Valentine’s Day is often synonymous with lush velvety looking redroses and spending big bucks on your sweetie. You’re blinded byadvertisements touting the latest luxury jewelry, over-priced flowers, and exquisite five star dining. You can sometimes feel pressure from this single day that is supposed to symbolize and convey your emotion of love to your sweetheart. Expressing your love can be shown with frugal abundance and still create heartfelt memories.
You may not do anything at all because you feel that you can’t afford it. Don’t skip the holiday completely. The following are some traditional ideas and then some frugal alternative tips forinexpensive and thoughtful ways to express that you care withoutcompletely emptying your wallet.
Romantic movies
Movies are popular on Valentine’s Day. There isn’t any doubt that this idea rates highly on the snuggle meter.
The following are some movie suggestions:
Sleepless in Seattle
Message in a Bottle
Bridges of Madison County
City of Angels
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Somehere in Time
As Good As IT Gets
Jerry Maquire
Something’s Gotta Give
Amelie
Traditional: Big night out at the theater with the works. Cha-ching
Creatively Frugal: Select a nice romantic comedy for your sweetie. Pop some popcorn, pour your favorite beverage of choice, and light a fire if you’re able to or at least some candles. It’s all about ambience. You both can cuddle up on the couch or have blankets and pillows out on the floor.
Confectionary Treats
Hard to imagine Valentine’s Day without candy. The holiday isnotorious for chocolates. They’re definitely decadent and these treats have been acclaimed to have an aphrodisiac effect. It’s difficult to pass up this romantic suggestion.
Traditional: Godiva chocolates or satin and velvet heart shaped box of chocolates. Oohlala.
Creatively Frugal: Bulk candy or homemade candy, baked goods, or just coffee and a dessert at a quiet cafe.
Here are two great chocolate creations to make yourself.
Chocolate Pretzels
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=104975
Chocolate Popcorn
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=19087
Beautiful Bouquets
Saying “I love you” with flowers can make a lasting impression.
Traditional: A dozen roses with a short lifespan and hefty price. You think you’re smart when you select multi-colored or any color besides red roses, but oops what about all those rose flower meanings? Are you accurately describing your feelings?
Creatively Frugal: Try a single bulb to force such as an amaryllis or tulip, a collection of seed packets for spring planting, or one single flower with the recipient’s favorite hot beverage in the morning.
Festive Feast
A romantic night out can be lovely. You can have reservations made in advance and can get gussied up for an enjoyable evening. Planning the perfect setting complete with candles, wine, and excellent service is so romantic.
Traditional: Expensive restaurant out on the town. The problem is that everyone else has the same idea. You’ll often run into staff that is rushed or crowded parking lots and restaurants. This suggestion has the best of intentions, but lacks privacy and could easily prove to be the least romantic.
Creatively Frugal: Valentine’s Day breakfast versus dinner out orbreakfast in bed. So many small details can be created with serving a meal at home. It provides the feeling of appreciation.
You can light small votice candles, use favorite glasses, play soft music, and use cloth napkins.
The meal itself doesn’t need to be fancy. Use your creativity. If you don’t have a tray, use a folded tablecloth or a nice basket. By all means, don’t forget to clean up!
Penned Sentiments
Greeting cards are an excellent choice to show you care. There are endless varieties of romance cards. A card is well-received.
Traditional: The perfect card for your valentine. You look through aisles and rows of costly greeting cards and spend hours trying to find the perfect one. Valentine’s Day is the second largest card-giving holiday and that is reflected in the stores. In the mad rush to grab a card and get it delivered, you just sign it “with love”.
Creatively Frugal: Try love coupons, homemade card, handwrittenletter, or cut out cartoons from newspaper and add a few words to it. It’s so much more sincere in your own words from your heart. It’s all about the presentation. Don’t just toss your handwritten sentiment at your love.
Delightful Pampering
Cupid’s arrow is sure to hit when you give your love a day ofoverindulgence. Being carefree is so appealing.
Traditional: Spending a ton of cash on a spa day gift certificate for your sweetie.
Creatively Frugal: Make a comfort box. In the box add a cd, scented lotions, bubblebath, hairbrush, candles, tea, cocoa, coffee, book, bookmark, and give a massage from you.
As you can see, creating loving and memorable moments doesn’t have to carry exorbitant prices. It’s a day of expressing your affection and doesn’t have to break the bank. Traditional romance can be nice, but it is often overrated. Being creatively frugal is a gift of the heart. Give your loved one the gift of your time and thoughtfulness.
If you’re desperate and reading this, I’ll leave you with a small list of last minute ideas:
Dance to a slow song.
Take a walk and hold hands.
Take a drive and tell your love your feelings from your heart.Go to a local playground and play on the swings.
Read to your sweetie or recite a romantic song.
Add red to the day with red cookies, clothing, candles, lipstick, red fruit, etc.
Sit and talk and reminsice and talk about your dreams together.
Play a board game or assemble a puzzle together.
Watch the sunrise or sunset together.
Find a trophy at the thrift store to give.
Place notes in hidden places in the house for them to find. It’s extra special when they dont find them all and come across them after the holiday is over.
Frame a picture of the two of you or a place you both have enjoyed together, or make a collage of sentimental tokens collected during your relationship.
Balloons are a nice gift. Keep in mind that you can tuck a note inside a latex balloon before filling it or attach an item to a balloon.
Happy Valentine’s Day and here’s wishing that love fills the air as you celebrate with your dearest.
Sara Noel is a freelance writer and the Editor/Publisher ofhttp://www.FrugalVillage.com and http://www.HomesteadGarden.com Visit both these sites for information on getting back to basics through frugality, gardening, lost arts, simplicity, homesteading, and natural family living.
If your product or service can be given as a gift, a publicity
windfall awaits at the end of the year – but you need to start
working in June. Each December, media outlets cover the newest,
the hottest and the most unusual Holiday gifts. The reporters
assigned to develop these pieces typically depend on two sources
of information:
1. Phone interviews with local store owners
- and –
2. Press materials that have been sent by publicity seekers.
Let’s deal with Point 1. Here’s a cool trick: In early
November, write a letter to stores and major websites that carry
your product. Remind them that they may be hearing from
journalists soon about hot gift ideas, and request that they
consider mentioning your product when that happens. Point out a
few reasons why your product is the newest, coolest, best or
whatever. Ask the vendor to drop you an e-mail or give you a
call if a story results that mentions your product.
Now, on to old-fashioned publicity. When to contact the media
depends on the publication or program’s lead time (how far in
advance of publication or airing the material is developed).
Magazines like Woman’s Day have a lead time up to six months, so
get materials to them now. Newspapers have a lead time as short
as a week for feature material, so send materials in November. In
between are wire services, medium-lead magazines, “in-flight”
magazines and others. To learn the lead time of a particular
media outlet, call the editorial department.
If that doesn’t
work, try the advertising department.
What you send should be kept simple — a press release about your
product/service, a pitch letter explaining why it’s such a great
gift idea, and, if applicable, a disk with color product photos.
See our articles “How to Write a Great Pitch Letter”
http://www.publicityinsider.com/pitch.asp and “How to Write a
Great Press Release” http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
for more details.
As you craft the materials, think about where your
product/service fits. Based on its nature, cost, rarity or
usefulness, it may work with a variety of typical Christmas Gift
stories such as: Great Stocking Stuffer Ideas, Gifts for
Teenagers, Gifts for the Person Who Has It All, Gifts for
Executives, Gifts that Relax, etc. By suggesting a category for
your product, rather than simply stating “Here’s a product that
would make a nice holiday gift”, you’re making yourself stand out
– and maybe even giving the journalist an idea for a story angle
that he or she wouldn’t have thought about otherwise. Either
way, your chances of getting coverage are greatly improved.
Bill Stoller, the “Publicity Insider”, has spent two decades as
one of America’s top publicists. Now, through his website, eZine
and subscription newsletter, Free Publicity: The Newsletter for
PR-Hungry Businesses http://www.PublicityInsider.com/freepub.asp ,
he’s sharing — for the very first time — his secrets of scoring
big publicity. For free articles, killer publicity tips and
much, much more, visit Bill’s exclusive new site:
http://www.publicityInsider.com
Mother’s Day is approaching fast. This year it falls on Sunday, May 8th, so you still have time left to come up with the ideal gift for your Mom. And don’t forget that Mother’s Day is an ideal day to honor any woman in your life, not just your Mom. So don’t forget your wife, your grandmother, your daughter, your mother-in-law, your niece or even a favorite aunt.
With a little thought and planning now, you can avoid rushing out to buy the usual flowers and candy that you give year after year. Buying the perfect gift does involve some thought, but it is precisely this thought that will make her realize just how much you love and appreciate her. So consider her likes and dislikes, her interests and her personality. Ask any mom and she will tell you that it is best to avoid “useful” items that relate to any form of housework.
Before your start your shopping spree, think about how much your budget will allow and then make sure that you buy the best that you can afford. Stay away from mass produced items, and look for the more original high quality hand-crafted items. Do you want to give one gift or a selection of cheaper products and have them combined into a gift basket? Don’t forget that most stores, including online stores will be happy to gift wrap your gift for you, to save you the time and effort.
Never a convenient time to go shopping? Online shopping makes it easy to buy the perfect Mother’s Day gift at the time most convenient for you – even if that is 3 A.M and you are in your wearing your PJ’s. Most reputable online stores will allow you to order now,
with a shipping date nearer to Mother’s Day, and they will not charge your credit card until the order is ready to ship. This will save you last minute stress and allow you the maximum choice of gifts. Shipping should be cheaper too, as you will not have to pay for expensive overnight shipping. Does your mom live far away? Then have the gift shipped directly to your mom, if you will not be able to deliver it yourself this Mother’s Day.
So what should you give her this year? Does your mom work really hard all year round taking care of others, with little time to pamper herself? If so, a gift certificate for a pampering treatment at a local spa might be the answer. How about an exquisite piece of jewelry? This does not have to be as expensive as it sounds. You can buy her beautiful handcrafted jewelry, with a mix of semiprecious stones and high quality glass that should not break your budget. Or, let her know that she is the light of your life with a beautiful scented candle or oil lamp. These make a long lasting gift and their life can often be extended by reusing it by burning a tea-light inside the shell or by refilling the oil. Still not ready to give up on the flowers this Mother’s Day? Then how about a dried flower arrangement or wreath that will remind her all year round how much you love her.
Janice Kaye is the operator of Biblical-Gifts.Com, an online shop that specializes in exclusive hand-crafted products, made out of flowers & fruits grown in the land of the Bible. They also offer a selection of the best Christian gifts and souvenirs made in the Holy Land. http://www.biblical-gifts.com.