Frugal Valentine's Day

I love holidays! And here are some ideas I have to make Valentine's Day special, cheap and stress-free!

1) Make your own Valentine's. Last year (school sale 2009) I picked up some (20) rulers at Walgreens for $0.09 each (I think I got them FREE with RR) and we are going to make contruction paper hearts that say "You Rule" for my son's class. Last year we melted crayons in muffin tins and wrote on card stock "You color my World" (I got this idea from the Family Fun magazine). The things I like about these cards are that they don't have candy attached and they can be used for a while.

2) Cheap or FREE candy. I used to get my son a huge heart of candy but, so did everyone else and to tell you the truth we still have holiday sweets hanging around. I just picked up 2 huge (4.25 oz) Hersheys candy bars up at Walgreens today for 2/$1 and plan on giving 1 to each my husband and son with a cute little note. Thats it! You can also pick up some after Christmas candy and do a little bag if you choose.

3) Make your own cupcakes or sweets. I had picked up cake mixes for $0.39 at HyVee a few months ago (I was thinking ahead and grabbed a pink one) and I will make homemade frosting. This is a yummy project for less then $0.50!

4) Make lunch special with a lil' extra LOVE and TLC! I love to pack my son's lunch everyday. I know what he is eating and it makes me feel good to know he will actually eat it. For Valentine's I like to send a heart shaped sandwich, choc. pudding with strawberries, a special homemade treat, and a lil' note to tell him I love him.

5) Go out for less. http://www.restaurant.com/ has gift cards for a fraction of the price and can help you stretch your buck when you go out. Look for coupon codes to pay as lil' as $1 for a $25 card. Make sure you read in detail about the gift card. Some have a min. purchase.

6) Stay in. Use a FREE Redbox code to rent a movie or 2 and cuddle on the couch.

7) Holiday crafts always gets me in the holiday spirit. How about making a cardboard heart, cut out the middle, and put red tissue paper in it. You could put this on your window with a light behind it and watch it glow. You could recycle those packing peanuts and make hearts on red or pink construction paper with them. There are so many FREE or cheap crafts out there. Check the internet!

8) Remember Valentine's Day is about LOVE not $$$! You don't have to spend alot to show someone you love them!