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There are plenty of low-cost or free ways to show someone you love them.
The shops are bursting with heart-shaped merchandise as Valentine’s Day approaches, but if money is limited, there are many inexpensive or even free ways to express your affection.
We’ve highlighted a few of them here, but first, we’ve compiled a list of this year’s top cheap floral options, including red roses, chocolates, and dinner.
Flowers
The red rose, which is the traditional emblem of love, is readily accessible in bunches for any price range. A dozen red roses are available for £19.99 from Funky Pigeon, and you can send them right to your Valentine. Since they are supplied in bud, they ought to survive longer. The £14.99 potted red is a less expensive choice.
Alternatively, you could choose a single red rose. For instance, Longacres offers delivery to mainland Great Britain for £4.99 for a single long-stemmed rose.
Sainsbury’s is offering $5 bunches of yellow and white long-stem roses as a modern twist on the traditional flower.
The least expensive letterbox flower choice from Bloom & Wild costs £19 for a tiny bunch of pastel or vibrant buds if you want to try something new.
Chocolates
There are several Valentine’s Day chocolates available that are affordable. Choosing a high-end product is still possible without breaking the bank.
In a pink and gold heart-shaped box, Charbonnel et Walker small pink heart champagne truffles cost £5.99 at John Lewis.
The Holdsworth “With Love” chocolate assortment, which comprises creams, truffles, pralines, and caramels coated in milk, white, and dark chocolate, is also available in the department store for £10.
Dinner
For couples who wish to prepare a meal at home on a budget, the majority of supermarkets offer Valentine’s Day deals that frequently include three dishes, sides, and a drink.
This Valentine’s Day, Asda is providing a three-course supper for two for £15 that includes wine.
Sainsbury’s and Morrisons’ meal deals are also priced at £15 this year, while Tesco’s is £12 and Aldi’s costs £8. Aldi is also relaunching its Ballycastle red velvet cream liqueur again this year, after it sold out in 2022.
Many chain restaurants have special Valentine’s Day deals if you’d prefer to go out on a budget. On Valentine’s Day, TGI Friday’s is offering two dishes for £18 and two-for-one cocktails, and the Wildwood restaurant chain has introduced a three-course dinner menu with a beverage starting at £29.95 per person. For couples who reserve a table in advance at Las Iguanas, a complimentary glass of prosecco is offered.
Free and inexpensive options
Create a customised Spotify playlist for your spouse (or whichever streaming service you use). Maybe a compilation of the songs that were played frequently when you first met, or songs that bring them to mind?
A fair general guideline is between 12 and 20 songs.
Choose a romantic movie with care that is available on Netflix, Amazon, iPlayer, etc. and doesn’t cost extra, then curl up on the couch and watch it.
At the time this article was written, Netflix offered titles like Call Me By Your Name, Maid in Manhattan, and Man Up, as well as the romantic favourites La La Land and Dirty Dancing, while the BBC iPlayer also had Emma and titles like Romeo + Juliet and My Summer of Love.
Check out the 52 ideal rom-coms listed by the Guardian if you need some inspiration. Or how about one of the classics if you’re thinking of something older and perhaps in black and white? We found vintage movies on Amazon Prime UK.
Amass mementos from your time spent together and place them in a scrapbook with relevant captions. Your only problem might be that real souvenirs, like tickets, etc., may be difficult to find in this digital age where so much of our lives are lived online. Making a custom photo book is one choice. Of course, this will be expensive, but there are many businesses out there, such Snapfish, Photobox, and Cewe, and there are frequently discounts available.
Make a poem for them. Some websites, like Poem Generator, claim to be able to “produce a love poem in seconds.” You only need to enter a few adjectives that best characterise that person; the “robot” will do the rest. We weren’t certain about. Cook a romantic meal at home, and make it extra special with a freshly ironed tablecloth, napkins, candles, handwritten menu card and your loved one’s favourite music playing in the background.
