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Cheap Valentine's Day Ideas

© Amy Cunningham, Editor

With news of a worsening economy filling the news and budgets tightening everywhere, we decided to pull together some incredibly romantic, but cheap Valentine's Day ideas. These cheap Valentine's Day ideas just require a little creativity and a lot of love.

1. Give your Valentine a certificate, trophy, or engraved plaque with a special title, such as the 'World's Best Lover' or 'Most Beautiful Valentine'. You can print certificates for free in our romantic printables section.
2. Buy a wooden frame from your local craft store and print out a favorite photo of the two of you to fill the frame. Use paints, beads, ribbons, or anything else that you can find at the craft store to decorate the frame for your sweetie.
3. Create a 'Wish' jar full of little strips of paper and give it to your sweetie with instructions to write their wishes of things that they'd like you to do on the strips of paper. These wishes can be as simple as doing the dishes, or as romantic as a candle lit dinner at their favorite restaurant. Each week or month (depending on how many strips you put in the jar), take one out and grant his or her wish!
4. Using your webcam, digital camera, or camcorder, create your own love video for your partner. Spend the time telling him or her how much you love them, what you love about them, or sharing your favorite memories of your time together. Plan to watch the video together at home eating you Valentine's take out dinner or dessert.
5. Buy a package of red or pink construction paper and cut out a bunch of hearts (31 for a month, 365 for a year, etc). On each heart, write some sort of love message. It can be a romantic love quote, a simple 'I Love You', a wish for your future, a favorite memory, a sexy suggestion for later on, or just a few loving words. Put all of the hearts in a decorated enveloped or jar with instructions to take one out each day until they're all gone.
6. Create your own custom love coupon book complete with date night coupons, relaxing massage coupons, intimate & sexy coupons, and more. Check out our romantic printables section to print your own immediately.
7. Head to the nearest dollar store and browse the toy section. Look for items that could potentially describe your feelings, such as a compass, which you could include with a note that says "I'd be lost without you." Other toys could include a plastic sword ("You are my knight in shining armor"), a toy clock ("Time stands still when I'm with you"), a plastic frog ("Kiss me. I'm your prince."), or a plastic pill container ("Your my prescription for love.").
8. Make your own Valentine's Day card! It can be as simple as cutting a large heart out of red construction paper or as elaborate as a beaded, glittered, stickered, crafted craft. The most important part of any card that you create though are the words.
9. Create your own romantic Valentine's Day puzzle. Buy a thick piece of poster board and then decorate it with a romantic message, pictures, etc. Cut the board into a puzzle, then let your sweetie piece together your love. If you're short on time, check out our romantic printables section where you can print out ready to cut Valentine's Day heart-shaped puzzles.
10. Buy a box of children's Valentine's Day cards (some even come with candy, so pick your partner's favorite!) and then write a romantic message inside every single Valentine in the box. Give them to your sweetie all at once or throughout the day on Valentine's Day.
11. Write you Valentine a love poem. The only cost for this gift is a little bit of your time. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to be overly romantic or creative. A love poem can be as simple as coming up with a romantic phrase to describe your partner or your love for each of their initials. If you're still unsure of what to write, grab a famous love poem and add it to a romantic Valentine's Day card.
12. Have a Valentine's Day picnic in your own house! Instead of braving the crowds this year, spread out a blanket on your living room floor, light some candles, turn on some music (love songs, of course), then wine and dine together in an intimate Valentine's picnic.