 |
You are free to use content from this page in your blog or website, in return for a link back to this page from that blog or website.
Frugal Ways To Show Your Love
At one time, I would have never wanted to share my frugal ideas for showing love to those around you. My reason for keeping it to myself? At one time I thought that no one would be interested. After all, we were the only couple not buying each other expensive gifts, jewelry, roses, and more, right? Reality check! I have grown up a lot over these last 10 years and I have learned that I am not the only one clipping coupons and cutting my children's hair myself. There are lots of other families out there just like my husband and I, who have to watch our spending.
Without the necessary money to buy costly gifts for anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, or other special occasions, we have been very committed to doing things that were wonderful, yet inexpensive. Over the years, I have learned that these creative ideas are what truly matters and they have made our years together, lots of fun.
Here I have compiled my ideas here to share them with you:
PILL BOTTLE: This is a cute idea for your spouse or other adult. Take an empty pain reliever or prescription bottle and soak it in hot water to remove the label. After you remove the label, design your own label on paper, with something like the following: "Love Pills" - take one as needed. Then take strips of paper and write down the things you are willing to do for your loved one. Some ideas are: foot massage, back massage, your favorite pie, your favorite cookies, you choose the movie we see, etc... Take each strip and wad it into a little ball and place them in the bottle.
Copyright Brandie Valenzuela
LOVE SONGS: This next idea I did before we had internet access, so today it would be even easier to do this. Frame the lyrics to your wedding song or other love song. The internet has several sites that list song lyrics, so just type "song lyrics" into a search engine. Print up the lyrics in a nice font, and frame.
CANDLELIGHT DINNER: When you are not able to go out to an expensive restaurant for dinner, have it at home. Wait to eat until after the children are in bed, set your dining room table nicely with a tablecloth, candles and play soft music. Enjoy a nice dinner...preferably one that you don't usually have, and one that you and your spouse consider to be special.
SWAP CHILD CARE: If you do want prefer to go out for your special day, but find yourself having a hard time paying for dinner *and* childcare, ask a friend to swap child care with you.
CREATE A LOVE TREE: Find a branch outside that has several smaller branches coming off of it and place the branch standing up in a pot of soil, or even a coffee can filled with dirt would work. Cut out an assortment of hearts from different colored cardstock or construction paper and string each one with ribbon. Then have each member of your family write the things that they love on the hearts (one "love" per heart) and hang them on the tree. You can name just about anything you love: a beloved pet, grandma, sunsets, or even ice cream! If you want to create this tree as a gift for someone, write things on the hearts that you love about that person or couple.
RUN THROUGH A MAZE: If you have a gift for someone in your home, make them go through a maze of clues to get to their surprise. At the first "stop" (which should be a place in your home that this person is likely to go to), you should have a little poem of sorts which will tell them to go to the next spot in your home, and so on. At each point in your home have something telling your loved one where to go next until the end which of course will end up being their gift. I had a friend who did this for her husbands birthday. She placed his first note on the toilet since that was the first place he went to when he got home from work, and each note she cleverly told him where to go next in his home. After going from room to room, he came to the end which was a CD that he had wanted.
HEART SHAPED CAKE: If you don't have a heart shaped cake pans, don't despair. Create your own heart-shaped cake by baking one layer in an 8-in round pan, and one layer in an 8-in square pan. Cut the circle in half and place the cut side of the halves against two adjoining side of the square to form a heart. Frost and decorate at desired.
HEART SHAPED COOKIE POPS: Bake up some heart shaped sugar cookies, but insert a popsicle stick near the point of the stick and bake as usual. Decorate.
FLOWERPOTS: Take flat bottomed ice cream cups and place them on a cookie sheet or in a muffin tin (you can wrap bottoms of cones with crumbled up foil to make them more sturdy). Fill cones with 1/3 cup brownie batter and bake 35-40 minutes or until tops are puffed up and cracked. After brownie cones are cooled insert a fake rose in the center. You can also create a flower out of construction paper and secured it on a popsicle stick, and then insert this into the center of the puffed up brownie.
HEART SHAPED CUPCAKES: Prepare you favorite cake mix according to the directions on the box. Line your muffin pans with paper baking cups and fill each cup 1/2 full of batter. Place a marble in each muffin cup....between the paper liner and the pan, which will create the heart shape. Add additional batter as needed so that cups are about 2/3 full. Bake as directed.
GIFT COUPONS: We have all heard of the idea of creating coupons which give of ourselves, but have you ever given your kids some? Why not create a coupon book for your child that has coupons such as: your choice of dessert, kids video rental, lunch out with mom (or dad), etc.
PLANT A TREE: Give a gift that will grow! Without your loved one knowing, plant a tree in your yard. You may also want to make a small yard sign that will sit near the tree and that says who the tree was planted for, and the date.
PROGRESSIVE DINNER: Call up two other couples and arrange a progressive dinner. Everyone will go to the first couple's home and enjoy some appetizers, at the next home you will go for the dinner, and at the last home, you will enjoy dessert. After your progressive dinner, you may want to go out together to a movie or some dancing.
About The Author
Brandie Valenzuela is married and a mother of three children. If you like this article, be sure to check out her other website, Family First at: http://members.aol.com/BMValen/index.html While you are there, be sure to sign up for her FREE weekly newsletter devoted to your and your family and her FREE weekly ezine called Daily Holiday Recipe!
Cat 267
|
How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage by Kay Yerkovich...
|
|
|
Courtney Love HOLE magazine CLIPPINGS photos articles
|
|
|
Lillian Too's Love in a Box by Lillian Too (2002, Hardcover)
|
|
|
The Love Dare by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick (2008, Paperback)
|
|
|
Three Complete Novels: Lights, Laughter and a Lady/Love in the Moon/Bride to...
|
|
|
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary D. Chapman (2010,...
|
|
|
Love for Sale by Jill Churchill (2003, Hardcover, Large Print)
|
|
|
JOHN FUHRMAN REJECT ME I LOVE IT 21 SECRETS TURNING REJECTION TO DIRECTION DEAL
|
|
|
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary D. Chapman (2010,...
|
|
|
I Got This: How I Changed My Ways, Found Myself, and Lo
|
|
|
Baby Love: Healthy, Easy, Delicious Meals for Your Baby
|
|
|
Love and War in California by Oakley Hall (2007, Hardcover)
|
|
|
The Love Is A Gentle Stranger Series by June Masters Bacher/6 PBs
|
|
|
Show Dad How: The Brand-new Dad's Guide to Baby's First Year by Shawn Bean (2...
|
|
|
Learning to Love: Sugar and Spice \ Love by Degree by Debbie Macomber (2011,...
|
|
|
Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl-A Woman's Guide to Holding...
|
|
|
Romantic Love (How to Be Head Over Heels and Still Land on Your Feet)
|
|
|
How to Stay Married and Love Every Minute of It - Jack Exum (1988)
|
|
|
Living Crazy Love: An Interactive Workbook for Individual or Small-group...
|
|
|
The Sixty Minute Marriage Builder: An Hour of Reading for a Lifetime of Love
|
|
|
Parenting With Love And Logic by Foster Cline, Jim F...
|
|
|
'The New Film Show Annual - The Stars Tell Their Own Stories'.
|
|
|
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gar
|
|
|
Cosmo's Steamy Sex Games: Naughty Ways to Have Fun With Your Lover
|
|
|
'The New Film Show Annual' - c1959.
|
|
|
NEW Knit with Love: Stories to Warm a Knitter's Heart -
|
|
|
Part Wild: One Woman's Extraordinary Love for a Creature Caught Between the...
|
|
|
Love and Other Stories - DeMaupassant - The Modern Library
|
|
|
NEW - The Love Revolution by Joyce Meyer
|
|
|
I Love Lucy Celebrating 50 years of Love and Laughter PLUS FREE BONUS!!
|
|
|
I Can Make You Thin: Love Food, Lose Weight-Paul McKenna
|
|
|
Rising Road: A True Tale of Love, Race, and Religion in America by Sharon...
|
|
|
CHEAP SHELTER BY DAVID CARTER -FULL OF ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF BUILDING - PB 1984
|
|
|
Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin (1991, Pap...
|
|
|
From Love Field: Our Final Hours With President John F. Kennedy by Nellie...
|
|
|
Living Crazy Love: An Interactive Workbook for Individual or Small-group...
|
|
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Relationship Tips: 16 Practical Dramatic Ways to Know if He/She is REALLY Changing
Every relationship hits a snag, or worse, a major crisis (such as infidelity), that demands significant change if the relationship
is to survive.
Zen And Romance
The art of romance and the art of Zen are actually very similar. By romance we mean the feeling of love, happiness, joy and delight in just waking up in the morning. We mean being able to be excited about our day, our lives and the people we meet along the way. This is usually the way we feel when we are with or have met someone we particularly care for who cares for us that way as well.
How To Develop A Grateful Mind
There is one sure fire medicine that cures all difficulty and opens the way for your greatest good. It allows you to sleep well at night, wake up refreshed and filled with enthusiasm. Obstacles evaporate and wonderful possibilities appear. This medicine is abundantly available, has no side effects, can be taken in large or small doses regularly. You need no one to prescribe it and the more you take, the sweeter it is. The medicine is a good dose of gratitude, taken daily, at least three times a day.
Valentine's Day is Fast Approaching, So Gather the Chocolates and Lingerie
That lover's holiday we know as Valentine's Day is coming up again. This year, be prepared for it. There is no sense in running around at the last minute to find the right gift. Here's a list of the traditional winners.
A Friend in Need
Here's the scenario: Julie, a hardworking secretary, lent money to her good friend Ray; $1300 to be exact. Ray had just moved to a new town and claimed that he needed two new suits: one for an upcoming wedding and one to wear on job interviews. Ray lived in a beautiful penthouse. He had a degree in Computer Science and was accustomed to the finer things in life ' designer labels, frequent travel, and spa week-ends. When Ray told Julie he would repay her and signed a paper promising to do so, Julie didn't think anything of it.
Being Dumped, Just Plain Sucks!
Today I received a question from a guy. Here is what he said:
Relationhip Advice: How to Have Fun Together
Work. Bills. Kids. Chores.
No More Lonely Weekends!
How do you react when you are faced with spending another weekend alone because nobody has invited you to do anything with them?
The Egoistic Friend
What are friends for and how can a friendship be tested? By behaving altruistically, would be the most common answer and by sacrificing one's interests in favour of one's friends. Friendship implies the converse of egoism, both psychologically and ethically. But then we say that the dog is "man's best friend". After all, it is characterized by unconditional love, by unselfish behaviour, by sacrifice, when necessary. Isn't this the epitome of friendship? Apparently not. On the one hand, the dog's friendship seems to be unaffected by long term calculations of personal benefit. But that is not to say that it is not affected by calculations of a short-term nature. The owner, after all, looks after the dog and is the source of its subsistence and security. People ' and dogs ' have been known to have sacrificed their lives for less. The dog is selfish ' it clings and protects what it regards to be its territory and its property (including ' and especially so - the owner). Thus, the first condition, seemingly not satisfied by canine attachment is that it be reasonably unselfish.
Coping With A New Culture: Problems And Solutions
Coping with a new culture has never been the easiest job of one's life, for, not only that you miss your friends and family in the new place, you also miss your very own culture. And culture, as the social anthropologists say, is exactly what we do in our life. Going by this definition, you tend to miss everything, everything that you have done since the time you have taken birth, everything that you are used to ' foods, customs, attitudes, languages ' every little thing.
Don't Snuff Out Expressions of Liking
It is hard to express all the emotions to somebody whom you love the most.
Although one wants to share all those things which he/she has in his/her heart. But one can do nothing, whenever he/she goes to the person whom he/she loves the most.
Learn the Six Secrets of Chemical Romance
What is Chemical Romance? It's a scientific approach to seduction that reveals how to unleash the natural chemicals in the body. Have you ever felt an instant connection with someone you just met? Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?
Nip Verbal Abuse in the Bud
So often in a new relationship we learn the dynamic of the new relationship. This includes how you react together as a couple, with each other, and in group settlings. Backgrounds are very different and as our techniques in dealing and interacting with other people. One thing you need to be on the look out for is verbal abuse. Verbal abuse always takes place before physical abuse does. Knowing what the signs of verbal abuse are as well as being able to stop that treatment early on is key in a relationship.
Relationship Advice: How to Make a Genuine Apology
A genuine apology contains at least four elements: apology, acknowledgment, forgiveness and repentance.
Are Women From Utopia And Men From Wal-Mart'
It is surprising how many writers, psychologists, or scientists have made it their life's work focusing on the gender differences. In our male-dominated society it is no coincidence that men have undertaken the bulk of this work. They made an effort to help men and women get along, but deep down the sexes are much more alike than the world cares to admit.
10 Free Romantic Gifts
Being in love does not mean that you should turn overnight to be an extravagant spender. Love is beautiful when it is simple and true.
Maybe Not Bones, But Hearts...And Worse: The Destructive Power of Simple Speech
Out of the blue, slap bang in the middle of a working day, an
unexplained sensation inside your mouth breaks your
concentration.
Won Ton or Kreplach? How We Raise Children in Our Chinese-Jewish Family
I always knew my Oriental wife was Jewish; after all, she grew up eating Chinese food!
Proper Flower Etiquette
Flowers are great gifts for practically any occasion, but there are some basic rules of flower etiquette. With the popularity of ordering flower delivery online, some buyers may not get the sound advice they'd get from a local florist. This guide presents the real meaning behind different flower types, and when they are best used.
Healing The Mid-Life Love Crisis
All I wanted was to fall in love and live happily ever after. The End.
|
