We’ve all seen the movies that show these extravagant Valentine’s Day celebrations that if you budgeted out, might equal a whole month’s salary! Don’t let the glamour fool you, the main point should be to spend time with the person you love and enjoy each other’s company. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do that!
You can still have a special Valentine’s Day together without putting an expensive night out on your credit card. Here are 7 easy ways to save on Valentine’s Day dinner.
How to Save on Valentine’s Day Dinner
Cook dinner at home
You can buy several nice steaks, a yummy salad mix, some gourmet bread, and a bottle of wine for far less than you would spend eating out! Best of all, you can wear comfy clothes and sit on the couch while you eat if you so desire. We love doing this and putting our kids to bed early. Here are some more ideas for a frugal Valentine’s Day dinner.
Celebrate on a different night
Many nice restaurants mark up their prices on Valentine’s Day or serve only special meals at a set price for those nights. If you want to save some money, you could choose to go to one of those restaurants on a different night and skip the alcohol or appetizers.
Buy discounted gift cards to restaurants
If you decide to eat out, buy a discounted gift card from a grocery store to the restaurant where you plan to eat.
Do an activity instead of eating
You could choose to just do a day date instead of eating an expensive meal. Here are some frugal day date ideas.
Have a picnic lunch
If you decide to do a day date and the weather isn’t bad, you could eat a picnic lunch outside somewhere that you pack yourself.
Watch a movie and eat charcuterie
Making a charcuterie board is often an inexpensive way to eat what feels like a very fancy meal. If you’ve never made one before, here are my tips for creating a charcuterie board.
Go out to breakfast or lunch
If you don’t have other obligations, you could choose to go out to eat for breakfast or lunch. Prices are lower than for dinner and you could still eat a really nice meal for a fraction of the price you’d spend eating dinner at the same place!
Do you have any other ideas for how to save on Valentine’s Day dinner? Let us know in the comments!