Share Your Love For Cheap!

How does one do Valentine's Day on a budget? Well, it's much easier than you think. Really, do you need more diamonds and candy? Do not answer that. 

We can feel the love without breaking the bank. Seriously. Here are some frugal ideas for your Valentine's Day Love Fest:

Bake a heart shaped cake. You do not need a special mold for this. With a simple cake mix bought at your local grocer, one round cake pan and one square cake pan, you can accomplish the perfect heart shaped cake.

Mix the cake mix as directed. Pour half into a round cake pan and half into a square cake pan. It helps if they are both the same inch measurement but not totally necessary. Once you bake them, remove them from the pans according to the cake mix instructions. Once cooled, cut the round cake in half. On some kind of flat surface (like a cookie sheet) arrange the square cake with the point of one corner pointing toward you (like a diamond). Place one half of the circle on the upper right flat side of the square and the other half on the upper left flat side. Viola'! A heart.

Now frost that sucker with some frosting from a can or use your favorite recipe for frosting. Use M&M's or red hots or some such candy to write a message and there you go! V-Day for Cheap.

Looking for more? You can download coupons for V-Day here and here and here.

How about for kids?  Try here and here.  

At my house, we do cards and maybe a little packet of our favorite candy. The RGH likes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I love DARK Chocolate. We are okay with the cheap stuff. Our biggest gifts of love involve time. I urge you to consider time as a gift. 

Take a walk together. Watch movies together. If you don't like the same kind of movie, watch one of theirs and one of yours, back to back. Pop some corn and snuggle on the couch with hot cocoa or a nice hot toddy.

Cook dinner together. Give each other foot massages (ladies, get yours first, men seem to wimp out after they are relaxed).  Have a nice dinner at home. Let the Mr. grill the flesh and the Mrs. make the salad and starch. Then go OUT for dessert. Much cheaper than doing the whole out to dinner gig.

No matter what you do, do it with Love.

Blessings,

Mary