The national economy is facing a bleak unemployment rate, and the college student’s budget is smaller than ever.
So what items are on the axing board this Valentine’s Day? Lavish dining and fine jewelry, as consumers are becoming more discretionary and warming up to smaller and more pocket-friendly items, such as candy and Hallmark greeting cards.
So with thinner and thinner wallets, how do we show our infinite adoration and devotion on mere pennies?
Be practical. It will translate into you knowing your partner’s needs and being savvy. Is your partner always strapped for beer cash? Buy them a Kansas City brewed sampler pack of Boulevard Beer. Not only is the 12-pack full of 10 of their year-round staples, it also includes two seasonal brews for the adventurous and restless beer type for merely $15.
Is your partner always strapped on cash for groceries? Buy an inexpensive woven basket and stuff it full with their favorite snacks, drinks, magazines and ingredients for a meal for you to cook later. Not only will this show you know what cookies make their heart crumble, but it will show your partner you are really attentive to their preferences. Don’t skimp out on the whip cream, caramel and chocolate sauce either; everyone loves a buffet for two for dessert.
Be spontaneous. We do not seem to be lacking in snow in the past few weeks, so take advantage of the excess of free construction supplies. Construct an igloo outside your apartment or house, lay down a pad of thick blankets, shove two candlesticks into the snow and have an intimate place to call your own. Provoke your partner with an erotic poem or love sonnet. Look no further than American poet E.E. Cummings, who boasts of 29,000 poems, many sonnets and sexually-driven free verse works.
Buy a leatherback Moleskine journal from Barnes and Noble, and transcribe some of your favorite self-authored or published poetry in your own handwriting. Nothing, and I mean, nothing is more romantic than love professed in pen in an ultra trendy journal.
Pitch a tent. And yes, both ways apply here. Stockpile your car with blankets, sleeping bags and pillows and head over to Twin Lakes, off of Chapel Hill in Columbia. Bring an array of candles, rose petals and your partner’s favorite CD of lo-fi music. Pop open a bottle of Moscato, or hell, a fifth of Jack Daniels and just enjoy each other’s company.
Many couples get wrapped up in the idea of buying tokens of their love, instead of taking the time to just be in love on Valentine’s day. This way, and with the help of the arctic temperatures, there is no way you will not be getting warm and toasty under the stars.
Is your partner artistic or do they enjoy photography? This is the perfect landscape to set up a session of light painting with a camera set to long expose. Set up a tripod or small table (to avoid camera shake), set your camera to the longest exposure possible, set a timer and wave around a glow stick, flashlight or LED light to create bursts of light drawn figures or hearts on the photographs. Not only will this night be painted in their memory, but you will forever have a record of this Valentine’s day.
After that, bask in all that is the night sky and stargaze.
Grab a five pack of 3m Post-it notes and adorn every flat surface of your love’s car, walls, windows and mirrors. Not only is this the most love bang for your buck, but also, it allows you the chance to publically declare your affection. Write a different attribute that you love about your partner, dirty things you’d like to do to them later, small anecdotes from memories of the past or small poems.
Quote their favorite movie or song lyrics, or even post your favorite pictures together with ticky tack. Whatever you write, put it out there. Show your love. Broadcast it. After all, when the sun rises on Feb.15, it will not matter if the roses wilted or the chocolate went stale.
Love is about catching a whiff of their hair and feeling butterflies or holding their hair back at the toilet after too many crown and cokes and spoon-feeding Kraft Macaroni and Cheese to them the morning after.
It’s the pennies and nickels and dimes that add up to the big investment of love.