Celebrate Valentines Day On A Budget With Your Family

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My parents separated when I was in 4th grade.  The separation happened in January, so Valentines Day was the first so called holiday that occurred after my father left.  It happened to fall on the weekend that year, so we were home for the whole day.  My mother wanted to make that Valentines Day extra special for us.  Well, many years later (we won’t say  how many) I still remember that day with fond memories.  In fact I don’t think there is a single Valentines Day that I remember as well as that one.

We all know that times are tough. There is no reason to spend a lot of money on celebrating Valentines Day. Still there are lots of fun ways to celebrate for little to no money. Here are some ways to celebrate Valentines Day on a budget with your family!

Dress the Part

I am such a sucker for the holidays and I love to get into the mood for them. One easy way to do that is by dressing the part. On Valentines Day dress in reds, whites, and/or pinks. Do you have some heart shaped jewelry hanging around? Throw it on too. I also love to add a holiday themed pin to my ensemble.

Watch What You Eat

This is one of my favorite things that we did on that special Valentines Day. We challenged ourselves to eat only red and white food all day. Your kids will love this! Now you may have to make some allowances, but I bet your kids get really into it. Here are some ideas to get you started…
Breakfast – Doughnuts (try my egg free doughnut recipe, you can also put some strawberry jelly in the center), Strawberry Toaster Strudels, cereal (not all will work here)
Lunch – Butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches,  tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
Dinner – Spaghetti, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Fettuccine Alfredo
Snacks – Apples, red grapes
Dessert – Heart shaped sugar cookies anyone?

Decorate

Putting you house into a festive mood can be really fun, and your kids will have a blast doing it!
Paper Chain – Go back to your childhood days and make a paper chain to hang up.  All it takes is some construction paper and a glue stick (or staples).  Cut out strips and hook the chain links together (see picture above).  You can make the chain as small or as big as you like.
Make Place Mats – I don’t know about your house, but growing up we always had a ton of extra Valentine cards floating around from years past. I know my son only needs 30 Valentine cards for school, but his box has 32, so there are some extras right there.  Take those extra Valentines, a piece of construction paper, some crayons or markers, and some stickers, and let your child make a special place mat.  Just glue, color, and stick!  They need somewhere special to eat all of that Valentines Day themed food anyways!

A Little Something Special

OK, so this part might not be so good for the budget, and you can totally skip it if you want.  Still, I think it’s a nice gesture when parents get their kids a little something special for Valencies Day.  It doesn’t need to cost much.  A little (we’re talking four piece) box of chocolates, or a small toy.  On that long ago Valentines Day my brother and I both received comics (I was into Archy comics in those days).  My mother hid them under the cushions of the kitchen chairs.  We sat on them all through breakfast and didn’t even know it!

People often think of Valentines Day as one of love and romance for couples, but it’s nice to celebrate it with your whole familyl.  It doesn’t need to break the bank (I certainly hope it won’t), but adding a splash of something special to the day makes it special.  I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day!

What Valentines Day things do you do with your family?