More Frugal and Inexpensive Valentine's Day Ideas
Around this time last year I wrote a post about some frugal Valentine’s day ideas. I pointed out that this day should be a day of relaxation and fun, instead of a stressful day where lovers are fussing about dinner reservations and expensive out of town trips. 
Here were some of my suggestions:
- Cook a meal together.
- Handpick and arrange flowers yourself.
- Take a walk together.
- Watch DVDs.
To read the entire post, click here.
This year, I’m adding more tips to that list. After all, given today’s economic climate, most people can’t afford to splurge on Valentine’s Day. Here are some other frugal things you can do with that special someone:
Moonlit stroll. This is an offshoot of my “take a walk together” suggestion. The twist is that you drive somewhere peaceful with a romantic view, such as in Antipolo or Tagaytay, and take a walk at night. You can end the stroll with a bottle of wine, or even a picnic. I won’t be a full moon on the 14th, but it will still be bright nonetheless.
Have a DIY spa date. You can both get a romantic spa date in the comfort of your own home. Get your massage oils ready, light some scented candles, and play relaxing music. Here are some additional resources that can help you out:
- Yummy body scrub recipes (you can use brown sugar and oatmeal with vegetable oil to make your own body scrub)
- How to massage (instructions)
- How to have your own spa day
Give a scrapbook or memory box. Look for the mementos that are relevant to your relationship, such as old theater tickets, wrapping paper from your partner’s Christmas gift to you, etc. Put these into a scrapbook, and be sure to include some photos. If you don’t want the trouble of gluing things and laying them out, you can just look for a nice box and put all the mementos in there. Feel free to include small chocolates and petals in the mix.
Go on a group date. If you have other friends who have significant others, or if you’re single and want to go out with your other single friends, then you can go on a group date. If done right, it will be cheaper than a one-on-one date, especially if the group orders dishes meant to be shared.
Do you have other frugal Valentine’s day suggestions? Go ahead and share them in the comments section 
Photo by G & A Scholiers
Read MoreDoes Frugal Pinoy Apply to You?
“Your site doesn’t apply to me. I can’t use your advice.” I hear this comment a lot, especially from friends and family.
It could be true. The blog posts here at Frugal Pinoy may not apply to you, especially if you’re…
- feeling so secure in your finances that you know you can provide for yourself and your family even if you lose your job and have no income for 6 months,
- a multi-millionaire who wants to learn more about aggressive stock market investing rather than saving,
- or someone who thinks “I know all of this already! In fact, I can write a book on it!” every time you see a new blog post here.
If you’re any of the above, congratulations! You might not need this site. In fact, feel free to contact me and send a guest article containing advice that other Frugal Pinoy readers could use. (I’m serious about this. Guest articles are welcome. Just click here to send me a message via the contact form.)
But if you hear yourself saying or thinking the following lines, then this blog will definitely be beneficial to you:
- “I want to make more money.”
- “I need to get out of credit card debt.”
- “I hope to save more money so I can afford the things I want.”
- “I want to save more money so I can afford the things I need.”
- “I still accept financial help from friends and relatives.”
- “If I get laid off tomorrow, I won’t be able to pay for my living expenses until I get another job.”
- “I want to have the financial freedom to travel and pursue my passions.”
- “I’m spending too much on clothes/food/entertainment/etc.”
- “I want to retire early.”
- “I want to leave the rat race and start my own business.”
What is Frugal Pinoy really about? Why is it relevant to the people who can relate with these statements? In one sentence, Frugal Pinoy is a blog about defining financial freedom and the steps you need to take to get there. I’m willing to bet that almost anyone who is earning an income (or wants to) would benefit from defining the word “financial freedom” in their own terms, as well as take the steps to get to this freedom as soon as possible.
Personally, I want that financial freedom myself. The good news is that I believe I’m on track to financial freedom, even with the economic downturn (in fact, I’m thriving). If you want to be on this journey yourself, then you’re welcome to use the advice on this blog.
The best part? It doesn’t cost you any money. It doesn’t make me any money either*, so you know I’m not out to sell you multi-level marketing products and other scams.
That’s all This post just serves to remind both myself and the readers about what Frugal Pinoy is for.
If you want to receive Frugal Pinoy updates in your email, please click here and fill up the form. (It only takes 3 seconds.)
Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Photo by: Melodi T
* UPDATE: As of December 2009, I started using ads here at Frugal Pinoy to help support the maintenance of the site. But they are secondary to the content. I’ll always be putting the reader first.
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“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
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If you want to download a free copy of this ebook, simply click here.
Read MoreMy Values and What I Think About Money
I think it’s about time that I wrote an “introduction”post in this blog that gives readers an idea of my personal ideas about money, how I make my financial choices, etc. This might help some of you understand why I’ve written some posts the way I did and why I make certain choices. Please share with us your own personal story about money in the comments.
I don’t like money for money’s sake. Some people say “I want 100 million pesos!” or “I want to win the lotto!”, but when you ask them what they want to do with the money, they tell you they don’t know. Or they’ll buy the same standard set of things – a big house, some cars, etc.
When I make personal goals about money, I have to know what the money is for. I don’t believe in getting rich just to get rich and buying things just because they are uso or everyone has them. The money means something else for me. It might mean security, adventurous travel, and doing the things you want to do – not necessarily having the things you want to have and saying to yourself “Basta, yun ang gusto ko eh”.
See, most of the time, when we really reflect on why we want some things, we find that the real reason behind the want (or a part of it) is that we just want to keep up with others. Or for the cool factor. It’s okay to admit these things to yourself – I’m guilty of them sometimes. Just be aware of them.
However, at the same time, while I believe in making frugal choices, I still believe you should make the purchases that are important to you – even if the price tag seems a bit heavy. As long as you can afford it, of course. Frugality is different from being cheap. You should still be able to buy the things you enjoy.
An example: I always need to have some tea around. Although I have some inexpensive Jasmine Chrysanthemum Tea (Healthy Lifestyles, P15.00 for a small box of 10 teabags) my favorite tea in the world is the Twinnings Apple Cinnamon Tea, which is roughly P220+ for a box of 20 teabags). I love the Twinnings Tea. So I buy it.
In other words, for me, being frugal isn’t about living so well below your means that you don’t get to enjoy the things you really enjoy. It just means being mindful of where your money goes and the value you get for each purchase.
One final thing – I think wealth is relative. It all depends on what your values are and how much your time is worth.
For example, Juan Dela Cruz earns almost P1Million a year. However, he has to work almost 18 hours a day to earn it – sometimes even on weekends. I’m not impressed. That, to me isn’t wealth. I prefer a per hour measurement of income compared with how much income it takes for you to live the life you want. If you do the math, you’ll see that Juan only earns less than P200/hour.
For example, if Maria DelaCruz earns P1000 an hour, but only works 7 hours a week so she can spend her time with her kids – I think she’s wealthy. At the end of the year, she’s only made P336,00, but I think she’s still wealthier than Juan.
How about you? How do you define wealth and frugality? Please share your ideas with us.
Read MoreFree and Inexpensive Valentine's Day Ideas
It’s two days away from Valentine’s Day! Are you prepared? If you’ve got someone special I have a suggestion – forget the usual rose bouquet and expensive chocolates.
Honestly, I pity the nervous and sweaty guys and girls who panic at the last minute and go out and buy the most expensive flowers, stuffed toys, or chocolates they see at the store. Valentine’s Day should be a happy, relaxing day for lovers – not a cause for stress.
Here are more wallet-friendly ways to spend Valentine’s day:
Write something. Whether it’s a card, poem, or letter, creating something with simple pen and paper is so rare these days that this kind of effort would be appreciated.
Cook a meal together. Not only is it cheaper than a romantic restaurant, it’s fun too. Besides, with a few candles and a small table set up perfectly, you wouldn’t be lacking in ambiance. What if you don’t have the funds to buy extra ingredients? Check out SuperCook. It’s a great site that gives you recipes based on the ingredients you already have at home. If you make mistakes, that’s fine You’ll have something funny to talk about for the rest of the year.
Handpick and arrange flowers yourself. If you have a garden (or have access to one), it’s much more creative to handpick flowers yourself. Roses are so commonplace during Valentine’s day that it’ll probably be refreshing for your significant other to receive something else. Besides, the prices of roses tend to skyrocket during Valentine’s Day.
Speaking of flowers, if you find scattered petals laying around (or if the flowershop would be willing to give you some for free), you can use these. Whether it’s to decorate a bathroom, bedroom, or dinner table for V-day, they’re beautiful and cost-effective.
Take a walk together. Never mind going to Baguio or Tagaytay and spending thousands of pesos for lodging (I have a friend who spent P10,000 on just an overnight stay!) A nice walk or hike around UP, Antipolo, and some grassy areas in Marikina can lead to great conversations. If you prefer an indoor walk, there are several museums you can visit. The Vargas Museum in UP Diliman currently has a Florante at Laura exhibit you shouldn’t miss.
Watch DVDs. True, you can watch a movie in a mall theater, but so will every couple in Metro Manila. It’s bound to get crowded – which is hardly romantic or private. Odds are, you and your significant other have some unwatched DVDs. Now’s the perfect time to finally watch them. Or, you can rent DVDs from a video store.
What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? How much has it cost you in the past?
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