Huh, Valentine’s day is today, isn’t it? In the nine (plus) years Daniel and I have been together, we have never celebrated Valentine’s Day together. It’s one of the few holidays I’m not enthusiastic for. Give me chocolates anytime of the year and I’ll swoon; give me chocolates on February 14 and I’ll roll my eyes (surprise because I LOVE Christmas?). Don’t get me wrong, I’m a true romantic at heart, but I don’t find the pressure of gift-giving and/or the potential drama of being dateless on Valentine’s day romantic. Plus, the display of red and pinks (a colour combination I’m not fond of) and overly-sweet mush and gush. I may just be the Grinch of Valentine’s Day.
That said, I am having a slight change of heart this year. Daniel and I have had a rough few weeks with being sick and busy at work. Daniel has been travelling for work in the last few days and we’ve only been able to exchange a few pleasantries here and there in between dinner with clients (him) and chasing after a toddler (me). I miss my husband.
So what is a girl to do on Valentine’s day, with a close-to-nothing budget? Scour the internet of course.
Valentine’s Day presents don’t need to be stressful or costly to obtain. Here are five last-minute budget gift ideas:
You Are My Fave created a wall of love notes- folded into hearts, no less! All this requires is decorative paper (wrapping paper will suffice). It’s simple and sweet. You can tone it down and instead of doing a wall, fold just a few hearts and hide them under a loved one’s pillow or use it as a place setting for a nice home-cooked meal.
What are you serving for dessert tonight? How about a small little cake? To make it more festive, decorate with pipe cleaner cake (or pancake) topper. Grab a pipe cleaner, bend it into a heart, and use it as a cake topper.
Okay, it’s still winter, but I’m willing to eat popsicles any season of the year, especially if they’re heart-printed popsicles. A Subtle Revelry cuts out heart shaped prints from the popsicles and fills it with jam. Delicious. All you really need are ingredients for the popsicles. A quick and easy recipe? One ripe banana, one ripe avocado, three tablespoons of cocoa, one can of coconut milk, honey or maple syrup to sweeten. Blend and ta-da: Healthy fudgesicles!
If you’re stuck in the office like I am right now and have limited supplies, find some paper clips and make paper clips heart ! Like the pipe cleaner, bend into a heart using this tutorial from How About Orange. Use it as a bookmark and attach a sweet little note to it on the page of the book your partner is reading.
If you have a teensy bit more time than I do, pretty up some dinner napkins with embroidery hearts. You can find embroidery floss at the dollar in an assortment of colours. Design*Sponge has a simple embroidery technique that be learned in a jiffy. You might even have time to spare to set your dinner table with the napkins tonight!
If you’re a Grinch looking to steal Valentine’s because you can’t find the perfect gift, take a minute to consider that maybe Valentines means a little bit more. It not about the gifts; it is an opportunity to appreciate the somebody you love. Who knows, maybe this year you’ll be interrupted by a Cindy Lou of Valentine’s and find your shrunken heart grow three times larger.
I couldn’t agree with your more.. I understand and agree with the sentiment, but it’s just a huge “cash-grab” for retailers and for those who aren’t in perhaps the best relationship, a day to gauge how much your “other-half” loves you, which I think is ridiculous. If your entire relationship is based on ONE day of the year, you’re in the wrong relationship. 😉
Tacky gifts, overly sugary sweets, and overly sweetened words that’ll give me a bigger toothache than the aforementioned sweets is not my idea of love or even a sort-of romantic gesture, but rather a waste of money that can be spent on something more worthwhile, like a vacation with my other half.
There, another run on sentence to join yours 🙂
Holy run on sentence! lol! Sorry! *blush!