Love Don't Cost A Thing

"Money can’t buy me love." -The Beatles

Well, with Valentine's Day around the corner, if you are anything like me, you are struggling to figure out what you are going to do for your special someone.  There are tons of gifts that one could buy.  There's flowers, stuffed animals, jewelry, chocolates, etc, but I have one thing that is working against me, I'm CHEAP (or just really frugal).  I am convinced that Valentine's Day does not require the $25 bouquet of roses or the $60 dinner to be successful.  

I can see why some guys like to stay single around this time of year.  Waiting until the last minute and standing in line to get picked over roses from the grocery store does not cut it for most.  There's only so many times when you can buy the above mentioned items until it because a routine and no longer "special".  Spending money in general to impress someone is quite overrated also.  This year, I am putting a new theory into practice to see if I can come up with a way to have great results for little money.

Now by no means, do I feel like I am a creative person.  After all, I am a geek at heart and accustomed to thinking inside the box.  However, I believe with enough time and a clear objective, anyone can come up with a creative way to have a successful Valentine's Day.  After all, "it's as easy as P.I.E" isn't it?

I have brainstormed and researched to come up with a list of great Valentine's Day ideas that are free or cost very little money.  

1. Write a love letter and mail it to your companion (be sure it gets there by V-Day).
2. Create handmade coupons with gifts your partner can use anytime, such as a massage, cleaning or something your mate enjoys to do.
3. Create a photo book of you and your companion.  (Snapfish.com - Great Site To Create Own Photobooks)
4. Make a mixed CD of all of your favorite loves song.  Go a step further and create a unique CD cover and make sure to include the year.  Has a great replay value for special occasions later on.
• Click to see how to create a CD Cover using MS Publisher
• Click to see how to create a CD Cover by hand
5. Create a blog for your mate and write a new note to them everyday so they can check it online and show their friends.
• Cilck here to create your own blog!
6. Turn your home into a fancy restaurant by buying a table cloth, a few candles, playing music and cooking dinner.
• Video instructions on how to cook.
• Website with quick and easy restaurants.
• Another website with Quick and Easy recipes.
7. To help create a romantic environment for your mate, if you have access to a laptop and an HDTV, you can create a Powerpoint presentation and play it on the big screen.
• Click for a Free alternative to create a slideshow if you do not have Powerpoint.
8. Create a Valentine's day box for your mate that includes a combination of the previous mentioned items.
9. Gather a group of your friends and stage a nice sit down dinner and split the costs.
10. Create a Valentine's Day card.
• Step by Step instructions to create a V-Day Card
  
• YouTube Video with Instructions to make a V-Day Card
  
• Another YouTube Video with Instructions to make a V-Day Card

There more Valentine's Day ideas that you can probably research online.  However, the point of this article is to mention that having a successful Valentine's Day does not require a lot of money, although it does require effort.

What are some of your (frugal) Valentine's Day ideas that you will be putting into action this year?  Leave them in the comments below.

Stay Disciplined!