5 Little to No Cost Valentine's Day Date Ideas

Whether or not you believe Valentine's Day is just another Hallmark holiday, the truth is most of us celebrate it anyway. But this year might be different for many. With another government shutdown lurking ahead and the very real fear of it trickling down to other industries, spending money on roses and chocolates seems like an utter misplacement of priorities. However, there are still plenty of non-wasteful, if not more meaningful ways to say “I love you”. Here are 5 ways that won't hit your pockets harder than it needs to.

1. Have a Date Night In

Some of my own most memorable dates have been held at home. Sure, making dinner and lighting candles seems so cliché, but there is so much more to it than what we see in movies. Try cooking dinner together while yelling out to Alexa to play your favorite John Mayer songs. Go the extra step and actually dress up, red lipstick and all. Celebrate the togetherness and enjoy the conversation that is uninterrupted by a waiter rushing you through dinner because there is a reservation right behind you.

2. Indulge Your Sweet Tooth

Have dinner at home, order a pizza, eat leftovers, but doll up and head out for dessert only. You just saved well over $100 on some fancy meal so go ahead and splurge on more than just ice cream. Order the top three desserts on the menu with two spoons and wash it down with a cup of black coffee with amaretto. Believe me, you'll never have dessert any other way again.

3. Make it a Session

And by what I mean is sometimes sex can be a great end to a great date or it can be the date. Why not spend the evening taking things slow, trying out new things, and wearing yourself out with the most amazing sex session? It costs nothing and totally worth it.

4. Happy Hour

Meet your love at your favorite watering hole for half-priced drinks at 4 pm instead of 8 pm. Another one of my own personal favorites is enjoying happy hour...at home. Nothing beats coming home and mixing up an Old Fashion while sitting back listening to 80's movie soundtracks. Sometimes these things can turn into a good old fashion (pun intended) karaoke fest. Plus splurging on your favorite bottle of bourbon and Luxardo cherries is a lot more economical than picking up the tab on a few rounds of overly priced mixed drinks.

5. Make it a Day Date

Sometimes you don't want to get creative and the idea of finally getting out of the house excites you just as much as your partner does, but does it really have to be dinner plans? Grab lunch at a new spot you've been dying to try or hit up a matinee, and all for a fraction of the cost.

Hopefully, we don’t have to continue to watch our spending unless of course, we want to, which we should, and could happily go back to the mindless consumption of traditional Hallmark infused, mandatory holidays to show our love.