The month of love! While your relationship is worth more than a million to you, your funds are limited. Here are 9 low cost ways to say “I Love You!”.
While we’re all familiar with the phrase “It’s the thought that counts,” nothing says it more than a homemade gift from a loved one. After all, anyone can buy something from a store.
Where the real trick comes in is actually taking the time to think up a special gift, gathering the supplies, and crafting it out of your own time, energy and talents.
Small, thoughtful gifts, while usually less flashy than diamonds, are often cherished more than the most precious of gems.
Some Gift Ideas
1. Bake something. Use a favorite recipe or check out the yummy ones
on Pinterest. If you don’t usually bake it will be a big surprise. I love to come home to something baking in the oven.
2. Create a card. Remember making cards in 5th grade? Grab a sheet of construction paper, some Popsicle sticks, or foam stickers and a few of those fancy hole-punchers, and go to town. Who knows, maybe you’ll uncover a hidden talent! Nothing like expressing your love in your own creative way.
3. Make a coupon book. This is always a hit with your partner. Fill the coupon book with massages, a night away from the kids, or even a week of taking care of the other person’s chores. Make it personal, honor the coupons without complaining, and don’t put an expiration date on them. Encourage your loved one to use the coupons freely so they don’t forget.
4. Cook a homemade dinner. There are thousands of great recipes online for dinners that will wow any loved one. Even if you aren’t a great chef and have some trouble when it comes to pots, pans, and open flames, just go with something simple. I can pretty much guarantee that anything you cook will be appreciated!
5. Make a slide show. Whip out your old pictures and make a slide show from “then till now.” Set it to your favorite music and let it scroll through some of the highlights of your relationship. Nothing like reminding each other of what made you fall in love, the fun you two used to have, how good you two are together. Memories always make me sentimental.
6. Recreate your first date. If you went to a fancy restaurant, recreate the experience at home. Dim the lights, put on the same music, and fix the same meal. If you drove somewhere, pack a picnic style dinner, go back, and enjoy the experience all over again. Whatever you did that first time, do it again and remember where you began and how far you’ve come.
7. Make chocolate covered fruit. Pick a fruit. Dip it in chocolate. Allow it to cool. Indulge. Simple, right? These is a great gift for friends, family, etc.
8. Make a CD. Remember mixed tapes when you were a teenager? Technology has advanced a bit since then, so why not create a CD that holds all the songs that have meant something to you and your friends since you’ve known each other. It will remind you of old times and bring back memories of the past. These are great as gentle reminders of why you love them so much.
9. Create a scavenger hunt for your partner. Start with a trail of rose petals from the front door to a location of your choice. From there use a post-it-note to give them a second clue. The next one can be written on the inside of a chocolate wrapper. Send them all over the house or all over town. In the end have it leading to somewhere special.
There are thousands of things you can do to show appreciation to those you love. The best thing to remember is to keep it from the heart. No matter what you make, or how well you do it, your loved ones will appreciate it because it’s coming from you. Use one of the above low cost ideas or put your thinking cap on and come up with your own idea for Valentine’s Day!
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