3 Ways to Have a Romantic Valentine’s Day Without Breaking the Bank

flowers-heartValentine’s Day is a day that women love and men dread. Women look forward to being spoiled with romantic gifts and gestures, and men ruefully wonder how much Valentine’s Day will cost this year. Although big presents and expensive dinners can be fun, they aren’t the only way to woo your woman. Here are five great ways to score big points with your lady—without spending big money.

1 – Make Her Dinner

Money isn’t the only thing that counts as romantic for women. Thought and time are at least as important. Lovingly making a Valentine’s Day dinner for your wife is a wonderful way to show that you care for her. See if you can make one of her favorite foods If possible, make a recipe that means something special to her. Did she have a special pasta dish on the night of your first date? Rnd the recipe online, and make it. Even if your dinner doesn’t come out especially well, she’ll appreciate your effort, and she’ll still think. it’s romantic.

2 – Create an Ambiance

Presentation is a key part of romance, and it’s a must on Valentine’s Day. There might be just as much chocolate in a king-sized Crunch bar as in a heart-shaped box of carefully arranged sweets, but one of them is going to wow your wife, and the other one isn’t. So, whatever you do, make it special.

Make an extra effort to get dressed up. If you know where the good tablecloth is, use it. Put silky sheets on the bed. Buy a couple of candles—they’re cheap, and they automatically create a romantic setting. If you really want to go the extra mile, buy rose petals at a local flower store and spread them around the dining room or bedroom. These simple touches can make all the difference in the world for a woman. They can change a normal dinner into an elegant Valentine’s Day celebration, and they can change everyday sex into breathtaking, romantic lovemaking.

3 – Write Her Something

valentine’s Day is-the perfect day to write something for your wife. It doesn’t matter if you’re good at it or not—she’ll appreciate it anyway. Women appreciate it when their men are willing to bare their souls, when they’re willing to take a risk. Writing something for your wife shows that you care for her and that you trust her enough to let yourself be vulnerable.

If the words are beautiful, your wife will appreciate them. If they’re not, she’ll appreciate the sentiment behind them. Your writing will be romantic whether it’s good or not. You can’t lose, as long as you’re sincere. Love letters are always in style on Valentine’s Day, and love poems are too. If you want, you can also write down some memories of when you met, or of some other important moment from your past.

In your writing, try to be as specific as possible. Your woman would probably enjoy hearing that she looks nice, but she’d love it if you told her that you’re crazy about the way her hair cuds when it reaches her shoulders, or how sexy the soft skin at the small other back is In general, the more specific details you include, the more romantic it will be.

Three Ways to Buy Christmas Gifts for Less

christmas-santaChristmas is the most expensive time of the year and Christmas gifts are likely to account for a large proportion of your expenditure in the run-up to the festive season, especially if you have a large, extended family or a wide circle of friends. In times of economic difficulties, it makes sense to re-think your normal Christmas gift shopping habits and look for ways in which you can save money whilst at the same time still buying presents that will delight the recipients. Here are some ways to shop smartly for Christmas gifts.

Outlet Malls

Shopping for Christmas gifts at outlet malls is an excellent way to make your dollar stretch further. Outlet malls typically sell branded goods at prices 50 per cent to 70 per cent lower than in normal retail outlets. Clothing, accessories, cosmetics, home wares, books, toys, and many other items can be bought at outlet malls, so it is possible that you will be able to buy most, if not all, of the items on your Christmas gift list on a single trip to an outlet mall.

It is a good idea to set a budget before you leave home and keep to it. Since many items are offered at a large discount, you may be tempted to buy more gifts than you need to and you may end up spending more in total than you would have spent in your local shopping mall.

eBay and Other Online Stores

eBay sellers and owners of other online stores can afford to sell goods at lower prices than traditional retailers because they have lower overheads. Further advantages of doing your Christmas shopping online include being able to browse and order at anytime of the day or night, and not having to fight your way through crowded shopping malls in the run-up to Christmas. If you have friends or family members living overseas, you could order gifts from a website in their home country and arrange for them to be gift wrapped and delivered directly to their door.

If you buy gifts on eBay or other online auction sites, it is important that you set yourself a maximum price for each item and do not bid beyond that. Sometimes it is all too easy to get carried away with “auction fever” and offer more than an item is worth.

Personalize Low-Cost Items or Make Gifts Yourself

Unique Christmas presents can be created by either personalizing a low-cost item or making a gift from scratch. Look in your local dollar store for items that you could personalize. For example, you could buy a hardback notebook in a plain color and cover it with fabric in a design that would appeal to the recipient. If you buy an inexpensive fabric remnant in a fabric store, you could make a unique personalized gift quickly, easily and inexpensively.

Three Quick and Easy Ways to Save Money This Christmas

bear-christmasAlmost everyone overspends in the run-up to Christmas and regrets it in the lean month of January. The good news is that there are some very quick and easy ways in which you can make your hard-earned cash go further this Christmas.

Send Christmas e-cards or Print Your Own Christmas Cards. You may not wish to send Christmas e-cards to everyone on your Christmas card list, but, if you are on a tight budget, it makes sense to send at least some e-cards. You will not only save money on buying paper cards and envelopes but you will also save money on postage, especially if the recipients live overseas. Another option is to print your own Christmas cards using designs that can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet. Some designs allow you to incorporate your own photos, which is a nice idea if you live far from family and friends. It is also possible to print out envelope shapes and fold and glue them together to make your own envelopes, This is more cost effective than buying them and gives your Christmas greetings a personal touch too.

Don’t Buy Any New Christmas Decorations This Year. Most families already have several boxes of Christmas decorations, yet it is easy to be seduced by the Christmas spirit in the run-up to Christmas and buy even more decorations Take out all of your Christmas decorations well in advance and decide which ones you will re-use this year. If you have some time, look on the Internet for instructions and set aside some time at the weekend for the whole family to make new decorations together. Try and use only materials that you already have. Paper chains, for example, are a great decoration to make, as you only need paper, scissors, and glue or scotch tape.

Buy as Much Own-Label Food as Possible. Food bills over the holiday season are always high, whether you are just having a few friends over for a small party or whether you are inviting the whole of your extended family. In order to reduce your spending on groceries at this time of the year, buy as many supermarket own-label products as possible. Own-label products are usually of a similar quality to branded products with the only difference being that the packaging is plain. Your guests will not be able to tell the difference unless they see the packaging. If you are in doubt about the quality of a certain own-label product.