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The Valentine's Day Challenge
by Nancy Twigg
Express your love creatively

Does Valentine's Day have to be expensive? Not at all. Let me
tell you a story of how my husband and I had one of the best
Valentine's Day celebrations ever by limiting ourselves to
spending $10 or less.

About ten years ago, my husband Michael and I both left good
jobs to begin a home-based business. Within a matter of weeks,
we went from two comfortable salaries to one sporadic stream
of income from our fledgling business. On the first
Valentine's Day after we became self-employed, we both knew we
shouldn't spend much on our February 14th celebration. So we
agreed to try something different. We decided to set a $5
spending limit per person for our Valentine's Day gifts.

To a spendthrift, a $5 spending limit on Valentine's Day would
have been like the kiss of death: "What can I possibly buy for
only five dollars?" For us, it became a game: "What kind of
cool stuff can we come up for with less than five bucks?" Both
of us enjoyed the challenge of searching out items that would
fit the bill.

Michael is a woodworker, so for him it was easy. He used his
time and only a little money to make me a beautiful oval frame
for a wall mirror I already had. He used wood that was
salvaged from discarded packing crates, 25-cent paint from a
yard sale, and plans he drew up on his computer. The only
thing he had to go out and buy was a dowel for putting the
frame together, which cost only 76 cents at the hardware
store. The end result was a beautiful mirror that hung proudly
in our bedroom for many years.

For Michael, I found a desk calendar that had a different
quote about love for each day. Because it was February, the
calendar was on clearance for $4. I also found a woodworking
book at a library discard sale for 50 cents. In addition, I
made him a homemade card and a plate of his favorite cookies.
When you add the cost of the cookie ingredients I already had
on hand, I actually went over my limit just a little, but he
was delighted nonetheless. In fact, we both enjoyed our gifts
and the thrill of the hunt so much that we instituted the
five-dollar rule for other gift giving occasions such as
birthdays and anniversaries that year as well.

Are you and your loved one going through a tough time
financially? Even if you're not, is the thought of saving
money more attractive to you than spending a small fortune on
Valentine's Day gifts? If so, I encourage you to try something
different this year. Take the Valentine's Day Challenge. Set a
small spending limit ($5, $10 or whatever fits your budget)
and agree with your spouse to give gifts that are low in cost
but high in creativity.

Use any special talents you have to create a keepsake. Put
your cooking skills to work to whip up an inexpensive, yet
irresistible treat in the kitchen. Shop the clearance racks to
find some special something your sweetie would enjoy. Visit
the secondhand stores to find a gently-used book by a favorite
author or CD by a favorite artist. Use your budgeted amount to
buy a gift card to the ice cream shop, coffee shop or movie
rental store.

Think outside the proverbial box. Make it a game to see how
you can use your creativity to give your sweetheart the most
Valentine's Day fun for the least amount of money.
________________

Nancy Twigg is a speaker and author who loves inspiring others
to live more simply. Adapted from Nancy's newly revised book,
"Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful
Holidays and Special Occasions" (www.celebratesimply.com).
Visit Nancy online at www.countingthecost.com