From the category archives:
Romantic and fun dates for the frugal at heart: ways to have a romantic and fun fate on a budget
You’ve met this absolutely fantastic person that you are crazy about. You want to ask them on a date. The only problem is that money is tight. You wonder two things: What can you do that won’t send you to the poor house but that both you and your date will enjoy, and what will your date think about you if you plan something frugal to do?
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Are you sick and tired of not having enough money to pay your bills, not having enough money to buy food and medicine? Are you tired of running out of money before you get another paycheck? Are you living on one income when you previously lived on two? Did you recently get laid off your job and are having a hard time making ends meet? Saving Money Club is here to help!
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The goal of our Saving Money Club membership site and blog is to offer members money saving tips and ideas that will help not only save money right now, but to learn a new lifestyle when it comes to personal finance and money spending habits. With the economy in the shape it is, how many of us can afford not to live more frugal?
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Saving Money Club will always offer new and interesting material for members, updated often so that you can always find more money saving advice and tips on various topics. New ebooks will always be available to members totally free or at a very substantially reduced low price. Our goal is to help you save money!
Saving Money Club offers members resources, information, and tips about saving money. Saving Money Club shows readers how to live better on less, how to stretch the dollar, and budget better. We provide members with frugal living tips and frugal advice, money saving tips, better budgeting ideas, freebies, coupons, coupon codes, bargains, discounts, and tips on ways to cut spending and get more for your money. Saving Money Club offers money saving advice on anything and everything about living… fashion and beauty, diet and weight loss, travel, family, house and home, gardening, shopping, crafts, cooking, parenting, babies, teens, entertainment, the economy and recession, credit and debt help, and more.
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By Deborah Taylor-Hough
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner And just in case you’ve forgotten, it’s always celebrated on February 14th. (Now you have no excuse for ignoring it again this year.)
But if you’re thinking, “Well, I have no excuse … except for the fact that I don’t have much money to spend on an elaborate gift or dinner out at a fancy restaurant right now.”
No worries. Here’s a list of inexpensive — and often free — ideas for spending some quality romantic time with your Valentine.
Outdoor Ideas
If the weather outside isn’t frightful this time of year where you live, Nature’s a romantic spot to spend some snuggling time together.
You could always have an exercise date if you’re both fitness nuts: a brisk walk on a tree-lined lane, a game of Frisbee in the park with your favorite view, bicycling along the waterfront, a hike to a local destination. One of my favorite things to do is rent a canoe and meander slowly around the local waterways.
For a less physically demanding outdoor idea, slow the pace down and stroll leisurely through the park rather than power-walking. Hold hands, look at the flowers, watch the birds, listen to the sounds of nature. Go somewhere you haven’t been for ages … maybe an arboretum, beach, game reserve, or Japanese gardens.
And don’t let a bit of rainy drizzle stop your plans. A romantic stroll under a shared umbrella followed by a cup of coffee or tea in a local coffee shop is definitely a romantic alternative to the typically more expensive dinner and a movie. Plus, most parks are less crowded on rainy days, so you’ll have more privacy for your romantic walk.
Even in the winter, it can be fun to wander through the local zoo. Many times the animals are more active this time of year rather than in the summer when they’re all hiding in the shade, escaping the summer heat.
Your local newspaper is always a great resource for inexpensive date ideas. Check out the “What’s Happening” section for information on local heritage festivals, film showings, street fairs, home tours, fireworks displays, musical events, and county fairs.
Indoor Activities
If it’s too cold or wet to spend Valentine’s Day outside, try taking a romantic drive together into the countryside, perhaps stopping for coffee and pie at a diner along the way. Mmm.
Spend the afternoon browsing through antique stores together. Talk about the things you remember seeing in your grandmother’s house when you were a child. It’s amazing the memories that can come back looking through things from long ago. You might discover things about your loved one you never knew.
Museums are often a fairly inexpensive way to spend time together. Check around for history and art museums you’ve overlooked in the past. Many of them have free days, too.
If it’s winter in your area and winter consists of sunny skies and palm trees, you might want to consider going ice skating together at the local skating rink. The change in temperature is invigorating, and it’s fun to bundle up in a scarf and gloves if it’s not something you do very often. Plus, it’s always appropriate to hold hands while skating together. Instant romance.
Stay-at-Home Ideas
Breakfast in bed is a fun wake-up on Valentine’s Day morning. Maybe cook some heart-shaped pancakes to complete the theme?
You could also have a tea party, just for the two of you with a selection of delicious gourmet teas, a variety of cakes and cookies, romantic music, and of course some fragrant flowers (they can just be ones picked from the yard … you don’t have to go overboard — and over-budget — with a dozen long stemmed roses).
Try having a picnic in the livingroom by the fireplace. Spread a blanket or tablecloth on the floor, light some candles, pack traditional picnic food items into your picnic basket, turn on some soft music. Maybe feed each other fresh strawberries.
If you have a series of movies you both enjoy, a movie marathon can be a fun way to spend the day. Stock up on snacks ahead of time, cuddle under a blanket on the couch, and watch a day full of Lord of the Rings, the Matrix, or a variety of romantic comedies). Turn off the ringer on your phone and just spend the day getting lost in the stories together.
Have a happy Valentine’s Day!
Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
–Deborah Taylor-Hough (freelance writer and mother of three) is the editor of the Bright-Kids and Simple Times e-newsletters. She’s also the author of ‘A Simple Choice: A Practical Guide to Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity,’ ‘Frugal Living For Dummies(r)’ and ‘Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month.’ Visit Debi online at: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com
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You’ve met this absolutely fantastic person that you are crazy about. You want to ask them on a date. The only problem is that money is tight. You wonder two things: What can you do that won’t send you to the poor house but that both you and your date will enjoy, and what will your date think about you if you plan something frugal to do?
Unfortunately there are a lot of people whose idea of a fun and romantic date is to spend money, a lot of money. Some women have the idea that if a man doesn’t spend a great deal of money on her on a date, that he isn’t good enough for her. Leave those women in the dust! They aren’t good enough for you! A fun and romantic date is not about money at all, but about just being with the person you care about.
There are a number of things a couple can do together that costs nothing or very little. Just some ideas that your special someone is sure to enjoy with you are:
Order pizza (or better yet, make your own), rent a movie, and just stay home. Nothing speaks romance as much as two people snuggled on a sofa watching a movie and eating pizza together. And if you are watching by chance a scary movie, so much the better for cuddle time.
Pack a picnic basket and a couple of fishing poles and head for the lake for a few hours. Fishing is fun, as long as you don’t freak out at having to bait the line or taking the fish off. For the ladies, if you are prone to freak out, you have this big strong manly man there to help with things. And how much more romantic can it be than for your date to save you from the fish on the line?
Something that any man is sure to enjoy is a slow massage. A massage helps to relieve stress and tension and it feels good. While he watches a movie, get the massage oil and give his shoulders and back a nice slow rub down. Take your time and give him a lot of attention. He might just enjoy the massage so much that he forgets he’s watching a movie. If he starts to fall asleep, you are doing a great job.
There are a number of other things a couple can do together to have a fun and romantic date on a budget. The main thing to remember is that the date is about the two of you, not about money. The fact is that if a person is only interested in you for the money you can spend on them, they simply are not worth your time. Anyone that truly cares for you is not interested in what you will spend on them now or in the future, they are only interested in being with you.
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Frugal Simplicity has changed our frugal living website into a frugal living tips and ideas blog. Our blog offers readers a nice pat selection of regularly updated frugal ideas and tips. Having the site as a blog greatly improves the site in many ways. Not only does it improve navigating for frugal living tips and better budgeting help, it makes it easier for readers to find the latest updates about living a more frugal life.
Our frugal living blog features such pat frugal living tips as frugal recipes, money saving tips, better budgeting resources, budget decorating tips, budget wedding tips, ideas for getting out of debt and staying out of debt, and much more. We hope you enjoy the new layout and ease of use.
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