Every year Valentine's Day seems to sneak up on you. When you're scrambling for something fun to do for your valentine, but don't have a lot of cash -- don't worry, we've got you covered!
Cook dinner together
Instead of dropping a lot of money on a fancy dinner, why not cook together? If that's something you never get to do, make it a point to split the cooking tasks. If you're both involved, you'll enjoy it that much more. If cooking isn't really your thing, or your boyfriend already cooks for you day-in and day-out, then do the right thing and give him a night off from the kitchen. And remember, part of cooking is cleaning up (we hope you've got a dishwasher).
Go hiking together
Or ice skating. Or running. Or spelunking. The point is to spend time
with your valentine if that's what you both want. So if your girlfriend is an avid hiker and hits the trails every weekend while you hit the snooze button, sacrifice one morning's sleep for some quality time doing something she loves to do
with her.
Don't go hiking with her
Sometimes in a relationship you need some alone time. Maybe you live together and you see each other every waking moment and maybe you each just want some time to decompress without your valentine. That's fine. It's perfectly acceptable to do your own thing on Valentine's Day--whether it's getting a mani-pedi, watching a movie or just curling up with a new book. Just be sure to let your valentine know ahead of time that you'd rather have a relaxing spa day on your own (or whatever tickles your fancy).
Pro-tip: If you're a seriously cheap date, ask your valentine if they'd like to celebrate after February 14 so you can score all the 50 percent off candy on February 15 (Kidding.)
If you're single on Valentine's Day, enjoy it stress-free however you like.