Valentine's Day is coming up but of course, you already know that. Annoyingly the date falls on a Tuesday which is a work day and usually a gym night for me but never mind. Now, Valentine's Day can be a little overwhelming and I bet you're asking yourself a few of these questions; "what shall I wear?", "what will I get him/her?", "where are we going for dinner?". So many decisions to make, not to mention what an expensive day it turns out to be! If you're struggling to find the right outfit take a look at my post from last year, Valentine's Day: How To Dress For Winter Date Night. Sexy but warm outfits are a must given how cold it has been these past few days. If you're taking a more personal approach and want some DIY ideas, I also wrote a post 2 years ago about some do it yourself gift ideas, some of which I've used myself and they were a hit so check that out here 10 DIY Valentine's Day Gift Ideas. If however, you're looking for further inexpensive Valentine's Day ideas which you probably are given you are actually reading this post, you've come to the right place. Here are some tips to make this incredibly profitable date of the year a little less of a burden on your wallet.
The idea is to avoid the wild rush on Valentine's Day, and push the plans a little earlier to this weekend or postpone it to the next weekend. I personally am a big fan of this one because we are able to enjoy the romantic holiday without work hanging over our heads, and we can dodge the V-day markups from restaurants, because yes those are real!
ALTERNATIVE BOUQUET
Similar to higher priced restaurant bills, florists sneakily increase the prices of traditional Valentine's flowers such as roses during the holiday. If you're looking to save yet gift your other half with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers pick some non-traditional alternatives to lower the costs. Lilies, tulips, iris and even sunflowers make for great picks, or you can also giving more functional choices like basil plants. If however your other half is set on getting roses, mix it up with other selections to save. How about mixing roses with baby breath which is insanely cheap and looks perfectly romantic; you're welcome!
COOK FOR TWO
What better way to beat those pricey restaurant meals than eating home-cooked meals. This is the perfect opportunity to have a great stay-in date with your partner and try cooking some new dishes. I find cooking with Philipe incredibly romantic; we have so much fun dancing around each other and taking turns with the stirring, tasting and doing dishes (ok this isn't my favourite part but you get the gist) and trying out new dishes. It makes for a cosy, intimate yet adventurous date night; you should try it out!
DO IT YOURSELF GIFTS
I don't just mean cooking dinner or making mixed CDs, but personalised and handmade gifts can say a lot more than a store bought one. Again, if you haven't yet checked out my 10 DIY Valentine's Day Gift Ideas, go ahead! There are some fab ideas in that list and I'm sure they will go down like a treat. My personal favourites are printable vouchers and photo albums!
ONLINE DEALS
And lastly an obvious one, but often overlooked! There are quite a few Valentine's deals on online sites (my favourite is Groupon), so they're worth keeping an eye out for as you may find great bargains you can enjoy with your loved one. Discounts on spa days for two, all-you-can-eat buffets, horseback riding are definitely winners. Imagine, a half-off coupon for a restaurant the both of you would love to try or greatly discounted activities, these will be the cherry on top for your V-day planning.
Tell me, what are your plans for Valentine's Day? I'd love to know!
Thanks for reading beauties and happy weekend!
xoxo
This is the first year that my partner and I are celebrating on the weekend due to work schedules. At first I was kind of bummed, but now that I realise we'll be avoiding the crowds I feel much better as they tend to freak me out!
ReplyDeleteI'm also a big advocate for handmade gifts, and will use any holiday as an excuse to make one ☺️
http://www.thesmalladventurer.blogspot.com.au/
I don't pay any attention to Valentine's Day but I love the idea of the alternative bouquet!
ReplyDeleteDanielle's Beauty Blog
Very good tips :-) We don't celebrate Valentines, because my husband has birthday day after ;-)
ReplyDeleteAdorei as dicas! Ainda ando a pensar no que oferecer :3
ReplyDeleteA RUIVA BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
We're not really into celebrating Valentine's Day so will just have a cosy night in with some snacks, drinks and maybe a movie, perfection :) x
ReplyDeleteMummy's Beauty Corner
What great ideas, especially the cooking one!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend :)
Rosanna x
Rose's Rooftop
Cooking is yes, really inexpensive and I might say, even more romantic than going out. Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteMadame X
The Flower Duet
Such a great post!
ReplyDeletewww.frederikkes.com
Yes to cooking for two or three in my case or celebrating over the weekend to avoid the mad rush and crazy prices! Great suggestions here, Pam!
ReplyDeleteShireen | Reflection of Sanity
Por aqui não há planos...
ReplyDeleteIsabel Sá
Brilhos da Moda
I love the idea of celebrating Valentine's Day not on Valentine's Day! All the restaurants are fully booked anyway, so we are doing it the day after!
ReplyDeleteDi from Max The Unicorn
I think it's a good idea to celebrate it over the weekend, cause on Tuesday people normally have so much to do... but a meal, cooked by the two, would be a perfect idea! For dessert, chocolate :) Loved the ideas and the post! As I love cooking, I will do something more special! Hope you have a great weekend, dear Pam!
ReplyDeleteDenisesPlanet.com
Love these ideas, they are so nice. That heart shaped waffle is so cute, who wouldn't want to wake up to that? Thank you for sharing xxx
ReplyDeleteALittleKiran | Bloglovin
This is truly such a great post, amazing tips as well, very inspiring. I love your blog, thank you for sharing!!!
ReplyDeletexxx
www.noragouma.com
Ah so many lovely ideas! I love all of your suggestions xx
ReplyDeleteWe don't make a big deal out of Valentines day so a dinner at home with some wine will be my way of spending the day. Hope you have a lovely day whatever you do :D x
ReplyDeleteBeauty with charm
These are amazing ideas! I love all of them! Cooking with my hubby is the best, it's so fun and lovely! It wont be long till your cooking with your hubby eh!!?
ReplyDeleteFix Me In Forty Five - A Beauty & Lifestyle Blog
Blog Lovin' // Instagram
xx
Such a lovely post! Have an amazing new week.
ReplyDeleteBloglovin
STYLEFORMANKIND.COM
Great ideas Pam :)
ReplyDeleteNatalie Ann xo | Petal Poppet Blogs ♥
I love the cook for two idea! Its so much more relaxing and enjoyable to be at home with your other half!
ReplyDeletexx Leah
www.fashtrav.com
Sucks that Valentines day is during the week - we will probably do something the weekend
ReplyDeleteCandice | Beauty Candy Loves
Confesso que não costumo dar muita atenção a esta data. Este ano, por exemplo, vou almoçar fora com o meu namorado e vamos apenas trocar uma prendinha significativa para não deixar o dia passar em branco :)
ReplyDeleteGoste das tuas sugestões!
Kiss, Mariana Dezolt
Messy Hair, Don’t Care
Great ideas! Love it!
ReplyDeleteI love cooking by yourself or just do something together :) I love groupons.com they have a huge variety for online deals, I don't know if they are in the UK too, but those deals are even amazing for outside activities or going out for dinner :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/c/MissLovelyAttitude
http://lovelyattitude.com