17 Frugal Valentine’s Day Ideas
Photo of red heart on side with hearts on flat surface around it with magenta background by Michaela from Pixabay
Updated 2024.07.24
Valentine’s Day may have roots in a mid-February Roman Festival called Lupercalia.
Lupercalia celebrated the coming of spring and included sexually charged festivities to promote fertility ties, along with animal sacrifice, and pairing women off to men by lottery (Britannica).
The holiday was not celebrated as a day of romance until the 14th Century and formal messages, called Valentines, did not appear until the 17th century.
When did Valentine’s Day Become a Commercial Holiday?
In the late 1700s, commercially printed cards started to be used, where cards depicted Cupid, the Roman God of Love.
According to USA Today, the current Valentine’s Day spend per American is around $143 USD and the holiday first became a mass retail event during the early 20th Century when Hallmark started to produce cards for the day.
The good news is that if you want to take part in this festival of love and romance, you can do so while spending very little, if any money.
Below are 17 frugal ways to enjoy Valentine’s Day:
Photo of pink heart on pink background by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels with text overlay 17 Frugal Valentine’s Day Ideas
1 - Breakfast in bed
Bring your love interest their tea, coffee and breakfast in bed.
2 - Go on a nature walk
If you have a trail within walking distance, choose the most beautiful section of it and go for a walk together.
3 - Bake their favorite treat
If your loved one has a favorite meal or treat and you have the ingredients on hand, make it for them.
4 - Movie night
Using your favorite low-cost streaming or library rental service, watch a movie together. Get your favorite snacks and drinks before pressing play.
5 - Make your own Valentine’s Day card
Using any hard stock paper, and decorative pens and pencils you have on hand, draw your own valentine. Include words or messages of what you love most about your loved one.
6 - Use lipstick to draw hearts & kisses on the mirror
Before your loved one wakes up, use a spare lipstick on your nearest mirror to draw kisses, hearts and perhaps a Cupid’s Bow as a sign of your love.
7 - Use construction paper to make heart cut outs
Cut out your hearts and on each heart cut out, write a short loving message.
8 - Have a bonfire
If you have access to a fire pit, create a bonfire that evening and have a night out under the stars.
9 - Give a massage
Offer your loved one a massage, redeemable that day or any time they wish.
10 - Set up an affordable feast
Using ingredients you have on hand, cook a small feast. You do not have to do shrimp, beef or the most desired seafood, when a delicious pork or chicken dish will do.
11 - Play a favorite love song
Right when they wake up, they get home from work, or at the start of your feast, surprise them by playing a favorite love song.
12 - Tackle their to-do list
Does your loved one have a to-do item that they have been meaning to do? Take an hour and get it ta-done for them.
13 - Love coupon book
Make them a coupon book of things you will do for them in the future. Prepare a bath for them, be their personal chef for a day, day of compliments, dishes for a month, whatever you want to offer.
14 - Do something different In the bedroom
Has your loved one been asking for something in the bedroom you rarely do or have never done? If so, try offering that this Valentine’s Day.
15 - Game night
Break out your favorite board, video or outdoor games and spend an afternoon or evening gaming together.
16 - Watch the sunset or sunrise together
Take a moment to soak in the colors in the sky. Pause and take in some beauty at the start or end of the day with your loved one.
17 - Make or discuss a bucket list
Talk about the things you dream about and what you’d like to do with the precious moments you have left. Encourage your loved one to share theirs and aim to do some together.
Photo of a “bestfriends forever heart” in two shades of pink, hugging each other with smiling faces by Sophia from Pixabay
If true love genuinely exists between you and your beloved, there is no need to set costly expectations. You can do a low to no cost Valentine’s Day with the resources you have on hand.
The goal of Valentine’s Day is to generate romance and love, and this can be done using any of the tips above.
Choose one or a few that you like the most and get ready to shower your beloved with affection.
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