Valentine’s Day is supposed to be the day that you celebrate your love for one another, not splash on expensive and unnecessary gifts. Valentine’s has become so commercialised that Hallmark estimates that in the US it sells more 144 million cards for 14^th February – Kerching!

Love cannot be expressed through the purchase of diamonds or visiting a Michelin-starred restaurant, it is an emotion that people feel. Whether you have £50 or £5 million to your name should not affect what someone feels for you. Don’t feel pressurised to max out your Credit Cards to impress this year.

If you are worried that your loved one expects to be treated like a king or queen on Valentine’s Day, show them how it can be done without spending your life savings. Many of the best presents are free, with others simply taking a little time and effort, and a few pennies.

Here are some top ways to enjoy Valentine’s on a budget:

Shrink your ideas

Perhaps you consider yourself to be a true romantic and a real Casanova, your mind whirring with images of dozens of red roses and boxes of chocolates galore. Being on a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t treat that special someone, why not buy one rose rather than several bunches? Or perhaps even buy their favourite chocolate bar, rather than an over-priced box of stale Milk Tray? There are ways and means to cut the cost of Valentine’s without binning the practice altogether.

Homemade cards

While you might associate homemade Valentine’s cards with what young children send to their parents, they can show that you have made an effort. Shop bought cards are often either to cheesy, not funny, or just plain stupid. By creating your own card you can make it really personal, maybe include a photo of the two of you, or design something with a meaning behind it. You will be surprised at how much the recipient appreciates the thought you put into the card, rather than popping to the shop and picking on up for a couple of quid.

Have a picnic

It can be expensive to go out for a meal any night of the week, but the price doubles or even triples on Valentine’s Day. Rather than splashing the cash on a night out, why not create something special at home?  There are many ways you could go about creating a meal together. You could…

• order in Chinese food and curl up on the sofa together watching movies
• cook her/his favourite meal and get dressed up as if you were dining out
• make up a picnic and go somewhere special such as the beach or a park

If you’re stuck for ideas of what to cook, why not recreate the meal you ate on your first date, or make a pizza in the shape of a love heart, search online for a new and exciting recipe.

Stargazing

Stars signify romance so why not make the most of them? They don’t cost you anything and depending on the weather they are always available. In February it still gets dark pretty early on so there would be no need to go out especially late. You could grab some blankets, a thermos flask full of hot chocolate, and some snacks, and go on a little trip.

If you wanted to take it even further you could get a star map or telescope and try and find the stars rather than just look at them. Why not choose a star together and name it, then promise to look at it when you’re thinking of each other?

Recreate your first date

The chances are that your first date wasn’t spent in a five star luxury hotel or eating Michelin star food, it was more likely spent at the cinema or out bowling. You could go for a night out recreating everything from that night, go to the same places, eat the same food etc. Taking a walk down memory lane is bound to stir up some of the passion and feelings you felt that night all over again.

Tell them how you feel

The three little words ‘I love you’ cannot be said enough when there is truth behind them. Think about the last time you told your loved one how you truly felt? You never know, hearing those words may mean more to your partner than any amount of jewellery or perfume.

Written by : Jemma is a news & research reporter for CompareandSave.com. Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time reseaching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money. For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.