Valentine's Day on a Budget | Top 14 Ideas for 2022 (2024)

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. And you want to be sure that special someone in your life knows just how special they are to you. Despite the misconception, you don’t have to spend a fortune to accomplish this goal. While dinner date nights are always romantic, we want to help you be a little more creative this year.

After all, Valentine’s Day is about sharing your love and showing others that you care about them. This could mean your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, or even a best friend. For 2022, we created a list of 14 gift and date ideas to help you show love and appreciation to those in your life who matter most while staying safe this season. Celebrating Valentine’s Day on a budget doesn’t have to disappoint.

1| Weekend Away At InTown Suites

InTown Suites has almost 200 locations in the US with affordable rates. All of our suites include a full-sized kitchen perfect for making a special meal together at “home.” You and your sweetheart can both get dressed up and enjoy the night in. With our Premium TV channels, you’re sure to find a Valentine’s day themed movie to enjoy together. Here is a list of the most romantic cities in the US to visit.

2| Flowers From The Heart

Purchasing a dozen roses might be out of your budget this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give flowers to your special someone. Wildflowers are just as beautiful! If you have a garden or there’s a nearby state park*, pick your honey some beautiful flowers and make a bouquet of your own. Taking the time to pick these flowers yourself makes them even more special. (*We don’t recommend picking flowers out of any “planned” flower beds in parks or green spaces. Check with a local ranger in the state park before picking any flowers.)

3| Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt

You could plan a scavenger hunt for your special someone or plan one for each other. This hunt could take place at home, around your neighborhood, or all over town. A scavenger hunt is a great way to remember all the special spots from during your relationship. You could create clues like “Go to the place where we had our first kiss.” We recommend saving the most romantic location for last.

4| Recreate Special Memories

Whether this is your first Valentine’s Day together or your 30th, think back to one of your favorite date nights and recreate it. Go to dinner at that special restaurant or rent the movie from one of your first dates. You can take a trip down memory lane discussing all the fun dates you have had and then plan for those you want to have in the future.

5| Best Friends Date Night

You may not have a significant other this Valentine’s Day, but you still have significant people in your life. You and your best friend can celebrate Valentine’s Day together getting dressed up and having a night out. Find a painting class that serves wine, go out for drinks and appetizers, or participate in a hobby you both enjoy. Remember the point of Valentine’s Day is to show love, and there are no rules saying that love has to be romantic.

6| Share Love Notes & Memories

No matter what festivities you have planned for your Valentine’s Day, a special and affordable gift idea is creating your own love notes. Take blank note cards, decorate each one, and fill them with special memories. You could also create a list of all the reasons why you love your special someone listing them on a poster board with Valentine’s Day decorations. Or just make your own Valentine’s Day card with a special message inside. There are lots of heartfelt ways to show you care without spending your whole budget on the gift.

*Bonus* Loveland, CO has been sending out special Valentines for 75 years as part of their Valentine Re-Mailing Program. To participate, you would mail a pre-posted envelope inside of a larger envelope to the Loveland Chamber of Commerce. They will then mail that special someone a Valentine’s Day card from Loveland.

7| Create An Edible Bouquet

Professionally made edible fruit arrangements are wonderful, but they can get pricey for those on a budget this Valentine’s Day. Why not create your own? Using these instructions, a container of strawberries, bamboo sticks, and green tape, you can create a scrumptious bouquet of strawberry roses for your sweetheart. We recommend presenting your gift with a side of dipping chocolate or whipped cream for the most delicious results.

8| Valentine’s Day Playlist

This idea can be paired with many of the other budget-friendly Valentine’s Day ideas. Create a special playlist of you and your honey’s favorite songs, both romantic and memorable. You can play this list of special songs while making dinner together, driving around town, or cuddled up in front of a cozy fire.

9| Create A Valentine’s Photo Book

This idea could be done by one partner as a gift. But it might be more fun to create your photo book together. For creating this book as a gift, first, head to your local dollar store and purchase a blank notebook along with art supplies like markers, crayons, glitter, and stickers. Then, print photos right off your phone or camera for less than 50 cents each at your local pharmacy, like CVS or Walgreens. Now, decorate your Photo Book with photos, stickers, and special words of love for your sweetheart.

If you wanted to turn this idea into a date, spend the day taking photos of each other and together. Then complete the steps above together. Now you have an extra special Photo Book you can look back on and enjoy for years to come.

10| Pancakes in Bed

Prepare your favorite breakfast meal for your special someone and serve it to them in bed. Whether that’s pancakes, grits, sausage, toast, or all the above, what better way to start your special day together than with breakfast in bed.

11| Sunrise With Your Sweetheart

Another great early morning idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day is watching the sunrise together. Make a big cup of coffee for each of you, pack up some muffins or granola bars, and head out to the best sunrise location near you. Nothing is more romantic than cuddling up with your special someone and watching the sunrise for the day.

12| Lunch Date Outdoors

Just spending time together is special on Valentine’s Day. A simple way to make that time even more special is packing up a picnic lunch and heading into the great outdoors. Lunch doesn’t have to be fancy, just as long as it’s something you both enjoy. You could even grab a couple of combos from your favorite fast-food restaurant if the budget allows. With your lunch and a blanket in tow, head out to find a quiet place to enjoy your meal. This might mean under a tree in the park or along a nearby hiking trail. Spread out and enjoy an afternoon together in the sun.

13| Classic Romantic Movie Night

There are tons of romantic comedies that have come out over the years, but the classic love movies have stood the test of time. Here is a list of classic romantic movies you and your specials someone will love. You can most likely find these movies on DVD at your local library or some may be available for rental online. Here are our favorites:

• Casablanca
• An Affair to Remember
• It Happened One Night
• Singin’ in the Rain
• The Philadelphia Story
• Bringing Up Baby
• The Lady Eve
• Love Affair
• His Girl Friday
• An American In Paris
• Roman Holiday

14| Dessert For Two

While having a full dinner at a fancy restaurant may be out of the budget this year, dessert may not. After enjoying a romantic dinner for two at home, head out to the romantic restaurant of your choice. Ordering a dessert to share won’t break the bank, but will still be romantic, special, and delicious.

*Bonus* Here’s a great couples cookbook. It has more than 120 recipes for couples to cook together.

We hope this list of ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a budget has been helpful and maybe even sparked a few ideas of your own. Remember the best way to make Valentine’s Day special is being with the ones you love.

No matter what your relationship is this Valentine’s Day, we hope you feel special and know that you are loved. Happy Valentine’s Day from everyone at InTown Suites!