Christmas was so yesterday. It’s no longer about being naughty or nice. Valentine’s Day is the best time to be a little bit of both.
Valentine’s Day can be enjoyed at all ages, stages, and income levels of life. But what can you do that says, “I love you,” when you’re on a tight budget? Here are six loving and affordable acts that prove that love never needs to be spelled: m-o-n-e-y!
1. Home Cooking
Make a special celebration at home. Candles, flowers, a good meal, and a great wine can say I love you for less than the cost of two appetizers and drinks at a lot of today’s high-end restaurants. What’s your love’s favorite dish? Make it. (Yes, you can!) Going out quite often means compromising your favorite foods for what someone else puts on the menu. Best of all, you can snuggle up in each other’s arms, and kiss the night away.
2. Agree To Exchange Intimate Gifts
No, I don’t mean edible underwear, but rather token gifts of love. Perhaps for $25 or less, these gifts are a result of the intimate knowledge you have of one another. The object here is to give something from the heart that connects with some aspect of your relationship. Maybe it’s a DVD of his favorite film as a kid, or a special item from an experience you both shared. Get creative, and put in a lot of thought. The time you took to think about this gift is what makes it so special.
3. Be Naughty And Nice
Christmas was so yesterday. It’s no longer about being naughty or nice. Valentine’s Day is the best time to be a little bit of both. Get him something sexy that you want him to wear, just for you. He can do the same for you. This is the best day in which to enjoy being the object of each other’s love--and it’s so much more fun being an object of lust.
4. Bubble Baths And Candles
Run a warm tub, get out the fluffiest towels, light those candles and make sure those bubbles have a delicious scent. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination…
5. Run Away Together
We do so much for others on just about every day of the year; consider making Valentine’s Day a special occasion, just for the two of you. Perhaps it can’t be on that special day, but that’s okay. You’ll find better travel deals on the Sunday before, or the Saturday after, so jump in the car, hop on a train, or get on take the bus and make it a one day getaway. In fact, most travel and lodging prices have not been this affordable in years. So go somewhere you love to go or have always wanted to see, and make it a special time, just for the two of you!
6. Best Valentine’s Card Ever
For couples who hope to celebrate this and all future Valentine’s Days together, nothing means more than a love note inside a card. The meals, the candy, the token gifts all fade in time, but those handwritten notes passed between two lovers are tucked away and forever saved. A simple heart is the symbolic image of Valentine’s Day and loving words that come from the heart are treasures we keep for a lifetime.
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Josie Brown’s latest novel is The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook. Her book, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives, will soon be a dramatic series on ABC TV.
