Stop Overthinking (and Overspending) This Valentine's Day

Many people–including myself–have said that Valentine’s Day is a scam of a holiday that is hyped up in order to pressure people into spending money they don't have on things they don't need. This causes stores to flood their shelves with cards, candy, and gifts covered in hearts and dripping with sugary sweetness. People will spend an hour in line just to get an overpriced box of tasteless chocolate and flowers that will die in a week. The day of, restaurants will be packed with couples who are willing to spend hundreds for the same meal they could get the next week for half the price. This keeps happening because people literally buy into it every year.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Valentine’s Day as much as the next hopeless romantic. I expect a certain few things from my significant other on February 14th as well, even though I’ve openly admitted to my disdain for the marketed holiday. The problem with this being such a large event every year is that even for people like me who don’t agree with its values, we still will get upset if it is just glanced over by our loved ones. I applaud anyone who doesn’t want to celebrate this holiday and genuinely doesn’t need any recognition of it. I am not one of those people.

Let me start with explaining what I did last year; I’ll preface by saying it worked and I enjoyed it but I will still be changing it up this year. On January 14th my significant other and I agreed to go out to a fancier restaurant–Olive Garden obviously because we’re both still in college–and have that romantic dinner there. We’d get the same experience but without the three hour waits for a table and inflated prices for a pasta dish. It was amazing and we had a really good time. We bought each other little gifts and got canvases and other supplies from Five Below and painted each other something for our respective offices. On the actual holiday a month later, he got me roses and we had a quiet evening at home together. I even treated myself to some Dollar General heart balloons and had a cute photo shoot.

This year we arguably have even less money, if for no other reason than the prices of basic necessities have increased. So the plan is for me to cook a nice dinner, him to get me flowers, and once we’re both home from work we can just enjoy some quality time together. Valentine’s Day being in the middle of the week is not ideal for us to be able to spend the whole day together, but we live in the same apartment so a few intentionally romantic hours will be good all the same.

It’s all about keeping things simple. I’ll be going to the grocery store and grabbing about a dozen or so ingredients for an appetizer, main course, and dessert. I can run to the dollar store for a few extra special things that will make the place look more romantic but not cause me to have to work three extra shifts to make up for it. Pinterest has loads of ideas for decorations and dinner ideas that only take a few pieces and can be done in under an hour.

Staying at home will be your best friend. No traffic, long lines, cold food, or crowded restaurants.

Now, my significant other and I love the comfort of our own home so there still needs to be something a little extra done to make the night feel like a holiday. It doesn’t take long to wash the bedding and remake it. Wipe down the kitchen counters, sweep and mop the floors, and whatever else doesn’t get done every week that really makes your home feel clean.

To go the extra step, light candles in the rooms you’ll be in and turn off the harsh overhead lights and use twinkle lights and warm lamps instead. Have some romantic music going through a speaker. You can even buy rose petals for two dollars at Walmart and do the movie-esque trail from the doorway. Drink sparkling cider in champagne glasses and eat off of finer dishes.

It doesn’t take much to make someone happy this Valentine’s Day. As long as you’re showing that you love them and care, even a heart shaped pizza and a romantic comedy can be perfect.