ALT-1 Cheap Valentines Day Ideas
There is a lot of emphasis on couples saving money on Valentine’s Day gifts and while this is important, there are a lot of children who like to celebrate the day as well with cards or candies for their friends. As parents on a low budget you can be caught in a situation of not really knowing what to do. Here are some ideas on how to cut the costs of Valentine’s Day – some for children and the others for adults, and yes, some can be used for both.
Bulk Card Packages
Small Valentine’s Day cards can be purchased in packages. At the dollar store, there are packages of six, ten and even more for just a dollar. There are also booklets of valentines that can be cut or popped out. Some of these booklets contain over a hundred valentines and they only cost two or three dollars.
Homemade Cards
For a child or an adult who likes to make crafts, handmade cards can look even better than store bought ones. While they do take some time to make, it is relaxing and fun, especially for a child and a parent together. You can easily design these cards on the computer and print them out as well. Save ink by using the economic mode on the printer preference options list.
Candy Bags
Personalized candy bags look great and are also much cheaper than buying individual gifts from the shop plus it doesn’t take too much work. You really only has to count how many people they want to buy for, and decide how many candy per bag. You then go to the bulk food store and find some cheap individually wrapped candies to purchase.
Some candies sell for as little as 30 cents for 100 grams or even less. Buy a few different types gives a variety in each personalized bag, purchase a pack of little plastic gift bags for a dollar, and a bit of ribbon. In the case that there isn’t a bulk food store nearby, the dollar store can be just as cheap.
It is recommended that you know how many candies are required in total to prevent overspending.
Homemade Chocolates
This works really well if you have time and a bulk food or dollar store nearby. The molds cost about five dollars each unless they are found at the dollar store and you also need chocolate wafers. You can choose as many or as few colors as you like and use as much creativity as you want.
It is a little more expensive than the candy bags if there are only a few people to buy gifts for but the prices average out to much less when there are over five friends to buy for.
Homemade Baked Goods
There are plenty of recipes that can be used on Valentine’s Day and these baked goods can be customized towards a person’s dietary needs, for example if the recipient is diabetic, allergic to peanuts, allergic to wheat and so on. It can be cheaper using this method of gift giving and it also shows a lot of thought.
Stuffed Animals
This avenue might have been outplayed considering how popular these items are on this day but people do love them. It isn’t necessary to spend a lot of money on them however because small cuddly bears, dogs, monkeys, and other animals can be purchased at the dollar store, Wal-Mart and other such places a day or two before Valentine’s Day at discounted prices. A nice eight or ten inch bear can be found for as little as four or five dollars.
Flowers
Flowers are expensive especially at this time of year but they are pretty. Instead of going for the most expensive such as the rose, there are flowers that are much cheaper but just as pretty at the supermarket. There are daisies of many colors and bouquets with varieties of flowers for between five and ten dollars a bunch.
Massages
While this idea is for the adults, it can certainly make life relaxing and cheap. There is nothing like a nice massage, and gifts don’t get much cheaper than this one when they are done at home with some nice candles and soft music.
Homemade Dinner
You can really make a person feel appreciated by doing the simple things for them and this can be accomplished with a simple homemade dinner. There is no need to spend extravagant amounts on a meal when a romantic candlelit dinner can be created right at home.
A Night Out
A night out doesn’t have to mean going anywhere that includes money being spent. There are parks, beaches, walks along the avenue in the streetlights and many other areas that a couple can go to spend the evening without spending anything. The important thing is being together.
A Night In
On that same note, there isn’t any written law stating that you have to go out. Sometimes it is just as nice spending the evening in and taking the time just to enjoy each other’s company, whether watching a movie, playing a game or otherwise.
Thinking Outside of the Box (or the day…)
Not everyone would agree with this but when it comes to sharing a caring thought with someone, it doesn’t matter what day it is on. If you are really strapped for cash but want to purchase a gift someone or for each other, there is nothing wrong with waiting until a day after Valentine’s Day when the stores are placing deep discounts on their stock to sell as much as possible. It is economic and it can be fun looking through the sales.
