The month of February the world over is associated with one specific day: the 14th of February- Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day in its original form is meant to be celebration of love of all kinds but has universally taken on the general identity of being a day for romantic love. Lovers of all ages mark their relationship and celebrate their life together by spending the day as specially as possible with their beloved.

Recent years have seen the day move away from being a simple expression of happiness to becoming an extravagant and overdone occasion. While there is no harm at all in going overboard for the one you love it is important to remember your limits. One day cannot become the focus of all your attentions and if you have a tight budget to stick to there is no reason to stretch yourself thin in trying to go the conventional route on Valentine’s Day with expensive flowers, chocolates, cards and gifts, especially with the ongoing recession. In this article we share with you some ideas on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a small budget.

A beautiful idea is to prepare a picnic for your beloved. Plan it for the nighttime to add a romantic touch to the occasion. If the weather is nice plan it for a park or the beach where you can lay out a rug, light a few candles and enjoy the food and each other’s company. A portable disc player with a specially made CD will add to the mood while you and your partner spend some quality time under the stars. Incase of cold weather, plan it around a small fire and spend a cozy night together.

Plan the day in advance and do all the things your beloved likes. This doesn’t necessarily involve spending money as a scrumptious breakfast in bed, a luxurious bath and pampering massage, a day out at a local park, zoo or monument and a dinner to top it off can make for a memorable and enjoyable day where you can focus all your attention on your partner without anything to distract you.

If you’re good with an instrument you can make a recording of all her favorite songs and present to her. Music speaks louder than words across all races in the world and soothing classical music sets the mood beautifully. The fact that you played it yourself will add a sentimental value to the gift.

A great yet inexpensive gift idea would be to make a box of the things your partner likes best. Try your hand at arts and crafts by making them a pretty card, handmade jewelry, their favorite chocolates and a good novel. You can also add flowers, a CD, scented candles and a photograph of the two of you together to the box. Be sure to decorate the box well.