Here are 10 ideas for Valentine’s Day that won’t break the bank. We’re sure there are many more. Enjoy.
No. 1: Set the table for love
Lots of aromatic candles, soft music, a burning log in the fireplace: These are some of the elements folks can incorporate into their homes to set a romantic mood for Valentine’s Day, says local interior designer Sara Herron, of Herron Interiors.
Herron, says you don’t need to run out and buy anything new to set the right mood for love.
“Just use colors you have,” she says. “Think about establishing a theme. What is the color you’re after?”
Red, of course, is the color of love and red napkins and plates would emphasize that, but any warm color would work. Don’t forget a table runner or place mats.
The table for dining should be set for two, with two of everything, Herron advises.
“Take all the chairs away, except for two,” she says. “It’s just you and me, only, tonight!”
Pick the comfiest part of the house for sitting and put a blanket on the sofa so you can cozy up together, she adds. Also, include champagne in a bucket of ice and strawberries, so you can feed each other.
No. 2: Cook up something special
Frank Branham, owner of Cottage Place restaurant, said cooking for a sweetheart on Valentine’s Day can be an expensive proposition.
But it doesn’t have to be.
For instance, Branham said switching to a less expensive meat can save a lot of cash. Changing his Beef Wellington recipe, which uses tenderloin at more than $7 to $12 a pound, to a Chicken Wellington, which uses chicken breast at less than $4 a pound, cuts the meat bill in half.
Branham said practicing recipes beforehand is important, too. And don’t try more than three courses. He suggests adding a strawberry vinaigrette salad with goat cheese and pinyon nuts and a French silk pie to the Chicken Wellington.
He added, have a sense of humor, and be sure to get a thermometer to make sure the meat is cooked properly. Heck, you and your sweetheart can team up to create the meal.
And to make the event especially fancy without spending a bundle, try getting a Mumm Cuvee Napa sparking wine, available at about $11 a bottle, to go with the meal, Branham said.
No. 3: Perfect pairings
For other wine selections to add to a Valentine’s Day meal without breaking the bank, Daily Sun wine columnist John Vankat suggests a few others.
— The Hugel 2006 Pinot Blanc “Cuvee Les Amours, from Alsace, France” at $17 a bottle. Vankat said the lover reference on the label makes this wine a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day. The wine has an excellent fruit, Vankat noted, but has a mostly dry flavor thanks to an excellent balance.
— Ravenswood 2005 Syrah “Sonoma County” at $15 a bottle. Vankat said the color is deep red with tinges of purple. This boldly flavored wine that features ripe fruit, balance and refinement has tannins that go best with a beef dish.
— M’Hudi 2008 Sauvignon Blanc “South Africa” at $17 a bottle. Vankat noted that the wine features aromas and flavors of pure Sauvignon Blanc fruit that has herb overtones, crisp acidity and a long finish.
No. 4: Set the mood with music
Why not scroll through your iPod and create a playlist just for your special someone? Include your favorite tunes from when you first met, or your first date, a vacation or your wedding.
Be sure to include some your favorite dance songs, as well because not a whole lot beats dancing cheek-to- cheek.
No. 5: Read poetry to your love
There are few things as touchingly sweet as reading poetry to one’s love.
Nicole Walker, assistant professor and creative writing coordinator in the Department of English at NAU, had this to say:
“Here’s my take on romantic poetry: Some poems, like Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s ‘How Do I Love Thee,’ have sadly been so over-promoted that the texture of the poem has gotten lost. The poems that resist becoming flat and easy seem more romantic to me — these poems, like actual romance, still hold a little mystery.”
Walker cited John Donne’s (1572-1631) poem, “The Flea,” as an example of this principle.
“One doesn’t usually associate insects with love. It’s the surprise, again like the best parts of romance, that make the difference,” she says.
Many modern and contemporary poems can reveal some of the complications about love, she says, and how lovers persevere through it all. Love does not conquer all, but simply finds a way to survive.
“It’s more that love provides a way: A way to fresh insight, a way to new connections, a way toward the essential,” Walker says.
Pablo Neruda’s (1904-1973) poems are much loved and this poem holds the lover at a distance, then draws them close, “like the leader in a tango,” she adds.
“I DO NOT LOVE YOU AS IF YOU WERE SALT-ROSE, OR TOPAZ,” BY PABLO NERUDA
I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
No. 6: Watch romantic movies
Why not curl up with your better half and watch a couple of your favorite romantic movies?
If you need some direction, check out the American Film Institute’s Top 10 romantic comedies:
1. “City Lights” (1931), starring Charlie Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill.
2. “Annie Hall” (1977), starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton.
3. “It Happened One Night” (1934), starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
4. “Roman Holiday” (1953), starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.
5. “The Philadelphia Story” (1941), starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart.
6. “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
7. “Adam’s Rib” (1949), starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.
8. “Moonstruck” (1987), starring Cher and Nicolas Cage.
9. “Harold and Maude” (1971), starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort.
10. “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
In 2002, AFI also released its Top 100 American movie love stories, which was dominated by classics. “Casablanca” was No. 1, followed by “Gone with the Wind,” “West Side Story,” “Roman Holiday,” and “An Affair to Remember.”
No. 7: Give a massage
To give a massage, said massage therapist Scott Nicholson, make sure the room is warm, your hands are warm, and you have your attention on the person receiving the massage.
“The most important thing, if you’re going to be giving a loving massage to another person is to just really be present, which means you don’t talk … the person that’s giving the massage really needs to put the attention on their hands,” said Nicholson, of A Healing Journey Therapeutic Massage.
Start out rubbing a foot or a hand, and feeling the areas between the toes and around the joints. Work toward the center of the body, with warm lotion, rubbing up the thighs or squeezing on the arms.
When rubbing the back, kneel at the person’s head and use lotion to rub from the upper back to the lower. If you hit an area where the muscle is harder, go over it repeatedly or slow down.
He advises massage givers and massage receivers take a shower beforehand, to get rid of whatever stress or chores they’ve been busy with in the day.
No. 8: Envision a goal together
For the cost of a glue stick and some posterboard, create a “Dream Board” together. It can become the foundation for that dream getaway or vacation with your significant other.
Life Coach Grace Marks says it’s easy and takes about an hour to make. Clip out pictures and words from old magazines to illustrate what you really want to do this year together. Glue them on a poster board and hang the poster board in a prominent place so you’ll both see it every day.
No. 9: Try a cozy sledding date
If you’re determined to get outdoors this snowy Valentine’s Day, bundle up and head for a sledding hill. There’s nothing cozier than sharing a sled or inner tube with your loved one. Fill a thermos with hot cocoa and grab some heart shaped cookies, it’s a sweet way to end this cool date
No. 10: Ten dimes at the dollar store
“Valentine’s on a dime” is more of a figure of speech than a reality. But if you get 10 dimes together, then you might have something.
At “dollar stores,” you can pick up inexpensive trinkets and knick-knacks for kids, your co-workers, your whimsical and/or ironic friend, even your beloved.
At the Dollar Tree, you’ll find the usual spread of party supplies and the Valentine equivalent of stocking stuffers: candies (including the ubiquitous conversation hearts that ask you to “be mine”), decorations, stickers, and drinkware (including RED PLASTIC CHAMPAGNE FLUTES, sold in packs of two).
That particular store also fills balloon orders and sells greeting cards for the more traditional gift-giver, but if you have children or pals with a merry irreverent streak to shop for, pick up a pack of lip-shaped erasers, a heart-shaped ice cube tray, or a fuchsia paddle ball set
