Nancy Twigg is a speaker and author who loves inspiring others to live more
simply. Adapted from Nancy’s newly revised book, Celebrate Simply: Your
Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions (www.celebratesimply.com).
Visit Nancy online at www.countingthecost.com
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Does Valentine’s Day have to be expensive? Not at
all. Let me tell you a story of how my husband and I had one of the best
Valentine’s Day celebrations ever by limiting ourselves to spending $10 or less.
About ten years ago, my husband Michael and I
both left good jobs to begin a home-based business. Within a matter of weeks, we
went from two comfortable salaries to one sporadic stream of income from our
fledgling business. On the first Valentine’s Day after we became self-employed,
we both knew we shouldn’t spend much on our February 14th celebration. So we
agreed to try something different. We decided to set a $5 spending limit per
person for our Valentine’s Day gifts.
To a spendthrift, a $5 spending limit on
Valentine’s Day would have been like the kiss of death: "What can I possibly buy
for only five dollars?" For us, it became a game: "What kind of cool stuff
can we come up for with less than five bucks?" Both of us enjoyed the challenge of
searching out items that would fit the bill.
![](../images/valentine.gif)
Michael is a woodworker, so for him it was easy.
He used his time and only a little money to make me a beautiful oval frame for a
wall mirror I already had. He used wood that was salvaged from discarded packing
crates, 25¢ paint from a yard sale, and plans he drew up on his computer. The
only thing he had to go out and buy was a dowel for putting the frame together,
which cost only 76¢ at the hardware store. The end result was a beautiful mirror
that hung proudly in our bedroom for many years.
For Michael, I found a desk calendar that had a
different quote about love for each day. Because it was February, the calendar
was on clearance for $4. I also found a woodworking book at a library discard
sale for 50¢. In addition, I made him a homemade card and a plate of his
favorite cookies. When you add the cost of the cookie ingredients I already had
on hand, I actually went over my limit just a little, but he was delighted
nonetheless. In fact, we both enjoyed our gifts and the thrill of the hunt so
much that we instituted the five-dollar rule for other gift giving occasions
such as birthdays and anniversaries that year as well.
Are you and your loved one going through a tough
time financially? Even if you’re not, is the thought of saving money more
attractive to you than spending a small fortune on Valentine’s Day gifts? If so,
I encourage you to try something different this year. Take the Valentine’s Day
Challenge. Set a small spending limit—$5, $10 or whatever fits your budget—and
agree with your spouse to give gifts that are low in cost but high in
creativity.
Use any special talents you have to create a
keepsake. Put your cooking skills to work to whip up an
inexpensive-yet-irresistible treat in the kitchen. Shop the clearance racks to
find some special something your sweetie would enjoy. Visit the secondhand
stores to find a gently-used book by a favorite author or CD by a favorite
artist. Use your budgeted amount to buy a gift card to the ice cream shop,
coffee shop or movie rental store.
Think outside the proverbial box. Make it a game
to see how you can use your creativity to give your sweetheart the most
Valentine’s Day fun for the least amount of money.
--End--
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