Valentine's Day and I'm Broke-What Now?

Just because Valentine's Day is coming and you have little in the way of money, this should never be the center of your love! What can you do instead? Plenty. Here are a few ideas that might help and, while I'll admit that some of them are a bit corny, they are all workable, affordable and romantic.

While I don't expect anyone to do all of these things, and I certainly don't expect that all of them will work for everyone, I do believe that at least one of these items will be workable. Read them all and see what you think. Feel free to alter them to make them work for you. Feel free to add your own personal touches. Feel free to use your imagination. Remember it is the heart you are working with here, both of them in fact.

Even if it is nothing more than frozen dinners you put in the microwave, you can set a pretty table with candles. Then put on soft, romantic music and -- Wallah -- a romantic dinner for two. (Don't forget to send room-mates or family members to the movies or something so you have the whole place to yourselves, at least for a little bit.) Remember, it isn't the food, it is the effort you put into the dinner and the company you give afterwards that makes the difference.

Star watching is very romantic and if you set the right scene, it can be magic. Go up to the roof of your building, or out to a place clear of trees and high buildings. Bring a soft blanket, small treats like crackers and cheese or chocolates and a bottle of wine, juice, soda or even water will work. Spread the blanket out, pour the drink, offer the snacks and cuddle up to watch the stars. Oh, if you don't already know the stars, bring a book along with you so you can identify the constellations. Take your time star watching and cuddling.......

Sometimes quality time is the best thing we can do in this fast moving electronic society. Find a sitter for the kids. Get rid of the room-mate. Send the rest of the family to the movies. Then watch a favorite movie together or take some time to do a favorite activity together.

Ideas: hiking, bike riding, painting, crafting, shopping, modeling (building a model car or plane), fishing, boating, cooking, eating, electronic games, or skating. The list is endless depending on what you both like to do.

Write out 'certificates' for a movie night, or a night where you will do their tasks for them. They can 'cash' these in during the year. Try to make the items things they will appreciate or that you can do together. For example: "This certificate entitles the bearer to a free back massage." Or another could say "This certificate entitles the bearer to breakfast in bed."

Be creative with your certificates and don't fail on your promises when they are cashed in, that would be terrible. You might, however, want to have your Valentine arrange some of them ahead of time on a day you are both off of work or something.

Tell your Valentine that you are taking them to a very romantic spot where they can dress comfortably and just be themselves (this one might work best for Valentines living under the same roof). Now, clean one room, set up candles--we all have bits of scented ones all over the place, right? Light a fire if you can (in the fireplace only please) or pull one up on your I-pad, Tablet, etc. Place wine, soda, iced tea, or even milk in a bucket with ice. Or put cocoa in a thermos. Even chilled water will do if that is all you have. Now, clear the room of people, light the candles, turn off the lights and invite your Valentine in to watch the flames and enjoy the evening with you. You might be surprised how romantic this will be for the both of you.

Simple, simple, simple. Sometimes, asking is the best thing you can do. You might have been thinking something romantic and your Valentine is thinking something fun and exciting, but doesn't want to say anything because it might hurt your feelings So take this opportunity to actually give them a chance to get what they really want; well, within reason. Jewels and a new car are probably out of the question unless you win the lottery fairly quickly. For now, you can give them something they want that you can afford--like love. Be sure to tell them that you will try to give them what they want if you can---Even if you do not want to do it. Example--your Valentine wants to go hiking in a state park and you hate hiking. Go anyway. You might find that you like being out there in the great outdoors with you Valentine at your side. Just remember to wear comfortable boots.

Get together in advance of the big day and make arrangements to do something big together. Plan to ask for the day off from work. Plan to go away somewhere like the beach, even if it is too cold, you can walk the beach. You can go to a park or walk through a big city window shopping. Be sure you both agree on what you will be doing so that both of you will be happy about the big day when it arrives. Note: you might want to make your plans on a weekend before or after the actual day just to be sure you can get the day off (or maybe the entire weekend).

Ideas for this one: borrow a friends boat and go sailing (weather permitting), go hiking, go to a zoo, go to a fund raiser event, go to a fair, check with local area event lists, they often have free events that you can attend. Mostly--go have fun!

Unless your Valentine is a very materialistic person, handmade items are the way to go. It doesn't even matter if you can't draw, color, write, or bake. Just putting in the effort is sometimes all it takes; and it doesn't even need to be fancy. The cost will be minimum since most people already have craft materials or at least paper and pen on hand.

Ideas: Take a piece of paper and write down how you feel about your Valentine. Be honest. Use simple words and don't try to be fancy like making a poem or anything because it's not needed. All you need are words that come from your heart. Now, put the paper in an envelope, draw a heart on it and seal it with another heart drawn over the seal. Even better, cut out a heart, write out your feelings on the heart, fold it and give it to your Valentine. If you plan to write a lot, you might want to make more than one heart, or a very big one. Use red construction paper for the best effect, but really any paper will do. You can even make a heart on the paper out of beads, seeds, colored rice, glitter, glitter glue, crayons, colored pencils, markers, or pens. Make sure your Valentine knows you made it yourself when you give it to them, it will make it mean more to them.

Get your family and/or friends to do a flash mob singing your love their favorite love song. This has gotten very popular recently and costs nothing except time to prepare; and, of course, people willing to do it. You can do it at a park or hall. You could call on network shows who do that kind of thing. Sometimes they will set these things up. You could do it in the street (be careful with this one since traffic can be a problem). You could just do it alone in your room. You could even film yourself singing the song for them and then play the recording for them. Be creative. Remember, it is for your Valentine.

They can stay in the bedroom and relax for the day watching TV or their favorite movies. They can soak in the tub and listen to their favorite music while candles burn with their favorite scents. They can relax outside (weather permitting). The point is that they have nothing to disturb them for the day while you take care of the house, the meals, the kids, etc. Nothing should bother them. Not even a phone call (unless, of course, it is an emergency). The point of this one is that they know that they will not have to face a pile up of chores once their great day of relaxation ends because you will be doing everything for them. No matter what that everything might include. Don't be surprised if you get a list....

Note: if your Valentine surprises you with a great day, be sure to return the love.