Love is in the air!
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and I’m guessing that most of us are confined to our homes and have no clue what to do.
With many establishments completely shut down, it’s tough-sledding trying to find a place to book that his-and-hers tattoo session for the big day.
Restaurants are doing take-out only, so the opportunity of ordering a $350 steak dinner to impress your Instagram friends has significantly diminished. Photos of lukewarm meat in a paper bag just don’t seem to cut it these days, even with the app filters.
The current international travel ban in Canada has also really messed up vacation plans. My friend bought two tickets to fly his wife to Paris for Valentine’s day weekend, but had to break the news to her that travel bans had shut it down!
Even worse, he booked with frequent flyer miles, so the airline would only refund the trip in “miles” or redemption credits. Sadly, the credits were the best value, so being a deal-hunter, he was forced into buying a new PS5 instead.
Okay, seriously, though. Most of us are sick of being stuck at home during COVID-19. Many of us are also out of work, either temporarily or permanently, and on razor-thin budgets.
So what can we do with our significant others on Valentine’s Day that will keep us safe at home or socially-distanced and won’t break the bank?
Here are eight fun ideas to help you re-connect with your significant other while being mindful of your budget.
Outdoor Adventures
Many outdoor activities are desirable for us budget-conscious folks because you can do them for next to nothing. It’s not only for cost reasons, but now especially, we need to get outside more than ever and away from our always-occupied indoor spaces. Outdoor adventures will help benefit both the health of our bodies and minds.
You don’t necessarily have to prescribe to the typical “go hiking” suggestion. Make things a little more fun and interesting (without killing yourself, of course). Try something a tad more adventurous, like snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. Even tobogganing can be fun at any age, so long as you keep all your bones in one piece.
Ice skating is another great activity that you can do together, laugh together, but hopefully not fall together (unless, of course, that’s your intention)
A great and inexpensive way to end your outdoor adventures is to simply cozy up with your date under a couple of blankets in front of a fireplace. Pour a cheap bottle of wine, roll a movie and relax while warming up together.
Valentine’s Day Cook-Off Challenge
Cooking shows seem to be all the rage, but it’s no longer just instructional. It’s full-on competition time! Put your skills (or lack of skills) to the test and go up against your significant other in a Valentine’s Day cook-off.
The rules. Each plan a meal you would like to cook for one another and set your max budget at $25 and any existing items already in your fridge or pantry are fair game. Part of your challenge can be an initial shopping trip and finding the best foods and ingredients for the lowest prices. Get creative with it. Cut your own steaks, bake your own bread, make your own pastry or desserts!
Set a timer for a couple of hours, and GO! Have fun fighting for counter-space, mixing bowls, oven-space etc… help each other out a bit if needed. Once your in-home cooking competition concludes, you should (hopefully) have two high-quality, homemade dishes to enjoy together. You can sit at the table or eat while watching your favourite home-chefs battle it out on television.
Cook a Meal Together
Not competitive? Not a great home-cook? Take the challenge above, but collaborate and learn together. Pick a favourite dish or a memorable restaurant experience you once had in each other’s company. Find an instructional recipe or video online and follow along.
Team up with your Valentine and work together towards reproducing that memorable meal or something entirely new. Part of the fun and challenge in preparing a fancy meal at home can be sourcing the ingredients all within your budget ahead of time.
Not only do you get to spend time with your Valentine’s date assembling a restaurant-quality supper, but you have the option of enjoying a past all-time favourite at only a fraction of the price and in the comfort of your own home. No tip necessary!
And, you may want to leave the dishes until the morning.
Retro Date Night – Movie and Chill
A movie night? How shockingly original. You would never have thought of that one yourself.
Try this classic date, but if you’ve been with your Valentine for an extended period, put a little spin on things. Find one of the first movies you ever watched together, awful or amazing, and relive that experience.
Alternatively, think back to the year you first started dating. Search the Internet for classic movies from that particular year and find something quirky that brings you back to that time in your life.
Now, you might have seen this movie at a theatre originally, so we need snacks! Grab some budget snacks and pop at the dollar store. Try bringing the scent of the movie theatre foodcourt home by making your very own pizza. Popcorn is a must and a super-cheap snack food to do at home. Elevate it with some movie theatre popcorn seasoning and create your own homemade popcorn boxes to enjoy the full movie theatre experience.
An Evening of Wine Tasting
Stock up on your favourite cheese, meats and crackers – it’s wine night! Remember, your goal here is food and wine for under 50 bucks, so make sure you get those meats and cheeses on special.
Ideally, your budget can handle a decent-sized cheese platter or perhaps even a small charcuterie board to accompany your vino. If you shop wisely, this should leave you with enough cash to select a couple of bottles each for sampling.
If you’re worried about wasting money on cheap wines, don’t fret, bad wines can be part of the fun. I mean, how bad can they really be? For example, a university professor/psychologist once invited an extensive sampling of people to taste-test wines and concluded that only around 50% could tell the difference between higher and lower-priced bottles.
So price shouldn’t be a big issue – unless you’re fancy. Taste-test your cheap wines – swirl, smell and savour! Pretend you know what you’re doing, invent some fancy terminology, make weird sipping noses – it’s all part of the fun. Not to mention, the more you drink, the easier this game gets.
Finally, throw on a Netflix documentary in the background while debating who selected the best bottle based on value and taste.
Late Night Board Game
A great cheap option for a stay-at-home date night is a home-cooked meal and a board game. But we have $50 whole dollars to play with, so who are we kidding? Let’s do take-out!
Get your food ordered and enroute, then start digging through the basement cupboards to locate those generational classics like Scrabble, Monopoly, perhaps even an FI-themed board game such as, “The Game of Life.”
Not a board game fan? Grab a deck of cards or combine them with a game of Cribbage. Want to add a little more sophistication to your date night? Try a flicking some wooden pieces in a crokinole match. Chess and checkers are always universally available options too.
A final option is challenging each other to complete a puzzle or work on finishing one together. In my case, I’ll stick with the board games, as my wife would probably classify “puzzle night” as “torture night.”
Paint Night
Painting can be a fun activity, even if you don’t possess the artistic talents of Van Gogh. Part of the fun can be laughing at how badly your date’s ‘masterpiece’ turns out. On the other hand, you may surprise yourself and produce something you’re incredibly proud of.
There are an abundance of painting tutorials or “paint night at home” videos on YouTube that you can use to follow along with for free. Search for a few and choose your favourite host or painting project.
Alternatively, you may decide on your own subject matter. You can do a paint-by-numbers, paint something in your home, your favourite pet, or even each paint other. Make it fun, make it relaxing and make it exciting.
Supplies for this date night can be relatively inexpensive and undoubtedly doable for under $50. You’ll need some pre-stretched canvas, paints, brushes and possibly a table cloth. Easels and aprons are optional but can enhance the experience.
You can easily find all of these supplies at your local craft store. Keep in mind if you go to a place like Michael’s, they almost always have coupons you can use. Also, don’t get sucked into buying too much stuff you don’t need – they have a huge Valentine’s section!
Last but not least, don’t forget your bottle of wine!
Home Spa Adventure
Massages and spa treatments can be super-expensive. Elaborate indoor commercial spaces dressed up to calm your mind. Intricate foliage accompanied by soothing sounds. Professional masseuses. None of that sounds cheap!
Why not bring the spa home with you for half the price of a massage? Shop for your own candles, bubbles and bath salts at any home decor store or drug store. Veggies like cucumbers are cheap and healing stones (smooth river-rocks) are practically free. All you have to do is heat them up. With a bit of planning, you can easily design your very own place of tranquility in your home.
Get a free couples massage by taking turns massaging with your date. Treat yourselves to a facial using those 99 cent organic cucumber slices you just bought. Heat your rocks, add some soothing sounds on your Amazon Alexa home speakers and let the tension melt away.
You can finish up the evening by running a hot bath in your tub. Add in your bubbles, bath salts and light candles for ambiance. You can even splurge on some flowers and chocolates if you’re so inclined and your budget allows.
Valentine’s Day Doesn’t Have to be Expensive
I usually cringe when it comes time for expensive holidays where society and advertisers pressure us into spending money.
However, this year presents a unique opportunity and a great excuse to try something new. A chance to explore the possibility of a fantastic Valentine’s Date Night without any outlandish spending — guilt-free!
So show each other a good time; you don’t need to drain the bank account to do it. Staying at home may force you to have a scaled-back Valentine’s in terms of costs this year, but that doesn’t mean you have to let it scale back the fun or your enjoyment level.
In fact, it may even inspire new traditions.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
