February 15th: The frugalist's Valentine's Day

One of the biggest complaints about Valentine's Day is that romance shouldn't be forced and it definitely shouldn't all be squeezed into one day a year.



Have Vday your way


So why not schedule Valentine's Day for more convenience (and affordability)?
This year, Tim and I are celebrating on February 15th. It will make things eminently more affordable:

• The candy will be half price.

• Vday cards will be remaindered cheaply. (While you're at it, stock up for next year!)

• Vday-themed gifts (jewelry, trinkets, lingerie, lotion sets, etc) will be clearanced.

• Flowers will be back to their normal prices.

• Restaurants won't require reservations weeks in advance.

• It will be more intimate. Since so many ate out the night before, crowds should be nearly non-existent.

• If we want to see something romantic, we won't be in a packed movie theater.

What's not to love?

Actually, this idea was a practical solution for Tim and I. He likes to celebrate the holiday. (There is part of me that does, too. But the practical -- aka miser -- side of me thinks it's silly to put so much emphasis -- and money -- into one day.)

In addition, one of Tim's good friends is in a newly long-distance relationship. Tim wanted to celebrate with me, but also wanted to keep his friend distracted. This way, we get the best of both worlds: We're supportive friends, I still get to disregard a lot of the Valetine's hype, and then we still do something (affordably) romantic.

We will exchange gifts, but we have agreed to keep them small. I'd tell you the gift, but my guy is a faithful reader of the blog. And I'm all about surprise. (Okay, that and I'm still not completely decided.)

A very merry unValentine's Day to you

For any of you who are actually actively anti-Valentine's Day, I will also use this post as a time to make some suggestions. I have had a few different unValentine's Days. They can be quite fun.

The first time was my freshman year. A friend and I were both single. So we had dinner (at TGIFriday's -- and only appetizers and dessert, no entree) then saw the least romantic movie we could find (the updated Star Wars Episode IV) and went to a club where everyone was dancing by themselves.

More recently (and on more of a budget), I finally got around to renting Saw, though any scary flick will do. I made spaghetti for dinner, so that the red sauce would be in keeping with both the Vday and bloodfest theme.

This year, I think we've decided that we'll take Tim's friend out a bit. We'll eat only at fast food restaurants (nothing romantic about those) and then go see some action or slasher flick. After that, we'll come back home. We'll do some drinking while watching and heckling particularly bad movies. At the end of the night, he'll crash out on our couch and we'll have had a successful unValentine's Day.

If you have your own Valentine's Day traditions -- whether they're about rebelling against the day or celebrating it affordably -- I would love to hear about them!