Valentine’s Day on a Budget

By Risa Van MiddelKoop, The Financial Diva

As a Professional Financial Advisor, I have seen personally how the pandemic has impacted my clients – and we’ve all seen how the last year has impacted people all over the world.

Being passionate about financial coaching means hearing about all of the adventures people hope to have in life, and I can tell you that taking care of relationships connects deeply to taking care of money. For that reason, I’ve put together some fun ideas that are COVID-19 and budget-friendly for a holiday that might be more important than ever as we cherish our loved ones: Valentine’s Day!

Here are five activities to make the most of this romantic day with your special someone:

1. Dance in the headlights at night: Drive to a secluded spot where you can see the stars. Dress up in your warmest clothes, open the car windows, crank up the music and dance in the headlights!
   
2. Pillows, blankets, and stargazing: Pack up a vehicle and drive out to the country. Download a free stargazing app – Star Tracker (Android / iOS) is a good one – that tells you what stars and constellations are above you. Sit in the back of your vehicle, snuggle up and learn about the constellations. And don’t forget to wish upon a shooting star…!
   
3. Geocaching: Pick a destination city which is between a half-hour to an hour away from home – and make sure there is a coffee drive-thru along the way! Geocache all the way to your destination while enjoying a coffee and snack, and then pick a different route home and geocache all the way back.
   
4. Snuggle together: Cozy up on the couch with a beverage of your choice – maybe something special you’ve been saving for a special occasion! Make a ‘bucket list’ (things you want to do, places to go together) for future dates which has boxes to check off. Place it on your fridge and get excited about making plans to check off those bucket list items!
   
5. Download the “Love Nudge” app: Link to your partner so both of you can complete the love language quiz. Come up with three ways in the upcoming week that you can speak to your partner’s love language. Add them to your calendar so you complete them. Use the app to its fullest by sending private love notes to each other, and set reminders to do little things to fill each other’s love tanks!

As we wait for the day when we can celebrate at a special restaurant, catch a movie or see a concert, I hope you’ll be able to use one or two of the activities above and make the best of the current situation with your partner!

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