Frugal Valentine's Day Ideas

Sometimes the words in our head don't always come out the way that that we want them to. So for those of us that sometimes can't say how we feel to the person we love and adore, here are some frugal Valentine's tips for you.

A beautiful poem, printed off nicely, or if your handwriting allows (or someone you know who has beautiful handwriting), write it off on a beautiful piece of notepaper and deliver it to your loved one. One really great poem is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning called For Love's Sake. Memorizing it would give you more brownie points ;)

If thou must love me, let it be for nought

Except for love's sake only. Do not say

"I love her for her smile--her look--her way

Of speaking gently,--for a trick of thought

That falls in well with mine, and certes brought

A sense of ease on such a day"--

For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may

Be changed, or change for thee,--and love, so wrought,

May be unwrought so. Neither love me for

Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheek dry,-

A creature might forget to weep, who bore

Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!

But love me for love's sake, that evermore

Thou mayest love on, through love's eternity.

Writing your own love letter is something that everyone loves.

Write a top 10 list of what you love about them.

Get up before your loved one and print off words that you think of that describe them and post them around the house or in a trail leading to a breakfast table with a meal already made for them.

Grant them a night of watching a movie that you know they would love that you would turn up your nose at and have all the wonderful snacks that they love ready for them.

A few extra tips for Valentine's Day:

Instead of getting them flowers, buy a plant of their favourite flowers so they can enjoy them all summer as well.

Make a lovely dinner for yourselves at home that you wouldn't normally make. Better still, get one person to make the dinner and one the dessert! Light some candles, pull out the good dishes, table cloth, linen napkins and have some lovely music already lined up on your ipod to play during dinner. If you are parents of little children, have the dinner after they all go to bed (hint here if you want some extra time together in the evening, put them to bed earlier than normal! If you have children that are able to tell time, move the clocks ahead in the home to the time you want it to be. Note: make sure you get ALL the clocks and that you don't forget to turn them back afterwards. We do this every so often and none of them realize what's happening. Our oldest is 10!)

Enjoy your day!