From the time my kids were small, I have enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day with them. I have always been one to decorate our home to reflect the different seasons and occasions. This is certainly something that my kids look forward to – even now when my oldest is 19!
I wanted to share with you some great ideas to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your family which won’t break the bank. In fact when I was a single mom I was still able to give very thoughtful and cherished gifts. I think when we do not resort to buying the first ‘item’ we see for a person, but rather have to think up some frugal ideas, they tend to be more valuable to the receiver.
Decorate
Think simple! Cute cut out hearts in colored paper, vinyl clings, anything red and great printables from around the web can enhance the beauty of your home and take on the special occasion. A great resource for ideas is on Pinterest, when you search for Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite places to find frugal decorations and trinkets for all celebrations is Current Catalog.
Fun eats
Who doesn’t love snacks? You can find all kinds of special Valentine treats, especially on Pinterest!
Making sugar cookie hearts is always a hit, simple and fun to decorate. Pull out the cookie cutters and make heart-shaped cookies and even cut your lunch sandwiches into hearts. Make this an afternoon activity or make them after the kids have went to bed one evening and surprise them in their school lunch.
Activities
Cut out a bunch of hearts on red construction paper with little love notes written on each of them expressing why you love them. If you have more than one child, have different colors of hearts, red, pink, white, etc for each child. Hide them all over the house, in backpacks, lunchboxes, drawers, closets, coat pockets and shoes. I bet they will be finding them even weeks later!
Read & Watch
I love visiting our public library and finding seasonal books and DVD’s. I just finished watching “Kipper – Puppy Love” with my little one and enjoyed reading “Little Bear’s Valentine.” I have added a few other books into the mix after reading a great article over at Good Life Eats. She shared a great collection of sweet Valentine stories.
Special dinner
It is always fun to get out with your special someone on Valentine’s Day, but often times it is not realistic. Life changes a bit when you have little ones running around. Why not have a nice candlelit dinner at home with the entire family? It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just thoughtful. How about heart shaped pizzas? This could be a fun tradition to start with your family. Decorate the table with red napkins (buy cloth and then use them every year) short, small votives or tealights are easy to use and won’t get knocked over.
Gift Ideas
Children need your time more than material goods any day. A day with you means more that store bought gifts. Spend the day playing games, cooking, reading or give coupons for use at a later time. These special times will mean more than expensive gifts.
Why not do one or more chore or favor for your child. This is a gift that is easy to do, can often be unexpected but is a really nice surprise. We do this on birthday’s too.
Write a letter of love and gratitude for each of your children. Begin an annual tradition of writing a special letter sharing with your child why they are special to you, what your relationship means to you and what you look forward to with them. You can give this letter to them each Valentine’s Day or save them up to give them as a big gift when they are 18. If you give them each year, have your child help you create a simple binder where they can keep them and look at them throughout the year. Keep the letters inside plastic sleeves to protect them.
At the end of the day, Valentine’s Day is just another opportunity to share with the ones you love just how much they mean to you. The quality time and effort you put in will show far more how much you care than any expensive gift. It really is what is in your heart that counts. Count your dollars saved as part of helping keep your budget in line while making the day special.
What you end up teaching your children about sharing without overspending is in fact an act of love. When families are not in debt, there is less stress which equals a happier mom and dad. Have a happy and frugal Valentines Day.
What is your favorite frugal Valentine tip?
