Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, but preparing for this holiday is not a priority for many students in between buying textbooks and purchasing other materials to start off the semester.
Here are several suggestions that will allow you to celebrate this special holiday with a loved one without having to spend all of your money:
PICNIC AT THE PARK
There are many local parks that have been recently landscaped and are ready to be explored. To make the day special, prepare lunch and a delicious dessert. Making the snacks and the meal yourself will add the detail needed to show appreciation for the other person. While it is easier and more convenient to buy cooked food, making them yourself will save money and allow you to have more for your money spent.
Fairmount Park, for example, is located here at 2601 Fairmount Blvd. This is one of Riverside’s newly renovated parks and has many sights that a couple can admire, such as beautiful rose gardens and fishing. The park offers several lakes to visit.
COOKING YOUR OWN MEALS
There are several easy-to-make meals that are cheap and far more creative when compared to a fancy dinner. A great example is making heart-shaped sandwiches – they are great for a picnic! Get creative with the combinations and try peanut butter and jelly, turkey with lettuce and tomatoes or even Nutella and jelly. Personalize the sandwiches by adding your favorite spread or making them with your favorite deli products. Even if the weather does not allow for a picnic, the sandwiches or meal you create can also be taken indoors.
VISIT RIVERWALK AND TAKE A LONG STROLL
There are long pathways near La Sierra University that follow several rivers. Taking a long walk here does not only serve as a romantic date but is inexpensive and features many admirable views. While walking down Riverwalk, consider stopping by the shopping center. Be spontaneous, choose a store and try on different clothes. This will allow bonding as well as getting to know each other’s tastes in clothing. It saves you money and allows for creativity (just try not to get into trouble).
MAKE YOUR OWN CHOCOLATE
Purchase chocolate bars or chunks of chocolate, place them in a small glass bowl and slowly melt them over boiling water. This will create melted chocolate that can be customized with almonds, cashews, marshmallows or anything you and your date like to make your very own personalized chocolate that cannot be purchased anywhere else.
ATTEND $2-$3 MOVIES
The locations and screenings of these movies can be easy to find online by simply Googling the information you want. Not only this, but going to one of these theaters will allow you to catch up on old films you once missed. Instead of paying full price, you can get the entire moviewatching experience for less. The nearest discount theater is Regency Theater, located at 12625 Frederick St. in Moreno Valley. And, with all the money you saved from discounted ticket prices, there are several cheap food options available.
BUY A JAR AND FILL IT WITH NOTES
For this, all you have to do is buy a nice jar that you can find at any dollar store, like The Dollar Tree. Take some paper and cut it into small pieces to write on. On each piece of paper, write a memory of you and your loved one or a funny inside joke the two of you love. Once given to them, sit down and read them together. This time spent reminiscing will also allow you to create new memories. As time passes, continue writing things about each other that you really enjoy and place them inside the jar. Personalizing the jar is also a fun activity to do together.
Making Valentine’s Day special takes time and effort, but now it does not have to take all your money. The simple thought and time taken to plan out something special for your loved one not only saves you money but creates memories that will be never forgotten.
