizza. It’s fun to do something crafty together, and how nice will it be to have the memories come flooding back everytime you see the finished pieces you created on display at your home. You don’t have to have artistic ability, just a desire to have a little Valentine’s Day Fun. If you are in the South Jersey area, definitely check out http://www.paintatallfiredup.com/ in Collingswood – it’s one of our favorite places!
7 – Make Something Delicious – I don’t know about you, but when Jim helps me in the kitchen, I love it. I love working together, we have fun, we talk about stuff, and it takes some of the burden off of me to rush and get a meal prepared, watching three pots at a time while I load the dishwasher. Take the kitchen thing to the next level! Check and see if your area has someplace like Super Suppers, a kitchen where you go and assemble your meals, then take them home and cook them. This place has everything for you – all the veggies are sliced and diced, the sauces are prepared, and the meat and fish portioned out. For about what it would cost one of you to eat at a chain restaurant, you can make a meal that will feed both of you, and add in an appetizer and a decadent dessert to round out the experience. It’s fun to work together and assemble the meal, and then while it cooks, you can open a bottle of wine and get ready for some Valentine’s Day romance. Our local Super Suppers is not open on Sunday, but check them out for Saturday – http://www.supersuppers.com/index.php . Our Super Suppers also has Rosie’s Lunch on the Go, so after you’ve worked hard (okay, it’s really easy) at putting your meals together, grab a sandwich. I’ve personally had the grilled veggie sandwich and the turkey and asparagus – DELISH!
8 – Ice Skating – It may be something you did as kids, and have long since forgotten about, but this can be fun, romantic, and when you’re finished and cold, it guarantees some snuggling to warm yourselves up! You can find ice skating rinks in your area, which are much safer than taking a chance on a lake or pond, and the fees are very reasonable. Bundle up, hit the ice, and hold hands as you skate around the rink. You can impress her with your wicked mad skills that you learned playing ice hockey as a tween, and you can laugh at him when he lands on his behind after realizing those wicked mad skills stop working once you hit 40something. When you’re finished, grab some hot cocoa and cuddle up against each other to get warm.
9 – Play Wii – Sounds like it’s got your guy written all over it, doesn’t it? But honestly, it’s FUN! Grab a controller and choose a game that you would enjoy – like Wii Bowling. It never fails that my husband and I end up in fits of laughter when we play Wii together, and that always leads to more romantic things – more cuddling, more kissing, more hugging. Throw out some chips and dips and you’ve got a great way to spend Valentine’s Day!
10 – The Mix Tape – Of course, it’s not a mix tape anymore, but you can download some of his or her’s favorite songs and make a CD or load up her iPod. Everytime he or she listens, they’ll think of you. And when you give the mix to your Valentine, front load it with a romantic number or two, and dance together in the privacy of your living room. I still have a mix tape my husband made for me after we had been dating about 5 months. I love it.
