Valentine’s Day is … tomorrow. If you are still trying to find a last minute unique gift idea for that special someone in your life and stay in line with the budget that you’re probably still paying off holiday bills from, keep reading! You can still give your Valentine a great day tomorrow without going broke.

The most important word you can remember about Valentine’s Day: Thoughtfulness. You truly don’t have to spend a ton of money on lavish gifts, experiences, or dinner at a fancy restaurant. Don’t underestimate the value of a nice home cooked meal, a homemade card, or an activity you both love doing together.

Go on an Outing this V-Day

Sometimes an experience creates more memories than a big gift or expensive flower delivery. Would you rather buy your true love a giant flower arrangement that more than likely won’t be around to see February 21^st, or recall a fun day out together that you can look back on for years to come? Planning an actual activity also shows creativity and effort. Need some lower cost ideas?

• Go geocaching – this is completely FREE. What is geocaching? This is a real life outdoor treasure hunting game using the GPS device on your smartphone. You will need to find and register locally, and then you’ll be given GPS coordinates to navigate to and find a geocache container that’s hidden at the designated location. Find out more here.
• Try an escape room – averages about $30 a person. This is a lower cost, fun and adventurous activity to try with your loved one. You’ll need to work together and communicate, and it’ll be an exciting experience you won’t soon forget. Hit the web and find out where the nearest escape room is to you.
• Wine and paint class – another lower cost activity that is BYOB, and typically under $40 a person. You’ll get to paint together, drink wine, and take home some beautiful artwork! To save even more money, try looking for deals online for a class local to you on Groupon.
• Go axe throwing – cost also averages about $30 a person. See if there’s a local venue near you for throwing axes and/or darts. These locations are also typically BYOB which will save you some more money as well.
• Actually see a movie in the theater – when was the last time you went to the movies? These days it seems like most people tend to take advantage of Netflix and other streaming at home movie services. This also is probably one of the cheaper outing options on this list, around $20 per person. Check your local theater and purchase tickets online in advance.

Ways to Save on Flowers

Being that Valentine’s Day is tomorrow – it’s probably going to be tougher to order online now, have them delivered on the actual holiday, and not pay a fortune. If you are in this boat and didn’t preorder, instead of purchasing a whole bouquet – don’t underestimate the gesture of buying just one single long stemmed rose, or try a less expensive flower bouquet instead (think red/pink carnations).

Are you against the idea of buying flowers altogether and spending a great deal of money on something that may not last longer than a few days? How about sending your Valentine a photo of virtual flowers. You can send them anything, they’ll last, and won’t cost you a dime!

But, if you’re still set on buying flowers – look online for deals, or try ordering through a cash back site like Rakuten.

How to Save on Valentine’s Dinner

At this point, it’s probably going to be next to impossible to get a dinner reservation. However, most of the time a home cooked meal is more private, less expensive, and better than dining out.

Do you have an InstantPot? This wonderful kitchen device allows you to cook a gourmet-like meal quickly. If you don’t – hit your local Target or Walmart and pick one up (they range in price with an average of around $50, but you can probably get one on sale or look for store coupons too). All you have to do is find a recipe, purchase your ingredients, close the lid, and push a button. You’ll impress your love and probably have leftovers for the next day also! You can even make dessert in your InstantPot such as cheesecake, the day before. Or if you want to opt for something easier to make the day of that’s still seasonal – try your own chocolate covered strawberries and open a bottle of wine or champagne.

If You Still Insist on Buying a Gift

If you’ve thought about it and you are set on purchasing a thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift but don’t want to spend a fortune, opt for one that includes a photo of the two of you. This is still sentimental, a nice memory, and won’t cost a lot. Simply print out your favorite picture together at your local Walgreens (which you can do almost immediately), put it in a nice frame, and if you have extra time – have it engraved.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Article Source: Rick Broida for cnet.com