Here are some more Inexpensive Valentine’s Day ideas to help you have more fun and say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day!
More Valentine’s Day Ideas – Tips To Make Valentine’s Day More Fun!
I can’t believe it is time for Valentine’s Day already. I have barely stopped thinking about Christmas. I guess I had better get in gear and start planning because it is on it’s way. Valentine’s Day giving doesn’t need to cost a lot. It just needs to be fun.
Readers are constantly asking how to have an inexpensive meal for Valentine’s Day. I don’t mind coming up with inexpensive menus but Valentine’s Day should be a time for serving your sweetheart’s favorite food. You may say, “But he (or she) loves steak, cheesecake and gourmet coffee… so how can I make an inexpensive meal when they have such expensive taste?” If your finances are that tight, your sweetie will understand if you can’t make the most expensive meal at this time. Here are a few things you can do to make a Valentine’s Day meal fun and special without a lot of added cost.
- You don’t have to do a whole meal. If you can’t afford to make an entire special meal, think about just making one part of it special. Maybe just make their favorite meat, side dish or dessert.
- Make a special treat. If your family isn’t used to getting things like homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, cherry pie or even quick breads, bake something like that for a special treat.
- Add touches of red color and hearts wherever you can: Add maraschino cherries to everything, incuding your fruit salads, quick breads, muffins or 7-up. Cherries and 7-up make a great bubbly drink for everyone in your family. Serve it in fancy glasses set on a heart doilies. Don’t forget to use maraschino cherries for garnishes on your platters of other foods.
- You don’t need expensive rose petals. Instead of throwing rose petals everywhere for effect, cut out hearts from red and pink tissue paper. Just fold a sheet and cut a bunch all at once. You don’t have to make a lot. It’s the little things that count.
- Glue a paper heart to the end of a tea bag string instead of making tea with the usual paper square hanging over the cup. You could even make several of these and place in a cute mug for a little something extra for someone.
- Say I love you with a Kiss. Cut out a paper heart and glue a Hershey’s kiss to it. Set one at each person’s place setting or on their pillows. It isn’t a big thing but even something little like this can mean a lot and have a big impact.
- Make something special that’s out of the ordinary. I get the extra large candy bars on sale all the time. My grandkids love them. You could slide the wrapper off and print your own wrapper for it or hand write your own poem, love message or drawings.
- Use your heart shaped cookie cutters. If you don’t have one, just make a stencil out of cardboard or a plastic whipped topping lid. Now use it to cut out everything for Valentines’s Day, including cookies (of course), biscuits, Jello (red, of course), rice crispy treats (with red food coloring added), brownies, toast, quick breads, cheeses (for cheese and cracker tray or in a lunch). Look at every food you make and ask yourself, “Can I make it red or cut it out?”
-Jill
Bea
Oh I just LOVE these ideas. They are very creative. I especially like the heart tea-bag idea and the maraschino idea. Here is a recipe for Maraschino Cherry Bread. 2-1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 c oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 8 oz bottle chopped cherries, 1 cup nuts. Put flour, sugar, soda, and salt in large bowl. Add buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add chopped cherries and nuts. Bake in 2 loaf pans (well oiled and floured.) 350 degrees 50-60 minutes.
jill
What a great recipe Bea. Tawra will be glad to get this. She loves maraschino cherries and last week found a bunch of super sized jars of them on sale for almost nothing so I’m sure she will be all over this recipe. Boy will it be pretty for Valentine’s too. Thanks.
Jill
Bea
Oh, I’m so happy! You made my day. God Bless.
Wendy (Give Love Create Happiness)
thank you for sharing these ideas! They are great!
Rachel
These are some great ideas Jill. I have been debating on eating out on Valentines day this year. Don’t know what we will do yet, but these are some good ideas. My daughter loves cherries, and I found a cherry pound cake recipe and made it for her one time. Need to see if I can locate it again. It was very good!
Bea
Strawberry Swirl Pie
2 cups sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1/2 pound marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Crumb crust of choice
Sprinkle sugar over berries, let stand for 1/2 hour to produce juice. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Drain srawberries, reserving juice. Add water to juice to make 1 cup. Add to gelatin. Chill till partially set. Combine marshmallows and milk; heat and stir until marshallows melt. Cool; then fold in the whipped cream. Add berries to gelatin, then swirl in marshmallow mixture to marble. pour into Crumb Crust. Chill till set.
Sherri
What awesome ideas! At our house, I usually make heart-shaped meatloaves and my family loves it. At least my husband loves it. Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!
Cheryl
All good ideas! I especially like anything with Hershey’s Kisses. How about having a picnic? It can be inexpensive, or maybe just buying a sandwich at your favorite sub shop. Even in places where it’s cold outside, a hot chocolate really helps. It can just be a fast picnic!