CHEAP VALENTINE'S DAY IDEAS (UNDER $20 OR FREE)

Let me get you on a little secret - it doesn't matter how much you spend on Valentine's day. Boom! It's the thought that counts, not the price tag. We came up with cheap Valentines' day ideas that are extremely thoughtful and surely will make your loved one melt. Some of them you can order and some you can make yourself (as a result save money and be utterly proud of yourself for making something extra special)

DIY CHEAP VALENTINES DAY IDEAS

Chocolate covered strawberries

Chocolate-covered strawberries are a true delight. I love to give them as a gift and love to receive them, even more. I especially love how easy they are to make at home. With the project as easy as "take strawberries" and "dip them in chocolate", ingredients become really important. You can buy regular semi-sweet chocolate chips and bodega's strawberries or you can fancy up and take it to a whole new level with an expensive chocolate bar and hand-picked farmer market berries.

Another thing to consider is that strawberries should be very dry. If you don't let them dry completely the coating simply won't stick to the berries. So make sure to put in on a towel and dry completely before dipping. You can also fancy up and add some nuts or white chocolate for decoration.

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Equipment needed:

Double-boiler or heatproof bowl and saucepan
Parchment, wax paper, or Silpat
Baking sheet

Instructions:

Wash and dry strawberries
Melt chocolate in a double boiler
Dip strawberries in chocolate and put on parchment paper
Decorate with white chocolate and nuts

If I didn't convince you how easy it is to make it yourself, you can get this fun fondue kit from Amazon.

"Reasons why I love you"

The idea to write "Reasons Why I Love You" for your sweetheart is old as the hills, which in any way means that the recipient won't be happy to get one. You can present it in a lot of creative ways - write it on a t-shirt, make a deck of cards album, or go fancy and make this book. I chose to write my reasons on small papers and put them in a jar so my honey could pick one each morning and start his day right.
I'd suggest to write your notes and give it a couple of days to put your thoughts together and come up with some unique and awesome reasons.

The key to a successful gift here is to be personal and specific. For example, don't just say: "I love you because you are kind", but remember a story when he showed his kindness to a stranger or to you, like paid for a coffee for a person behind the line in Starbucks, or let you sleep when it was your turn to get up in the morning with kids ;D Be creative and personal - remember some funny stories, things that he does all the time or maybe something that slightly irritates you (the last ones make a great "reasons")

It will not only make your man feel special but also will be fun to go down the memory lane together and remember all these funny stories you had together. It is a great personal gift that you can make last-minute.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THIS THOUGHTFUL IDEA, ALTHOUGH IT TAKES A BIT MORE TIME 😉

Mulled Wine Gift Kit

Winter in New York this year is relatively mild and hopefully, it will stay this way, but I remember a few years back Valentine's Day was recorded as the coldest day of 2016. Mulled wine can warm up your body and soul along with a comfy blanket and cuddles with your loved one.

A mulled wine kit is a wonderful budget-friendly gift that you can present to your sweetheart on Valentine's day. It's fun to make together and even better to enjoy during cold winter evenings. It's considered a Christmas drink, but who cares, right? February can be even colder than December.

Mulled Wine Gift Kit is so easy to put together. You can put spices into a jar or a cheesecloth, add 2 cute mugs ( I love this fun one) and double the recipe if you like.

Mulled wine is very easy to make. You will need a bottle of wine, a bit of brandy(or cognac), orange, lemon, some spices, such as cardamom, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and optional vanilla bean and whole nutmeg. Ali from Gimme Some Oven has a great recipe that I've personally tested multiple times and guaranty the quality of the final product.

It's super easy to pull off and makes it a great cheap Valentines' day idea.

Movie night kit

There is no need to go all fancy on Valentine's day. Movie night under the blanket with your loved one would be a perfect way to celebrate. To up your game, you can come up with this cute way to present the movie night kit.

You can deliver it in a tin, in a mason jar, in a woven basket, or make a romantic basket including essential oils and romantic movies.

Whatever you choose, make sure your partner likes the movie you choose. You wouldn't want to set up all this candlelit romantic evening, only to see your loved one snoring after 10 minutes into the movie. Yep, happened to me ;D

Use this free printable to create adorable movie night popcorn buckets.

If you want to take it to a whole new fun level, check out this printable Movie Nights Bingo Cards. They will surely bring your movie night to a new level.

Here is a list of 100 best romantic movies according to Rotten Tomatoes ( that my husband trusts blindly ;D) And this is the top 25 movies right now on Netflix according to Esquire.

Craft a scrapbook

I make a family scrapbook every year (well, I still didn't finish 2019, but it surely will happen at some point). I think it's such a great extremely thoughtful idea to make a scrapbook for your loved one. You can decorate it as simple as you want, or go the length and make it super pretty with embellishments and different textures.

I love how Elsie recycled paper bags to make a little scrapbook for her husband.

You can use any notebook or go with a fancier album. Either way, use your creativity, fun photos and write your memories down to make it more personable. Super thoughtful but cheap Valentines' day idea.

Love Coupons

I didn't know how much fun are those until I got it for myself ;D

Just cut out some paper notes, or use some pretty printouts and fill them out with things you will do, like "An hour massage at any time", "Breakfast in bed", "Walking the dog on a rainy morning" etc.

Other ideas:

A massage
Personal chef
Breakfast in bed
A relaxing foot massage
Outdoor adventure
Prepared bathtub
Day of compliments
Movie night out
Sleep in till 9 am in the morning
Personal bartender
Choice of a movie
Taking kids outside

I found these cool scratch-off coupons on Etsy. It keeps an element of surprise to scratch your coupon and sees what's inside.

Nothing is better than pull out one of those cards and enjoy the ride 😀

If you are not in the mood of making it, you can buy premade fun sexy coupons here.

Breakfast in bed

Breakfast in bed perhaps one of the most wonderful things that can happen to you haha. Surprise your love with breakfast in bed served on these awesome vintage DIY trays. Either it is your favorite eggs or something special, your other half will be over the moon to see you walking in with a tray full of hearty breakfast. It's a cheap Valentines' day idea.

DON'T FORGET TO PIN FOR LATER>>>>>>>

DIY GIFTS FOR A LONG DISTANCE BOYFRIEND

"Open When" letters

When your boyfriend lives far away or had to go for an extended business trip, you can still be romantic and surprise him with this one of the kind gifts. It takes a bit of time to prepare it, but it's so worth it.

I wrote a blog post about it a few years ago, reminiscing on our long-distance relationship with my now-husband. It's such a thoughtful gift and if you are on the budget, it could be done on the budget.

Letter in a bottle

Perhaps, I'm a hopeless romantic, but I don't think there are more thoughtful gifts than writing your loved one a handwritten letter. In this digital world, I feel we lose a personal touch a bit.

Let's bring the old fashion of handwritten letters back. Never underestimate the power of a thoughtful beautifully written letter showing how much you love and appreciate your partner. No one can stay indifferent to it. You can go even further and send it by mail with a wax seal stamp with your initials from Nostalgic Impressions. Or put it to a cute bottle, like this one.

However, writing a love letter can be terrifying at first, but if you prepare, it will be a breeze. Read more on how to write a love letter here.

Look at my adult advent calendar that I made for my husband. It's more of a 25 date nights ideas. So take a look to get some inspiration.