Ten ideas for Valentine’s Day on a budget

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, along with all the hype that surrounds it. But if you want to do something with your partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day, it can be really difficult to know what to do. Everything seems so expensive. And as well as wanting to save money, you also want to do something nice together that is perhaps a little different this year.

So below are ten ideas for how to have a wonderful Valentine’s Day without spending a fortune. We hope that one of them helps you not only to have the best Valentine’s ever, but also to save money in the process.

Dinner for two

A traditional way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to go out for a meal, but prices can be sky high on Valentine’s Day. By all means look around for good deals, but bear in mind you will need to book well in advance to secure your place. Also, as it will be a busy night, it’s fair to expect a few delays and possibly everything not running perfectly.

A better option might be to dine in at home. You could either prepare a home-cooked meal in advance so that there is as little as possible to do on the evening itself, or opt for a takeaway (again, order well in advance!) or some kind of gourmet ready to cook meal. 

But the main thing is to treat the whole thing as a special dinner as if you were eating out. Get dressed up, light the candles, put on your favourite music, pour a glass of your favourite drink and pretend you are in a high class restaurant. And you won’t even have to drive home!

Let’s do lunch

An alternative to dining in the evening on Valentine’s Day is to do lunch. If you are able to take time out of work, there is something extra special about enjoying a long lunch during the week. And most pubs and restaurants will be a lot cheaper during the day than in the evening so this is a great way to save money. 

Another alternative is that if the weather is kind enough you could put together a luxury picnic – or eat it indoors if it’s too cold to have outside. 

A day out

If you can grab some time off during the day on Valentine’s Day, another great option is to go out for a day. This doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, and you don’t even need to travel that far. It’s almost always the case that if you live in a place you don’t do half the things that you’d do if you were visiting it as a tourist. So just think of anywhere fairly near to you that you’ve always meant to visit but have never got round to, and make it your Valentine’s Day outing. 

If nothing comes to mind, a long walk ending up with a pub drink is always a relaxing way to take time out together and unwind.

An evening of live music

Many of us love music, so what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than heading out to listen to some live music? And we’re not necessarily talking about big expensive gigs here. 

Take the time to look into what’s on musically in your local area. There may well be a local band or an open mic evening in a pub somewhere near you, who would appreciate your support. Such evenings are usually free, so you will save money, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of music offered. 

Local entertainment

And of course, live music is not the only kind of entertainment available locally. And even though it’s Valentine’s Day, there could well be a range of other entertainment options available for very little cost.

So take a look around to see if there are any quizzes, Karaoke evenings, amateur dramatics shows, comedy evenings, film screenings, wine tastings, or talks by local groups to see if there is anything you like the sound of. Hopefully you’ll find something just right for you both that doesn’t cost the earth.

Movie night

If you love movies, then Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to indulge. Even if you buy tickets for the latest release you will still save money on what you could have spent on a meal out. And it’s great to be one of the first to see a new movie.

Another option is to have a movie night at home, either catching up with one of the latest films that you wanted to see but missed at the cinema, or perhaps an old favourite that never disappoints. So get out some drinks and snacks, sit back and enjoy!

A wine tasting evening

If you enjoy your wine, then why not organise a wine tasting evening from the comfort of your living room? You can buy mini bottles of different wines from supermarkets; try to include some that you have not tried before. Then all you need to do is put together a few snacks to go with them, and spend the evening trying out the different wines.

If you want to do things properly you might even want to make notes on each wine you taste, and maybe by the end of the evening there will be a clear favourite. But the main aim is to relax and enjoy the evening together.

Get dancing

Dancing can be very romantic but many of us just never get the opportunity to do it. So why not give it a go on Valentine’s Day? Perhaps you’ve always fancied taking up some kind of dancing class, in which case it could be a really fun thing to do together. And if there’s nothing available locally on the night you can always try Youtube instead.

Or just clear some space in your living room, stick on your favourite dance tracks, and pretend you’re in Ibiza!

Get away for the night

Everyone loves a night away, but this can cost a lot of money if you’re not careful, especially on Valentine’s Day. So why not plan a night away a few days after the event for a postponed Valentine’s celebration? 

You might be able to get a good hotel deal during their quiet time, or perhaps find accommodation via Airbnb. Or another clever way to save money is to try word of mouth. Ask around to see if anyone either knows someone with a holiday property that you could use or who may need a housesitter if they themselves are going away. Hopefully by putting the word out you could end up with a lovely belated Valentine’s night away without the price tag.

Enjoy your happy memories

There are times in our lives when things are just so busy it’s impossible to plan anything. For example, if you are super busy at work, have young children at home with you, or have other caring responsibilities. 

But you can still enjoy Valentine’s Day regardless, by taking a bit of time out to reminisce. Even if you can only grab an hour together, pour your favourite drink, put on the music you love, and just take time to reflect on how you met and all that has happened since then. Look through some of your old photos together and share your memories of those times. Enjoying some of your happy memories together can help to rekindle some of the spark that you may feel is currently being drowned out by the rest of life.

We hope this article has given you some ideas and inspiration for fun ways to spend Valentine’s Day together that don’t cost a fortune.

For more tips on how to save money, do visit us here again soon at Loans 2 Go.