Author Topic: Valentines day ideas  (Read 11096 times)

quant

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Valentines day ideas
« on: February 11, 2013, 06:16:01 PM »
She is not mustachian, but not anti either. If I introduce a fun, mustachian activity to do, she is up for it. If I don't come up with a creative idea, it would be a default expensive dinner out. Now over-priced V-day dinners are not very mustachian.

Yes, I could say, V-day is just a marketing gimmick and we shouldn't fall for it. But as a regular non-mustachian girl, she ain't gonna take it very well. Also this is our first V-day together, so we are setting the trend for future big days.

So friends, I need some creative, romantic ideas, which might be fun and special, but won't empty the wallet. Thanks!

Misstachian

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2013, 06:26:15 PM »
Cook something wonderful. Have wine. Make dessert. Light candles. All the trappings of the expensive dinner out, much less cost. My husband does this every year, and I love it! Not the most creative night, perhaps, but fun & tasty. We usually dress up so it feels fancy & put on music. This is also our usual NYE celebration.

Welmoed

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2013, 06:38:53 PM »
My daughter and her fiance have a wonderful evening planned: they are going to take a bag with a linen tablecloth, candelabra and other fancy table settings, dress up in nice clothes, and go to the local Corner Bakery for dinner. They will choose a window table and spread it with the tablecloth and candles and probably even break out a bottle of sparkling apple cider in champagne flutes.

Hubby and I, being self-employed, will be working on Thursday. It's our 27th anniversary as well. We plan to have a ... um... "private" celebration that evening. ;-)

--Welmoed

maryofdoom

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2013, 08:48:26 PM »
Back when my husband and I were still dating, we decided to exchange Valentine's Day gifts that cannot be purchased in a store. This has taken several forms:
  • a hand-built treasure chest filled with chocolate and homemade beef jerky
  • tasty home-cooked steak dinners
  • two of his favorite quotations rendered in cross stitch

This year, we will be going on a Hot Date to the shooting range, the newly-rebuilt adult bookstore, and possibly to the local Chinese buffet (or to the TGI Friday's, for which I have a gift card that I won in his family's annual holiday gift game).

Whatever you do, make it special and personal to your sweetie. You don't have to spend a lot of money to do that.

ketchup

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2013, 09:28:19 PM »
This year I plan on cooking her a nice meal with wine and candles.  Nothing too fancy, and certainly not expensive, but thoughtful and romantic and all that jazz.

dragoncar

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2013, 10:28:37 PM »
Cooking is a great idea, but ultimately it comes down to priorities.  I'm amenable to an "expensive" V-day meal if that's really the most important day of the year to her (vs. expensive Vday+Christmas+NYE+bday+president's day, etc.)

*I say "expensive" because it doesn't really have to be any more expensive than any other meal out.  Even MMM eats out once every few months, right?

MsSindy

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2013, 04:29:18 AM »
We went out for V-day when we first got married and hated it!  They jack up the prices & cram a few more tables in and the service is usually pretty poor because they are so crowded.  For the past 20+ years I've cooked dinner at home.  I always decorate with different themes - sexy, romatic, or kid-like.  I do a lot of the prep earlier in the week and once hubby goes off to work in the morning, I scramble like mad to get everything all decorated, so that when we both come home from work, the evening is special and non-hurried.  That being said, we like to go out to fancy dinners and will do it when it's just a 'regular weekend night' - we enjoy it more that way.

Luckily, neither one of us is super-big on celebrating holidays, so this works for us.  Whatever you do this year though, will set the precedence, so just keep that in mind.  If you have a girlfriend that is going to be super-disappointed if you don't buy her something shiny or go completely over-the-top, you guys may want to have a discussion about values.  Also, show her you're thinking about her through-out the year by surprising her with little "I was thinking about you" moments - even after 20+ years my hubby still does this with a couple of flowers, a hand-written card, or some other small token action (washes my car or scrapes the ice off....just nice little things) -- this is way more special than some marketed holiday.

Dee18

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #7 on: February 12, 2013, 05:14:25 AM »
Flowers.  Plan ahead a little.  Either use a vase you already have or buy one at the thrift store (they always have zillions.)  Think about what flowers she likes best.  Buy them at a Flower Shop where you can buy flowers by the stem or at a grocery.   Or buy flowers ready to plant if it's that time of year where you live  (and don't forget to plant them for her!)

tmac

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #8 on: February 12, 2013, 05:51:07 AM »
One of our most romantic dates was when he packed a simple but elegant picnic lunch for us and we went on a hike. The weather was brisk but sunny, and he'd brought a blanket for us to cuddle under while we ate at a scenic overlook.

StaceStache

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2013, 01:06:53 PM »
What means most to your significant other?

I'm a big believer in the Love Languages - that there are 5 main ways that we show love (words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts, and touch) and that everyone has one way (or two) that means most to them. For example, my husband's love language is words of affirmation. It makes him feel most loved when I verbally compliment him or tell him things I appreciate about him or why I love him, etc. His "second" love language is quality time.

So for our Valentine's Day, I wrote a list of 50 things I loved/appreciated about him, and I'm going to cook a meal for him and listen to some music together/share the list.

If your significant other's love language is acts of service, then the best gift for their V-Day might be cleaning the house/doing an unfinished project for them, or something like that. If it's touch, maybe give them a back massage (this is my favorite gift!)

yolfer

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2013, 01:20:36 PM »
What means most to your significant other?

I'm a big believer in the Love Languages - that there are 5 main ways that we show love (words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts, and touch) and that everyone has one way (or two) that means most to them. For example, my husband's love language is words of affirmation. It makes him feel most loved when I verbally compliment him or tell him things I appreciate about him or why I love him, etc. His "second" love language is quality time.

So for our Valentine's Day, I wrote a list of 50 things I loved/appreciated about him, and I'm going to cook a meal for him and listen to some music together/share the list.

If your significant other's love language is acts of service, then the best gift for their V-Day might be cleaning the house/doing an unfinished project for them, or something like that. If it's touch, maybe give them a back massage (this is my favorite gift!)

This is great!  For people who are interested in learning more, there's a whole book about the 5 Love Languages. I think it's a must-read for couples.

galaxie

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2013, 01:33:51 PM »
I am "making" Valentine's day this year.  I printed all three of these cute "matchbook" cards:

http://apracticalwedding.com/2013/02/free-matchbook-valentine-download/

The first one comes with a gift (the book "I like you", $6).

The second one says "fancy dinner for two tonight" -- I'm making brie en croute, french onion soup, and pasta.  I'll probably pick up some wine.  This might add up to $20 or $30 in complicated ingredients, depending on the wine & cheese.  Also I got a pair of candles for the table.

The third one is for the "private party."

CNM

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2013, 02:20:17 PM »
One of my favorite celebrations was a time that my husband surprised me and took me up to a scenic overlook.  He had made a delicious picnic dinner with a bottle of wine.  We watched the sun set together.  Inexpensive, but lovely and memorable.  This was for my birthday but appropriate for Valentine's, too.

Richard3

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2013, 02:45:34 PM »
Women love picnics (or at least women that I want to spend any significant amounts of time with love picnics). For half the price of a crappy V-day set menu at your local "romantic" Italian / French place you can pretty much go nuts in the deli and eat somewhere actually romantic not just a storefront restaurant with extra candles.

So what does the lucky lady like? Try and do something connected with something you know she likes.

simonsez

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2013, 03:13:36 PM »
Hand-written love letters to each other + fondue on the stove. 
Cheese fondue: cubed bread, apple slices, cauliflower
Coq-au-vin: Lobster tail, top sirloin, shrimp, Portobellos, broccoli

Not including the Bota box we bought a week ago, the meal cost about $20 and provide plenty of amazing leftovers.

WhatMomWears

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2013, 04:38:53 PM »
For flowers, I'd give her an orchid in a pot - cheaper than cut flowers and lasts for months. She can also keep it and it will rebloom yearly. If she works, she's going to be hoping for flowers to be delivered to her work. She won't say anything, but she's hoping. No need to spend $100 on them though - the orchid should cost around $20-30

I love the idea of you making dinner - or even picking something up if you're not a chef. Tablecloth, candles, lovely music. Those are the things that will make it special. Maybe instead of a box of chocolates, you can make a pan of brownies and cut them in the shape of a heart. A sweet card is always appreciated.
My husband and I have gone all out for Valentines Days in the past and to be honest some of the ones we spent the most money on were pretty spectacular but it makes for a lot to live up to.

Don't go cheap, especially since it's your first Valentines together and she wants something she can brag about to friends (we all do it). Maybe a multi-course meal with a bottle of lovely champagne to start? Then dinner with a nice wine. A chocolate dessert with some coffee? These are just off the top of my head. If you make the day/evening all about her, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to be special.

boy_bye

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2013, 05:42:56 PM »
For flowers, I'd give her an orchid in a pot - cheaper than cut flowers and lasts for months. She can also keep it and it will rebloom yearly. If she works, she's going to be hoping for flowers to be delivered to her work. She won't say anything, but she's hoping. No need to spend $100 on them though - the orchid should cost around $20-30.

I like this idea a lot! Personally I couldn't care less about flowers being delivered to me at work, but I really love getting them at home!

sideways8

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2013, 05:56:24 PM »
A foot massage would do it for me!! That would be a fabulous present.

Debbie M

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2013, 08:41:56 PM »
Heart-shaped pizza.

Sometimes I've given gifts of things I don't like but he does such as a bird-watching book (I can never find the birds through the binoculars).

My favorite is to not have to go out at all or have any kind of stress.  So I like things like cooking at home, watching a favorite or new movie on the TV (really a computer), dancing some rhumba in the living room, and exchanging back rubs.  It's also fun to each read a favorite short story aloud to each other or to share in reading roles of a favorite play.

Another thing I like to do is make little gift bags (cookies and a silly card) and run around town delivering them to friends.  Admittedly, I did this when I was single, but it could be fun to do as a couple, too.

On "Castle," ***spoiler alert*** Beckett just gave Castle a drawer, an empty one where he can keep some things at her place, so she's made space for him, literally, in her house.  I think it was too small myself, but utterly frugal and romantic.  ***/spoiler***

Another idea I've heard of is to do something that echos the first meeting or the first date (or the first good date) in some way.

Things to find out:  Is it important that it be a surprise?  Is it important that it be on the exact day?  Does she have any relevant food allergies?

ladycygnus

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2013, 10:19:09 PM »
Like someone else said, it depends on the person that you are with. Someone mentioned love language, and there is a quiz you can take to try to figure this out (http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/). It was actually very enlightening for me to realize that mine was quality time, which explains why I don't like going to a crowded restaurant or getting some random chocolate, flowers, jewelry. And the people I feel most loved around are those who will sit down with me and have a deep conversation with me. So a hike and picnic (provided it's warm enough) or a meal made together and a fun board game rank very high.

However, for a woman who speaks a love language of affirmation would probably love an idea I once heard of leaving little love-notes throughout the day and a hand written letter at the end. Is she more acts of service? Are there any chores that she dislikes doing? Any repairs to be done? Perhaps a box of "coupons" for different activities you will do (without complaint) when redeemed. My sisters and I did this for mother's day and it was well received (until we complained...we were young).

The other two (physical touch and gifts) I have no idea. It seems that being low in those means you are low in ideas as well.

Prof Penny Pincher

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #20 on: February 13, 2013, 02:06:10 AM »
I make her some biscuits.
I make her some chocolates
I make her an origami rose
I write her a poem.

Under $10 all in.

Heather

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #21 on: February 13, 2013, 05:48:28 AM »
To me bought flowers symbolize:  "I love you so I will demonstrate it by wasting money buying something that advertising tells me I'm supposed to buy, and that will spontaneously self destructs in a few days".   Hmmm.  Appealing.

In contrast, hand picked wildflowers from the roadside mean "I was so happy I was going to see you, that I just had to stop the car and pick some flowers just for you." perhaps "..even though it was on the median of the highway and cars were whizzing by, and people were honking at me like I was a nutcase ".

That hardnose policy leaves me flowerless in February.   Surely there is a creative substitute?
I bet there is. 
<Random Idea generating machine on>
-Build a snowman family in the front yard. Pin a big pink paper heart to every snowman's chest.
-Write a love letter and have me find it somewhere surprising. At work maybe.
-Light a campfire in the yard, buy steaks, sharpen sticks, and have a winter cookout. Don't forget salad.
-Make an igloo. Fill with lanterns and sleeping bags.  Ask if I want to sleep in it with you.
-Invite me for a walk in our favorite forest. Sneak out ahead and hang something from a tree for me to find. Maybe a note.




jrhampt

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #22 on: February 13, 2013, 06:48:29 AM »
One of my favorite valentine's days was when we got a couple of juicy steaks from Costco and grilled those up at home.  We locked ourselves in the house all weekend eating steaks and drinking champagne, and he also got a box each of chocolate-covered strawberries and  liquor-filled chocolate-covered cherries.  Delicious. 

mushroom

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #23 on: February 13, 2013, 06:55:50 AM »
I'd like to add that I think that store-bought greeting cards are horrifically expensive and unnecessary. It's been years since my husband and I have given each other any. Sometimes I've made my own cards, but usually we just exchange letters written on regular paper. I do like to fold mine into origami for him, which is free but shows that I went through a little bit of effort to make it look nice.

For Valentine's Day this year I folded the letter into a heart using http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Origami-Heart. I liked it because it was based on an 8.5x11 piece of paper rather than the usual square since I rambled on until the end of the page.

NumberJohnny5

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #24 on: February 13, 2013, 03:52:36 PM »
My wife took the full garbage bag out of the bin yesterday and put a note on the (empty) bin saying what she'd done and "Happy Valentine's Day!" When she woke up (she worked night shift) she asked if I liked her present...I responded that I thought she wasn't done yet (as the bag had yet to take itself to the outside bin and to the curb...next day was trash day)? Well, she did.

Today (actual Valentine's Day, and not Valentine's Day Eve) I left a note on the toilet proclaiming that I had flushed it, AND put the seat down, and Happy Valentine's Day! She laughed so hard my son had to go see what was going on. She explained it to him, he then drew a Valentine's Day card with a toilet on it, and will probably bring it up multiple times today in school.

galaxie

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #25 on: February 15, 2013, 11:47:08 AM »
We had a blizzard last weekend, so one of the Valentine's Day things I did for my man was to shovel a path to the garage so he could get his bike out and bike to work.

lithy

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #26 on: February 10, 2014, 09:28:11 AM »
Bump, anyone got any fun things to add?

We've done dinner in the last couple of years and have always had a good time, although by the time I go nuts on nice cheese and seafood it sometimes feels like there isn't much in the way of savings (although there is much in the way of leftovers).  So this year, I'm trying to think of some kind of meal that is 'fancy', fun or difficult to make together maybe?, and possibly cheaper than steak and seafood.

I might go Mediterranean family style.  I have made my own pitas before which turned out awesome.  Hummus, Babaganoush, falafel, stuffed grape leaves.

Maybe some homemade baklava?  Never tried that, might be adventurous.  Or there was a yogurt dessert I had once years ago at a restaurant, not sure the name, I'll have to go Googling.

Edit: found it, basboosa http://www.whats4eats.com/desserts/basboosa-recipe
« Last Edit: February 10, 2014, 09:31:17 AM by lithy »

rockstache

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #27 on: February 10, 2014, 09:43:43 AM »
If she works, she's going to be hoping for flowers to be delivered to her work. She won't say anything, but she's hoping.

Know your victim. I would absolutely hate this, and be really embarrassed.

Our anniversary is on the 20th of February, so we will go out to dinner that night to a local Italian place that we haven't tried yet. We skip Valentine's day and sort of roll them together into the one evening. No gifts, just cards, and he does buy me flowers.

Winter's Tale

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #28 on: February 10, 2014, 09:50:09 AM »
One of our favorite things to do is "French night", which involves the following:

-Baguette, somewhat fancy cheeses, grapes, and a few chocolates from the grocery store (maybe around 25 -30 bucks or so)
-Some wine
-Spread tablecloth on the floor and light some candles and/or have a fire in fireplace
-Listen to some French music on iTunes, Songza, or some other free source.

It always feels like a treat. 

Winter's Tale

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #29 on: February 10, 2014, 09:51:30 AM »

One of our favorite things to do is "French night", which involves the following:

-Baguette, somewhat fancy cheeses, grapes, and a few chocolates from the grocery store (maybe around 25 -30 bucks or so)
-Some wine
-Spread tablecloth on the floor and light some candles and/or have a fire in fireplace
-Listen to some French music on iTunes, Songza, or some other free source.

It always feels like a treat.
Modify message

Forgot to mention that one nice thing about this is that there is less prep time and kitchen cleanup!  Good option for those who might not enjoy a super marathon cooking session.

MustachianAccountant

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Re: Valentines day ideas
« Reply #30 on: February 10, 2014, 10:55:15 AM »
This year, my wife and I decided to celebrate Valentine's day "some other time."
Each of us will pick a day sometime in the coming year, and declare it Valentine's day for the other person. And we'll plan something special to "celebrate." That way we don't get sucked into the "jacked up prices" crap around the actual holiday. And we can do something that we might not be able to do on actual Valentine's day, like have a picnic or go hiking.

Of course, we both really like surprises, so YMMV.