Who says you need money to celebrate love?
Well Valentine's Day is near. And as always, there is an abundance of roses and red heart balloons everywhere I see. No,I am not opposed to the celebration of Valentine's Day nor to ribbons, balloons, teddy bears, roses or any such paraphernalia. This is just a thought for those who feel compelled to spend money to show their 'love' for their special ones. In fact,I was just talking to one of my college friends the other day and he felt so down because he had simply run out of gifting ideas and all that he found beautiful was way out of his reach.
When I asked him, 'Why do you think you need to give an expensive gift to your girlfriend?'
He replied, 'Because that is what Valentine's Day is all about! Everything is doubled up! Same dinner on any other day costs X money, but on this day,they increase the prices or have special buffets that cost double. Then we have to get some gift and there are so limited options-Teddies, Roses. After giving everything,now I can only give jewelery and it is way beyond my budget'
Oh boy, the perils of being in a relationship!
Well, I am no expert in relationship, in fact I have been single for an eternity now :D But if I were in a relationship, I would be making it special by showering my love and affection, not money :)
First of all, if you think that only money makes your special one happy then I think it is better to look at your relationship, because it sounds like something without a foundation.
Now, there are so many things one can do on Valentine's Day even on low budget or no budget and make it special. And why only 1 day, celebrate a special day every weekend if you want!
COOK IT UP! Why go to a restaurant? Simply cook up a nice lunch or dinner together! You save tonnes of money and you can make it as romantic as possible by cooking up each other's favorite dishes. For eg-if you were making a special dinner for me, all you would need to do is toast a few breads, spread a mix of cottage cheese on them for starters and for main course just make a simple pasta and buy 2 cups of Amul Ice cream for dinner. All done in less than Rs. 200 :D Enhance the atmosphere by using some simple birthday balloons and go ahead,search in your attic, if there are decorations left from your childhood birthday party,use them :P Or make it romantic by making a tent out of colorful drapes or bedsheets! How innovative is that! Look, no money spent!
MOVIE MARATHON! Why go to a theatre? Have a romantic or action or any other genre movie marathon at home. Make popcorn at home or make some sandwiches to munch on. Buy a big bottle of soda to drink and just make yourself comfortable on that couch to indulge in some happy time! Again, no money spent. Just make sure to have a good TV with good speakers at home and make some effort to find movies that will make your other half feel good (rent them or borrow them from your friends!)
LONG WALK ON THE BEACH! Make it an adventurous day out by taking the city tour bus,roam through the city like a tourist! Nobody on the bus will know that you actually live in the city if you pretend not to :P And then indulge in street food, the maximum you will spend is again barely Rs. 200-300 and then end the day by walking on the beach, sit and talk, look at the setting sun.
RECYCLE,REUSE,GIFT! Maybe you got something as a gift from someone that you don't use but you know that your other half will love that-so give it to them and explain that you got it too. Trust me,it is not a cheap idea! I would love to get something useful other than a bunch of teddies I am too old to play with :P If you have something at home you can handcraft into something else, do that! Like,you can make a little penholder from old CDs/DVDs! Or,you can make little cartoon posters and personalize them if you are good at that!Or, if you paint, do a portrait of your loved one! No need to spend money at all. Gift ideas are all around us. Think!
These ideas are just at the top of my head. There are many more such little things you can do that need no money or very little money and still make your Valentine's Day very Fantastico :)
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