It’s almost that time of year again. Valentine’s Day. A time for fancy French restaurants, engagement rings, flowers, chocolates, and limousines. A time for extravagance in the name of romance. Most of all, it’s a time for spending money, because it’s such a special occasion. Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be whatever you and your partner want it to be. You don’t have to spend money on flowers if flowers aren’t something you both value. If $100 is worth more to you than 2 dozen red roses, you shouldn’t buy the roses. Of course, some people might be devastated if you took away their dinner out and roses on a day like Valentine’s. That’s something you’ll have to evaluate. I don’t know much about relationships, but I think it’s important to be on the same page as far as money goes. Ideally, the people in the relationship would share some of the same monetary values. If not, that will be something you’ll need to reconcile.
What am I doing this year? My wife and I are going to my hometown to see my grandma. We’re planning on eating dinner with some friends one night. We’re going to keep it low key. V-Day isn’t that important to either of us. We’re going to be together and enjoy each other’s company, like we try to do every day. I think it’ll be great. We also might go on a hike at a state park near hometown (if we have time). What we won’t do is spend a lot of money on a dinner at a dimly lit restaurant. We cook our meals whenever we can. While on the road, we’ll pick our spots. We’ll have a good time. We’ll enjoy being off of work.
If you’re single, it’s not too late to throw an impromptu singles party at your place. Use a social networking site, like Facebook and invite a bunch of your single friends. Don’t make it about romance, make it about hanging out with people you like. The most important thing is to not feel sorry for yourself. Life is good. Appreciate the good people in your life, even if you’re not in a relationship.
I’d also like to mention that doing a Valentine’s post isn’t very original. Lots of great blogs have covered this topic ad nauseum. There are lots of ideas out there for what to do and how to do it cheaply. Here are some of the recent articles from the personal finance blogs I read the most:
15 Cheap Valentine’s Day Dates@ Bargaineering – This is actually a blog that I haven’t been reading that long, maybe a month or so. It’s not a new blog by any means. It’s an established blog with a wealth of personal finance info. This list is basically what my wife and I do for our dates year round, not just on Valentine’s Day.
Recession Romance @ Get Rich Slowly – I love this blog. I’ve been reading it for awhile now and I think it’s one of the best personal finance blogs around. The author of this blog, JD, has also been very generous with his time as far as answering questions about blogging issues in general. This post is about specific meal and wine ideas if you’re cooking at home. If that’s what you’re doing, check it out.
Some Valentine’s Day Thoughts @ The Simple Dollar – I think this is the personal finance blog I’ve been reading the longest. It’s also a good resource for the basics.
Best and Worst Valentine’s Day Gifts @ Broke Grad Student – This is another site I read regularly. Lots of great ways to get free money on the net here. Check it out.
Welp, there you go. That’s my contribution to Valentine’s Day blogging lore. Feel free to leave money saving V-Day ideas by email or in the comments. One final note on the gift – I gave my wife a cd entitled “Flowers on Valentine’s Day” for our first V-Day. She loved it (or so she claims). It was music I really liked and I wanted to share it with her. I guess the point is that it was me. If you do gifts, give a gift that means something about the two of you. Whatever you do, I hope you have a great day. Thanks for reading.
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This is my last V-Day as a bachelor. After this I have to start remembering anniversaries. The broke grad post on the worst valentines gifts is spot on. If you want to try being original, you’re better off trying to be single. Stick with the basics and you can’t go wrong.
You got it right, Its not about gifts and money spent. It is about spending quality time with people that matter and connecting on a romantric or spritual level. No amount of money wasted on me-too gifts can really transmit the sentiment that is in one’s heart. A sincere hand written note is better than impersonal flowers from an internet site with a Corporate Card. Nice article.
Weakonomist – take a look at what people said on my post called “why I don’t want roses for valentines day” before you choose to “stick to the basics.” a lot of women hope for creativity and thoughtfulness and are totally unimpressed with the typical approach. http://saverqueen.com/2009/02/06/why-i-dont-want-roses-for-valentines-day/
Great suggestions for single folks – my friends and I threw a party a few years ago (when we were single) called “Single & Fabulous.” Among other things, we created a trivia game and had people say what their favourite thing about being single was.
Btw I also compiled this list of 50 fun, FREE things to do on vday in case you’re interested:
http://saverqueen.com/2009/02/10/fifty-fun-free-things-to-do-on-valentines-day/#comments