Be My Valentine...On A Budget?

I’m a romantic at heart and love Valentine’s Day. This year Ben and I are doing Valentine’s on a budget as he’s still at Uni and I may no longer be a student but that doesn't mean I’m not in the financial position of one! As I've been trying to come up with ideas for presents without breaking the bank, I thought I’d share a few of the ones I’ve considered. A great way to save money and add a very personal touch is to do something handmade so below are 5 gift ideas.

Homemade wrapping paper

I know that now-a-days there are plenty of places that you can get cheap wrapping paper but making your own can be just as cheap and shows that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into a present. For these examples all I did was decorate some plain brown paper using things that I found around the house: a red pen, tipex, red paper and red string leftover from Christmas.

Pinned world map

If you and your loved one have dreams of visiting the world together or have already been to some special places then why not get a world map and mark these on there. You can pin the places you have been together in one colour and the places you have yet to adventure to in another. I think it’s a great way to remind yourselves of happy memories and of the many more that are to come.

Photo scrapbook

Gather all your favourite photos from the last year together and make them into a scrapbook or collage. Like the previous idea it’s a cute reminder of your memories together and the perfect keepsake for years to come.

Mixtape

Go old school and make a mixtape. It could be of your partner’s favourite artists or songs that have meaning to the two of you. You can then hand-make a cover for the cd to add an even more personal touch.

Get baking

Baking is one of my favourite things to do as a handmade present – who doesn't like feasting on tasty goodies? For Valentine’s you could go with a pink/red theme like the above M&M cookies. You can make any sort of baking Valentine’s themes by using a heart shaped cutter or adding a pink theme to the recipe.