February is here, which means Valentine's Day is coming up—a day of special recognition for the important people in our lives.
According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica, Valentine’s Day is “when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts... Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century…Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United States were printed in the mid-1800s.”
Valentine’s Day is a time to share moments, meals, conversation and meaningful activities with the person—or people—who matter most to you. While the day may be filled with affection, it doesn’t always come with a big budget, and that’s okay. A lack of spending doesn’t have to stop anyone from enjoying a fun and memorable day with someone they care about. Below are a few starter ideas to spark your own creative, budget-friendly ways to celebrate.
Some ways to enjoy Valentine’s Day while thoughtfully managing your budget
- Visit art, history or science museums, or view the art and architecture of local churches or temples. Take an afternoon to relax by going to museums or even local churches, temples or cathedrals to view art and architecture at low or no cost. Some museums have restaurants where you could grab a snack or lunch during your walkthrough.
- Go for a long walk in the neighborhood or in a park, either close by or in another part of your city or town. Leisurely explore the suburbs, city or park for a long walk to explore neighborhoods, restaurants, stores or just nature. Travel to stroll through parts of your city that you’ve heard of but have never been to for a new experience.
- Go for a scenic drive for Valentine’s Day to enjoy a nearby town or area you’ve always wanted to explore. Instead of walking, drive around to see nature either in or outside of your local area. Go by a local, state or national park. Check out interesting parts of your town you’ve never visited and stop by a restaurant you’ve never been to for an inexpensive bite to eat.
- Either at home or somewhere else, lounge around, hang out and each read—a book, magazine or website. How about a low-key literary experience with an interesting read and more interesting person? Each of you can kick back with something fun to read while quietly enjoying each other’s company.
- Put together a digital memory book of photographs, images of tickets, event programs and other mementos of the time you’ve shared with your special someone. The memory book can be passed on and expanded for other generations of the family.
- Hang out at home and watch a favorite movie or show, or play a card, board or videogame together. You can watch a favorite or new movie with your special person or binge episodes of a show streaming online while munching on tasty snacks that you’ve brought to the viewing. You could also play a card, board or videogame with your important person, either competitively or cooperatively, but focus on having fun and don’t get too serious about it—enjoy the experience but don’t be overly and unnecessarily competitive with gaming.
- Prepare a special food or entire meal—or treat them to a meal at an inexpensive favorite restaurant. Plan and cook a favorite food or entire meal at home for your friend or partner—or bring them a take-out meal from a preferred restaurant. Another option is to take that person out and treat them to lunch, brunch or dinner at a reasonably priced restaurant to share a meal with them on Valentine’s Day.
- Give them a handmade card, note or letter, or upload a personal video message for them. A wonderful personal gesture to a special person is a heartfelt, handmade, written card, note or letter expressing gratitude, love and encouragement. A more contemporary version of a message would be to create and share a video telling this person how much you care for them and the beneficial effect they have had on your life.
- The sound of music may have a great groove, a grand jam and a small cost. If your special person enjoys music and listens to it digitally, you can create a free custom playlist on a music streaming service to share with them. Alternatively, buying and downloading sound files of songs and music to give to a special person can be relatively inexpensive. Purchasing and downloading 8–10 songs for your friend or partner could cost less than $15, including taxes, making it an affordable gift.
- Exercise or play sports indoors or outdoors together. Get outside for some fresh air or go inside to share time with a special person, relax and maybe get some exercise. Depending on the activity, exercise or a sport can be an inexpensive and healthy way to enjoy sharing time together. Whether it’s tennis, yoga, bicycling, running, working out with weights or some other form of exercise, have fun, get fit and be together.
- Instead of buying a gift, design and craft a present for them. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, one way to express affection to a special person is to use your artistic ability to create a unique, memorable and truly one-of-a-kind gift. Ideas include knitting a scarf, cap, sweater, throw or blanket, painting a picture or taking a photograph for them of a subject they enjoy and framing it, or making pottery, a statue, jewelry, a wall or window hanging, or another type of art object.
- Co-volunteer with your special person to assist a non-profit or community service group for Valentine’s Day. Have a good day with a special person by doing good. You can help yourself, help your special person and help a worthy organization taking all or part the day to help others in need by volunteering to serve at a non-profit or community service organization. A food bank, homeless shelter, children’s hospital, animal shelter, land preservation society, a charity homebuilding organization or many other types of groups supporting worthy causes can almost always use extra hands to help accomplish their mission of aiding the local community.
- Get together and share part of the day or evening with more people, such as family or mutual friends. Just because you are enjoying the company of someone you’re especially close with doesn’t mean more people can’t be added to the celebratory mix. Share part of the day with close family or friends, possibly at their home or at a restaurant as part of a group recognition of this annual special day. Everyone should have the opportunity to feel appreciated on Valentine’s Day.
- Create a themed day or evening experience and go all in with complementary food, music and clothing (and maybe friends) to support the theme. The focus could be pop culture—movies, books, music, a television program, videogames, theatre—a time period such as the 1990s or 2010s or a hobby or sport.
Looking for more ideas for managing money with family and friends?
For more information that may help you manage your costs and finances, look into the free Delta Community Financial Education Center webinars on a range of practical, “how to” topics that could potentially help save you money and enable you to better manage your income, financial assets and life. Please visit the Financial Education Center's Events & Seminars page to review and register for its monthly on-demand webinars.
The Credit Union’s blog has more information that could be educational and helpful:
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Visit the BALANCE™ website to learn about their education and assistance programs. Members can also speak with certified credit and housing counselors to get personalized guidance.
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Note that the services offered through BALANCE™ are separate and distinct from any business conducted with Delta Community and are not guaranteed by, nor are they obligations of, the Credit Union.
