Creatively Frugal 
Valentine's Day Celebrations

How do you say "I love you" without spending a fortune to do it?

"To make the day special for our children and our husbands, a neighbor and I gave our families a pizza party. We rolled out the dough and cut it into heart shapes, then we cut the pepperoni into hearts and used both the cut hearts and the cutout of the hearts (no waste) as decoration on the pizza. We bought the kids their favorite pop and had a heart-shaped dessert. Afterwards the kids played and the adults talked and a great time was had by all. The next year I prepared a picnic dinner and made a
fire and served it on the living room floor, complete with sparkling grape juice to enhance the mood." ~ Char

"Quite a few years ago, with funds being very low, I
came up with a perfect gift to give my hubby. I
decorated a glass jar with red & white painted hearts.
I decorated the lid with a red and white lace-trimmed
fabric. Inside, I placed 52 little white & red notes with ‘Things I love about you’ or ‘Things I love doing for you.’ Every week he could pick out one to start his week right! To this day, it is his favorite gift and he still pulls a note out every now and then." ~ Linda

"How about tatting a heart and put it on a simple self-made card? It will only cost a fraction of a store-bought card, plus it has the additional value of your time, which is much more valuable than things you can buy. Lots of free patterns can be found through the Internet. Start your
search at:

http://www.tattings.com/patterns/hearts.shtml

This page has lots of patterns, plus a long link list for heart patterns." ~ Christiane

"This year I am planning to make a Valentine’s card for my hubby. Hopefully I can cook him something Mexican for dinner since that’s his favorite and then put the children to bed and have some romantic time either with a movie or just snuggling together and talking. My husband just got off the road in August from being a truck driver. We saw each other about four days out of the month on a good month. So to us just having time together is the best gift of all!" ~ Anonymous

"Making ‘Love Coupon Books’ has always been my favorite way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Thinking about each family member individually, I write up ten coupons and put them into booklet form. For my children, I might include playing a board game, reading a book, baking their favorite cookies, having a friend over, etc. For my husband, I make coupons for a back scratching, favorite dinner, cleaning the upholstery and carpet inside the car, etc. I enjoy thinking of new ideas each year and my family looks forward to getting their coupon book. Doesn't cost any money - just loving time!" ~ BAM

Store bought cards seldom carried the true sentiment I felt for him, and though a writer, words were just impossible to use to describe my feelings. This past year, I cut out 50 red and pink construction paper hearts and wrote on each one reason why he was so special to me. From the color of his beautiful eyes, to the fact that he encourages me to live my dreams, from his wonderful ability to comfort, to the fact
that he is funny, I captured for the first time, all the reasons why I love him. I taped the hearts inside our bedroom, on the door, so
that when he shut it that evening he would find them. The tears in his eyes as he read each heart made it clear that I'd found the perfect valentine for him. And the fact that he has refused to allow me to remove them, says to me just how much it meant to him!" ~ Terri, Georgia

"I know this is a Christian list and we may have some unmarried people on it. But my suggestion is for married couples only. I write out a fantasy love letter. I get very explicit too, NOT dirty. But I tell him things that I know he likes and set a time and place. He thinks it is great. It has worked for 22 plus years." ~ Nancy O.

Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to share his or her ideas!

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