4 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas That Are Actually Affordable

Gift something a little more thoughtful this year.

Valentine’s Day is divisive. For some it is a day that offers an opportunity to show the person you love just how much you care or extend a rose to someone you’ve never had the courage to tell how you feel. But for others it’s another example of a day filled with false promises, rampant consumerism, fluffy pink hearts and clichés.

However, many Australians and New Zealanders are taking a fresh and modern approach to the day, acknowledging its positives and its sentiment but swerving the common pitfalls like naff gifts and droopy bunches of flowers purchased last minute. Instead, opt for something with meaning and thought, at a cost you can afford.

1. A Day Out That Makes A Difference

@oh.so.mellow

In the wake of the devastating fires that have ravaged much of the this country there has been a call for Aussies to help communities affected get back on their feet by spending their money locally through tourism. So this Valentine’s Day why not take a road trip to a town near you that may have felt the impact of those flames. Book a hotel for the night, dine in a local restaurant, buy a magnet, visit a farmer’s market and talk to the locals. Who said celebrating love needed to be only the romantic kind.

2. Make Memories

@olivecooke

Australians and New Zealanders value experiences more than any other purchase. Of course there are big experiences like sunset cruises and pleasure plane flights, wine and dine packages, swimming with dolphins and clay pigeon shooting if that’s your thing; but there are other ideas to consider too. Making sessions are now huge. Spend the day learning to make cocktails, chocolate or pottery. Create your own scent or discover the ancient art of Ikebana – Japanese flower arranging.

3. Quality Time

@myvisualcurrency

In the week leading up to Valentine’s Day ask your partner to write down a list of things they would like to do in their local area but have never gotten around to doing. Then spend the day doing precisely those things. Visit a park you’ve always driven past, take a bus in the wrong direction, stop for tea at an unlikely location, watch the sun rise, enjoy a picnic on a beach. Every list will be different and each a surprise.

4. Get Creative

@the.slow

Affordable and thoughtful, why not make something for your partner? Remember when you were a kid and you made something at school, took it home to show your parents and it sat proudly on the mantelpiece for the next 20 years? Making or crafting an object, no matter how simple, is perhaps one of the most thoughtful things you can do to show your love – even if it’s just painting a coffee mug.