As my wife will tell you I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. Not because I don’t love my wife but because I think it is the most manufactured and commercialized “holiday” that exists. At least Halloween is rooted in an old world religious tradition. The greeting card industry loves Valentine’s day because it is estimated that over 1 billion cards will be sent. Think about that for a second. There are 300 million people in the United States and we send over 3 times that many cards on this “holiday”. I hate that people feel the need to spend a ton of money on a holiday that isn’t really a holiday. With that said I am married and I’m not dumb enough to completely disregard the day altogether.
Since Valentine’s Day is not going away anytime soon I will offer up 6 money saving tips:
1. Choose a restaurant off the beaten path or a small local restaurant. Generally they will have lower prices than the hottest, fanciest restaurant around.
2. Stay in for the night! Cook your Valentine’s favorite meal, rent a Redbox movie or watch something on Netflix.
3. Celebrate Valentine’s Day after the 14th. Everything is half off!
4. Buy your own flowers and deliver them yourself.Also get a single rose instead of a dozen.That alone will save you like $30-$50 depending on where you live.
5. Pick up her favorite movie candies at the dollar store.Each box is only a dollar and then decorate a cute bag for them to open.
6. Send an e-card.You can set the time to deliver and there are many free options.You could even send one every hour of the day with a cute note inside.
The more creative that you are with Valentine’s Day, the more money you will save. Valentine’s is one of those holidays that can easily be overdone. Sometimes the simple things in life create the best memories.
That said I promise I will do something sweet for my wife this year but it’s a surprise.
Happy V-Day
Peter
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.