Romance Your Valentine Without Having To Spend A Dollar
There will be romance around the world where couples will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with their Valentine this weekend.
Spending money on your Valentine might come at a premium and when you’re broke it can feel defeating.
Don’t let the fact that you can’t afford to splurge on your Valentine get you down.
Mrs. CBB and I do not go anywhere to celebrate Valentine’s Day nor do we buy each other gifts.
Why? Simple. I love her every day and one day is not going to make a difference to the rest of the year.
Besides the romance market becomes inflated on February 14th to the point that you have to question your financial sanity.
You could always celebrate the day after if you want all of the bells and whistles without the cost.
There aren’t many Valentine’s Day deals available until the day after which means you’ll have to think frugal or free.
What can you do for free on Valentine’s Day?
Dear Mr.CBB,
This will be my second Valentine’s Day with my Valentine and I’m afraid I’m very tight with money to start the year.
I had an expensive end of 2019 where my car broke down, the roof needed repair and my mom needed financial help.
My girlfriend is very understanding and knows the predicament I’m in with my financial situation.
I do feel guilty that I can’t take her out for a romantic dinner like I did last year or buy her flowers.
On the other hand, I think it’s important for both of us to stay balanced so we understand the meaning of Valentine’s.
If I’m going to spend the rest of my life with her I want to know that she will accept me in good times and bad.
I’m not trying to test her here but I’m also not telling a lie, I have no money to spare until I can catch up.
What can I do with her for free on Valentine’s Day that would seem like I put extra effort into it?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Chris from Kelowna, B.C.
Money Should Never Ruin A Relationship
Hey Chris,
Thanks for your question and perfect timing since I was going to write a Valentine’s Day post.
If you set your mind to creative there are plenty of free things you can do for your Valentine.
Judging by your email it sounds to me that she knows what you are going through.
If she loves you she will understand the dilemma you are in financially and just accept you for you.
I’m almost sure that she will be fine with a simple Valentine’s Day surprise from you.
Below I’ve listed some of the ideas that Mrs. CBB and I have done and a few new ones I’ve thought up.
I like geocaching and I’m not sure if you’ve done it before but it’s worth a try if you don’t mind the snow.
P.S – Stop for coffee or hot chocolate beore you go.
Best of luck Chris and send me an email after and let me know how it went.
Mr.CBB
Bake For Your Valentine
This one was easy for me because my wife loves sweets and she’s following a keto diet.
One of her favourite keto recipes is cheesecake so I’ll be making her a Keto Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
Baking is simple to do and if you have basic pantry ingredients you can make plenty of cookie or cake recipes.
So, consider finding a recipe that you know she will love and get baking.
Write A Poem For Your Valentine
You don’t have to be a poet to write a love letter to your Valentine.
Simply put down on paper what you love about him or her and perhaps share some special moments with them.
Add some personal touches like heart stickers or even a kiss with some sexy lipstick to seal the envelope.
Think about things that will make your Valentine shiver inside with peace and love.
As humans, all we want to know is that the person we are spending time with really wants to be there.
Sing A Song For Your Valentine
I am NOT musically inclined in any way shape or form unless putting a CD in the player counts.
When I came up with this idea I thought it would be special for those of you who can play an instrument or sing.
How amazing would that be to write a song and play it for your Valentine?
You can almost sense the tears of joy before the day even arrives.
This for me would be very special if Mrs. CBB knew how to play an instrument but she’s just as non-musical as I am.
Craft A Card And Romantic Letter
Here is where my skills come into play.
I can make a pot of coffee and write a love letter without question and it’s something I enjoy doing.
There was a point where I would leave little notes for Mrs. CBB when we would work opposite shifts.
It meant lots to her that I was thinking about her before I left for the day.
She did the same for me and I appreciated it.
You can simply write a love note on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope or leave romantic sticky notes all over the house.
Serve your love letter with his or her beverage of choice and enjoy each other’s company.
If by chance you won’t be able to spend Valentine’s Day together this type of romantic gesture is golden.
Cook Dinner For Your Valentine
Set the mood for your Valentine and cook a candlelight dinner that he/she will love.
Booking reservations for Valentine’s Day dinner will cost you about a week’s worth of groceries or more.
Consider what your loved one enjoys eating when you do go to a restaurant and make it at home instead.
My Valentine is a big fan of Keto Burgers, Soup, Grilled steak, Salmon and large caesar salad.
The pure romance involved when cooking a meal is bliss especially if you don’t typically do the cooking.
Take A Night-Time Walk Together
Depending on the time of day that you both are free you could take an afternoon hike or night-time walk together.
One thing most couples fail to do is take time out for themselves or limit the amount of communication time.
This one act of spending time together with no phones or disturbances can refresh a relationship.
Throughout the year Mrs. CBB and I go for a walk just about every night.
It may not be a long walk but it’s a time when we get to chat about our day and just life in general.
Specifically, on Valentine’s Day consider bringing up memories of your relationship that spark joy.
Although, these days we have a young boy in tow it still brings us closer.
She’s my everyday Valentine, and I love her.
Plan A GeoCaching Date
Geocaching is not only a fun way to keep you both excited but it’s also free.
All you need to do is download the geocache app on your Smartphone and away you go.
Once you set up an account you start hunting for geocaches in your city and when you find one, you tell everyone about it.
For example, where we live there are over 6000 geocaches hidden throughout our city.
What is geocaching?
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called “geocaches” or “caches”, at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world. – Wikipedia
Once you find your geocache box you can find all sorts of items inside or something similar to the photo above with a geocache tag.
It’s quite a fun experience as we’ve done it a few times and perfect for a date night.
Romantic Breakfast In Bed
Nothing says I love You louder than breakfast in bed especially when it’s for your Valentine.
If your Valentine loves coffee this is the time to show your coffee making specialty skills.
A frothy cappuccino or hot beverage will surely put a smile on his or her face.
If I was to make breakfast in bed for Mrs. CBB it would be bacon, cheese rapini omelet, sausages, and more bacon.
Bacon is LOVE for Mr. CBB.
Oh, and a giant mug of coffee with whipping cream and her favourite Irish Cream Skinny Syrup.
Make Love To Your Valentine
This option might not be for everyone but it’s still a loving component for many couples.
Surprising your Valentine with the notion of making love on Valentine’s Day is special.
Take the time to spoil your Valentine with a back rub, or moisturize his or her body with cream.
Light some candles and turn on some romantic music in the background and enjoy time together.
Money Does NOT Buy Love
Valentine’s Day is overrated in my opinion with the vast marketing tactics that consumers soak up.
From dozens of roses, chocolates, expensive dinner dates and trips to the spa, it can all add up to hundreds of dollars.
Free and Frugal will always take more effort but mean so much more to your Valentine.
Discussion: What other free romantic ideas do you have in mind for your Valentine?
Share your experiences or ideas below in the comment section.
Happy Valentine’s Day,
Mr.CBB
Mary says
Time…and your undivided attention are two of the best gifts in my opinion. Turn off the devices, let the phone go to voicemail and shower your special someone with the attention she so richly deserves. It doesn’t have to be anything huge to impress your special sweetie…cuddles on the couch while watching a movie and sharing a bowl of popcorn are enough to make me feel pampered and appreciated. You know what kind of movie she likes…my hubby knows I love a good romance BUT if there’s a new murder mystery out that I’d pick that hands down. I don’t want to watch things blow up for our romantic movie night. LOL
This year, we will be on the road on Valentine’s Day so I got some of those little candy hearts with sayings on them from the bulk bins at the grocery store to put in my sweetie’s lunch. I spent less than $1.00 but it’s the thought that counts. I am sure it will put a smile on his face and that he will likely show off his little treasures to his co-workers!
I also send him a free e-Valentine card every year. I enjoy trying to find a card that suits my mood this year and that also allows me to add a few words of my own.
I have a $20 in my wallet that is earmarked for us to go for a late lunch/early dinner on FEB 15th at a Chinese food buffet that we both enjoy. It’s 10.99 per person but more importantly it recognizes his love for all things Chinese and for a change, I am footing the bill! I may just have a bowl of Egg Swirl Soup instead of the buffet and my $20 will cover our time together including the tip. Saying, “I love you!” on Feb 15th is every bit as wonderful and important as telling him on the evening of the 14th. A few years back he treated me to a hot chocolate at our local Blenz and I loved it!
Hubby enjoys a donut but rarely has them so last night I had a Long John for him for his dessert. Less than $2 worth of dessert brought a smile to his face not to mention the enjoyment to his taste buds. It isn’t Valentine’s Day yet but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have a few special little surprises for him to let him know he is loved every day and not just on Feb. 14th! Today’s surprises include fresh blueberries in his lunch (his favorite fruit) and Chicken Caesar Salad for dinner tonight (his favorite salad).
Take a day off work, pack a lunch in a picnic basket and deliver it to your sweetie for a lunch hour surprise is another one that I have done (sparkling apple juice is nice for mid-day toasting).
No matter what you choose, make it something that you know will show her that you listen to her wishes and desires and very much care about what will make her happy. We have even done “I owe you coupons”… make her a booklet so she can redeem those coupons by presenting one to you whenever she wants. I have no problem filling a booklet with items that are free…a canoe trip on the lake, a bicycle ride on the dykes, a sunset picnic, dancing at home, reading to the other, a massage, access to the remote control for the evening, star gazing and whatever else you can think of.
Mo CanadianBudgetBinder says
Hi Mary,
I always appreciate your input on these types of blog posts because you are so organized when it comes to entertainment, relationships and enjoying life to the fullest. I completely forgot about e-Valentine which is an excellent idea. I was going to add in the owe you coupons but chose not to but it’s certainly a good one as well. Like I mentioned in the post Valentine’s Day is so over-marketed that people spend far too much on something is just another day and should be celebrated every day.