by Texas Homesteader ~
Aaaaahhhh… L’amore, Valentine’s Day is almost upon us.
I love Valentine’s Day, it’s a special day to show that special someone just how much they mean to you. See how RancherMan & I celebrate this special day to make it more special but without the burden of perceived obligation & expense.
Valentine’s Day Stressful Expectations
When RancherMan & I were dating Valentine’s Day was always a big affair. In true courting manner, there were gifts and flowers given on the big day. And make no mistake, I loved them.
But here’s the deal: both RancherMan & I are hopeless romantics anyway.
So sweet nothings whispered to each other are never in short supply for us on any average ordinary day of the year.
And I’m not really a material girl. So as the years went by both he & I decided we wanted something different & more meaningful for Valentine’s Day.
It works for us because although we’re both very careful to show each other how we feel every day, we still want to stop & focus fully on each other on this very special day.
Is Valentine’s Day Just A Day Of Obligation?
I think it’s kind of sad that Valentine’s Day has almost become a holiday with the unspoken message:
“If you don’t buy him/her that extravagant thing or gush romantic overload for this one day, they’ll think you don’t love them“.
That’s some kinda pressure, y’all!
But even then, how do you top your efforts (and their expectations) each and every year?
Flowers this year, then flowers plus chocolate next year. Add a plush teddy bear and a nice dinner out the next year, and so on.
Ugh…
Crowded Restaurants On Valentine’s Day
Now of course like most people I enjoy special dinners out. But it’s difficult on Valentine’s Day.
Even by making dinner reservations you’re waiting in long lines and being shuffled through a standing-only crowd where you sit & eat in a crowded corner as the controlled chaos of the crowd’s activity around you drums your ears.
Hardly an intimate, romantic setting.
But I’m here to tell you there’s a better way… For us at least.
Photo Credit: Cynthia Marie Photography
Our Less Stressful Valentine’s Day Tradition
RancherMan & I have a Valentine’s Day tradition: We get together in the kitchen & make a special dinner for each other.
It’s always an extravagant meal. One we wouldn’t ordinarily treat ourselves with.
When shopping for the meal’s ingredients there’s no budget – anything’s possible, the sky’s the limit. It’s a lot of fun to plan and shop for.
Then we get in the kitchen together and make that special meal for each other.
One year during February we were going through the 30-Day No-Spend Challenge. That’s when we weren’t allowed to spend a dime on food, either from the grocery stores or restaurants.
Although there were no other exceptions allowed during the entire month no matter how tough it got, our annual Valentine’s Day meal was the one & only pre-planned exception.
Enjoying Valentine’s Day… Together
When enjoying our Valentine’s Day meal we’ll sit down at the table with candlelight & soft music. We’ll enjoy each other’s loving gesture with a glass of wine served in our finest crystal.
There’s nothing wrong with flowers & chocolate. I LOVE flowers & chocolate! But I love this tradition even more.
Because although RancherMan is no stranger to the kitchen, this effort is often somewhat outside his comfort zone. But he does it out of love for me, to give of himself.
And to me, that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about, y’all.
When we sit down to enjoy that special meal it’s a gift given directly from our hearts. And we enjoy a togetherness that might be significantly more difficult in a loud, crowded restaurant.
Plus, although the price tag isn’t the point at all for this Valentine’s Day gift, our gift to each other costs only a tiny fraction of what we’d have paid to be crammed in a restaurant. Even at a lower-end chain restaurant.
How about you? How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day without breaking the bank?
~TxH~
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You two are so sweet! When our kids are home, our tradition would be a heart shaped pizza, plus some chocolate goodies for the family. This year, we invited another couple over and are preparing a special dinner for the 4 of us. I’m looking forward to a nice evening at home.
We switch it up year to year. We ate out this year, but obviously went a few days early and at a time when we didn’t have stand around for an hour waiting for a table. On Valentine’s Day itself we’ll keep it low key and stay home with dinner, maybe a movie, and maybe exchanging small, token gifts. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and RancherMan!
Blessings, Leigh
I love the idea of a fancier not-your-typical-meal dinner at home. My husband and I aren’t huge into celebrating Valentine’s Day – we save the nice dinner our and flowers for our anniversary. But it’s always nice to do something a little extra for your loved ones 🙂 Thanks for sharing with Merry Monday!
Us too Emily. When we were dating we braved the crowds on Valentines Day to do the ‘traditional thing’ and have a special dinner out, but I remember standing huddled in a corner crowded in with several other couples – so NOT romantic! Then being wound around all the occupied tables until we finally got to ours tucked in the corner by the kitchen. NOT romantic! Then since it was so busy our order and meal were both delayed – NOT romantic!! This way we prepare the meal together and dine by candlelight with just the two of us – So romantic! ~TxH~
Our anniversary is the same week as Valentines Day, so we combine the two.
Great tradition!
thanks for sharing at the HomeAcre Hop!
Sandra
such a cute pic of you guys! i’m the same way with valentine’s day – i’m not one for extravagant gifts and making someone feel obligated to make grand gestures of their love just because hallmark says so. my hubby and i did very simple things – a card, he got me some choc covered raisins – as i’m obsessed with them and i got him some choc peanut butter cups which are his faves. we had a nice dinner and watched a cute movie cuddled on our sofa – my kinda night.
I love that picture! Hubby and I do something similar, we tend to keep it low key and exchange heartfelt love letters or notes, and have a quiet evening at home. He is like your RancherMan, and is romantic throughout the year, so it is no big loss to me going without the huge “traditional” Valentine’s Day hoopla. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Small tender gestures done frequently is (to me) the ideal way to keep close – we do sweet nothings for each other all the time. Just yesterday I wrote a love note in soap on our bathroom mirror. Sometimes it really is the little things… ~TxH~
That is my kind of Valentine’s Day celebration! Share love in the kitchen! Thanks for linking this to TTF!
such a cute picture of you two!… and this may sound sappy but I have been leaving a bag of the red hots shaped like hearts in my husbands car on Valentines every year for about 25 years, its the only time of the year he gets them.:-)
Awwww! How cute is this??? My hubby and I almost always cook together-although he does do the majority of it these days. He’s totally disabled now due to a work related back injury and I go to work daily to help make ends meet until the last of our debts are paid off-which should be in just a few more months!! Valentine’s Day is special-but you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy it! And yes, I love flowers too, but give me a pot plant or a fruit tree and I’ll enjoy it a lot longer! lol
Oh I love your tradition and the photo of you two shows the love. No need to break the bank indeed. Have a nice Valentines Day. B
Love, love that picture of you two!! 🙂
We don’t do a big deal anymore either but I do like to fix a special dinner with something extra chocolatey for dessert.
We don’t like the hype either, but we do like to express our love to each other. I always try to fix a special dinner. I do have a special memory of one year’s valentine day, I love to sew and he took me out to breakfast and then my favorite fabric store to shop. It wasn’t what I bougnt it was the love he showed me. I am one of those really blessed wives.
Teresa, you’re right on with the point “It’s not what I bought it was the love he showed me”… EXACTLY! Love it, thanks for sharing. ~TxH~