It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and many people want to spend the day or night having romantic dates with their partner and showering them with love and affection.
Some people like to spend money on a fancy restaurant and expensive gifts to romance their heartthrob. In 2024, Valentine’s Day in the UK was expected to cost romantic Brits over £1.5 billion in total, while in 2023, Americans spent $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot of money, and many people can’t really afford it.
I’ve always lived a frugal lifestyle, but I also strongly believe in celebrating things properly. That means figuring out a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a frugal budget.
“Valentine’s Day is a time to impress current or potential romantic partners with gifts, terms of endearment, and perhaps a 5-star meal,” says money-saving expert Fred Harrington, CEO of Coupon Mister. “But a true heart costs nothing, and that sentiment can be applied to Valentine’s Day with a more economical version of the holiday, which can turn out to be just as memorable as the big bucks one.”
How To Celebrate Valentine’s Day on a Budget
Here, Fred has some great ideas about how you can enjoy Valentine’s Day without spending a fortune.
1. Cook a Romantic Meal at Home
Rustle up a delicious and perhaps unusual meal together at home. You can even invent a new recipe and cook it together. Add wine and candles. Voila!
“Cooking something that you both enjoy or inventing a new dish for someone dishy in the privacy of your residence can be just as romantic as a 5-star meal out somewhere. Break bread together. You’ll feed your souls!” says Fred.
2. Pack a Picnic
If the weather is good, pack a picnic and head to the park or countryside. Bring your partner’s favorite snacks or eat creatively together. If you don’t live in a warm climate, you can have an indoor picnic in a place with big windows or a cozy fireplace.
“If you live somewhere where the weather is good in February, dining ‘al fresco’ with your beloved can be wonderful. Communing with nature is often very romantic.”
3. May Your Own Spa Night
Make your home a romantic wonderland. Set the scene with red roses, soft music, and candles. Turn your bathroom into an aromatherapeutic dream. Use scented soaps, creams, and oil diffusers.
“A spa night in can be off the scale romantically. Gentle massages and amorous music – music being the food of love.”
4. Go on a Scavenger Hunt Together.
Leave clues that lead to locations or memories that mean a lot to you or announce your intentions.
5. Create a Memory Jar
If your romantic other is a long-term partner, making a memory jar together can be very poignant and will cost next to nothing.
6. Go Stargazing
You don’t have to be an astronomer to love the night sky. Make hot cocoa or delicious tea and cuddle up with a blanket outside. Look up and watch the night sky together. On Valentine’s Night, the night sky is beyond romantic and costs nothing. Wish upon a lucky star together.
7. Outdoor Adventures
Go enjoy the outdoors together, and go on a bike or hike together. The cost? Nothing.
8. Play Board Games
Done properly, with the right sensory accessories in the right place – at home – board games can be anything but boring. This is a great way to spend time together in a chill and calm way.
