Being on a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate Valentine’s day, there are lots of little things you can do, some that won’t even cost you a penny. We love celebrating seasonal occasions like Valentine’s day and we like to focus on experiences rather than physical gifts. I would much rather have a nice memory than another trinket gathering dust on a shelf.

If, like us, you have kids and find childcare tricky to organise at the best of times, celebrating at home might be your only option. I’ve come up with a few budget-friendly ways to celebrate Valentine’s day at home.

Frugal Ways To Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day On A Budget

The Sacred Gift Of A Lie-in

A lie-in is like the holy grail of parenting little ones, we mourn its loss and wonder if it will ever happen again. We berate ourselves for not appreciating it while we had the luxury. It would be a lovely gesture if you could offer to take it in turns to have a lie in over Valentine’s weekend, totally guilt-free.

You could go one better and take it in turns to make breakfast in bed for each other too.

Cinema At Home

Going to the cinema isn’t a cheap date anymore, it involves a second mortgage, a babysitter and taking a huge bag to sneak your bargain goodies from the supermarket in (oh, is that just me ?) It can also involve a very numb bum or falling asleep if you are a sleep-deprived parent and then cursing the money you’ve wasted.

There are so many entertainment streaming websites now. You have paid subscription ones like Netflix and Now TV or movie rental services that have some of the latest releases like Google Play or Sky Store. It costs around £5 to rent a movie unless you want HD and they are usually available for 48 hours which is great if you do drop off to sleep during the action.

You can make some yummy snacks, like popcorn or nachos, the aroma will make you feel like you are really at the cinema. The beauty of watching at home means no buttock numbing seats or annoying tall people who always sit right in front of you (oh, that’s just me again!) plus you won’t miss any of the films if you need a toilet break.

Posh Valentine’s Day Grub For Less 

If you can stretch your budget a little further you could enjoy a nice three-course meal with wine and chocolates in the comfort of your own dining room for £20 or under. You could even keep your pyjamas on if you like.

Many supermarkets have followed suit of the Marks & Spencer ‘dine in for two’ offer. This type of offer is available year-round but I’ve seen quite a few tempting Valentine’s Day offers this year. You would definitely spend more than that by eating out at a restaurant and you will be saving the cost of transport and the need for a babysitter.

Switch Off

Wouldn’t it be nice to just concentrate on each other for an evening with no distractions like the TV, Facebook, Candy Crush and the other endless list of time and attention stealers? You could talk, cook a meal together or play a board game. As this is a family blog I will leave the other alternatives up to your imagination but you get my point, a whole evening of just focusing on each other as a couple.

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