Affordable Valentine’s Day Ideas

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful. These affordable Valentine’s Day ideas show simple, thoughtful ways to celebrate love without spending a lot of money.

So I have a confession to make. Are you ready for this?

I’m just not a big fan of what my husband and I call “Hallmark holidays.” Sure, I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, but making a big task for Valentine’s Day is just not my thing.

This isn’t because I don’t like to show my husband and family how much they mean to me. Honestly, it’s the exact opposite: I think it’s silly to reserve roses, hearts, and love notes for just one day of the year. Instead of, I think we should celebrate Valentine’s Day every day of the year because every day is a day to show love to the wonderful people in our lives.

With this in mind, instead of sharing fun and adorable ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share some frugal but very meaningful ways to celebrate your Valentine’s Day – on Valentine’s Day or any day of the year! If you are not married or in a relationship, you can adapt these ideas to apply to your children, a friend, or another family member.

Affordable ways to celebrate your Valentine

1. Write a love note

When was the last time you wrote a note to your Valentine telling him how much you appreciate, admire and love him? It may be one of the simplest ideas in the book, but writing a love note can also be one of the most long-lasting and appreciated ideas.

The note doesn’t have to be long – and it doesn’t even have to be handwritten! You can send a text message, spell it out in Scrabble letters, type a note, write an email, or use a dry erase marker to write on your bathroom mirror. The way you write it doesn’t matter as much as the fact that it comes from your heart. To make things a little more fun, hide a note in an unexpected place or leave a trail of little love notes throughout the house.

2. Express words of gratitude

We all need to hear more often how much we are appreciated. May I encourage you to look for something to thank your Valentine for every day?

Whether it’s running an errand for you, picking up your socks, helping you with a project, or simply being faithfully by your side through thick and thin. You never know how much a word of thanks can make someone’s day.

Do you want to go one step further? Praise the character you appreciate instead of just thanking them for actions performed. Tell your Valentine how much you admire their patience, their hard work, or their amazing skills.

Don’t flatter or lie, but you can find something to praise about almost anyone. Look it up and then let them know. It will probably mean a lot to them!

3. Make a love-themed meal

Celebrate your Valentine’s Day by coming up with creative Valentine’s Day-themed twists on their favorite foods. For example, cut the strawberries in a fruit salad into hearts and shape them pepperoni on the homemade pizza in hearts (or make heart-shaped pizza), make heart-shaped pancakes or cinnamon rollsor even Valentine’s Day themed bacon.

Reader Abby who blogs at Winstead Wanderings suggests you can also recreate a meal you enjoyed when you were first dating or married. This is such a nice idea!

4. Give them a Choose Your Own Adventure date

Last year, for Jesse’s 45th birthday, I gave him a Choose Your Own Adventure day and it was SO much fun!

I came up with a few different options of where we could go and what we could do, and then he got to choose from those. It involved lots of delicious food and time together, and I loved it too!

Especially if you normally enjoy different things, your Valentine will find it so special to choose his or her favorite foods and activities – and you might be surprised at how much you enjoy them too!

5. Help them get time for themselves

As busy parents, time alone to recharge is precious. By giving your Valentine the gift of a quiet walk, downtime, or the chance to sit quietly with a cup of coffee and a good book, you’re communicating, “I see how much you care. You matter, and you deserve some rest.”

6. Talk about a Walk Down Memory Lane

This idea came from Abby Winstead Wanderings. She says, “If your relationship is anything like mine, it has evolved over the years. The new and exciting affection of the early years has been replaced by a deep, stable love that comes from confronting the raw realities of living together. That transition is natural and necessary.”

“I wouldn’t trade the lessons we’ve learned or the way we’ve grown together for anything, but it’s easy to get caught up in the details of everyday life. Sometimes it’s nice to remember the people we were when we fell in love… On February 14, dig out those old photo albums and love notes. Remind yourself of the reasons you fell in love.”

If you’ve lived in your area for a while, you can also drive past previous homes or visit special places you visited early in your relationship, remembering what it was like when you first fell in love and how far you’ve come together.

7. Speak their love language

While I don’t like to put people into specific categories, every person has something unique love language. This is the way they feel most loved.

If you are not familiar with the five love languagesThese are: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. In many cases you will be a mix of several of these, but one will almost always be dominant. If you’re not sure what your love language is, you can take this quiz here (and make sure your Valentine brings it too!).

Once you know what someone else’s love language is, it really helps you be able to show love to them in a way that means the most. For example, my dominant love language is words of affirmation. It means a lot to me when Jesse tells me how much he appreciates me and how proud he is of me. This says a lot more about love than buying something for me.

Jesse’s love language is quality time. It’s very important to him that we spend time together and just be together – without me acting rushed or busy. As a Type A person who doesn’t know the love language of quality time, it was a learning experience for me to find out that just being with him is extremely meaningful to him.

So when I want to bless Jesse, I express my desire to simply spend time with him, with no agenda in mind. And then I continue with it. This means more to him than any gift or service could ever mean.

8. Plan a frugal date

Going on a date with your Valentine doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, many of our most special and memorable dates over the years have been the simplest, especially during our early marriage and law school days when our budget was very tight. We learned how to enjoy time together without spending a lot.

Coffee dates, library visits, walks, casual conversations or laughing together at home can make your marriage just as strong as an expensive dinner out – and will often be even more memorable!

That’s why I created this FREE printable: 65+ Frugal Date Night Ideas for Couples! Download it for easy, fun, and frugal date ideas that you can actually fit into real life — whether you have a whole evening or just a few minutes after the kids are in bed.

However you celebrate Valentine’s Day, remember that a little intention and a lot of love goes far beyond an expensive price tag. With love and creativity, you can have a budget-friendly Valentine’s Day that is truly unforgettable!

More affordable Valentine’s Day inspiration:

What are your favorite affordable Valentine’s Day ideas?