Ideas for a Low-Key Valentine’s Day

Digitally generated Valentines day vector

Ideas for a Low-Key Valentine's Day

In a recent survey from our friends at RetailMeNot.com, 65% of survey respondents said they “would prefer a low-key dinner over going to an upscale or trendy restaurant on Valentine's Day”. This is really no surprise, since a Valentine's Day out can truly stress some people out in terms of the pressure of otherwise planning the perfect evening.

For those 65 %, I was inspired to come up with ideas to create a perfect home-centered Valentine's Day this year. These ideas work well whether it's just you and your significant loved one, the whole family, or a great group of friends.

Everyone's Favorite Dinner – 

 Allow each person to pick what they'd really love to have for dinner, even if all the choices are completely different. Once you've got everything, sit down to an enjoyable dinner in the comfort of home. Coordinating all the food to still be hot can be tricky, so plan ahead.

Movie Marathon – 

It might seem like old hat, but when was the last time you laid around and just lost yourself in a series of good movies? Take turns picking the features. To make it really special, buy or make good popcorn, and have plenty of favorite theater candy. You might even consider fancier popcorn flavors, such as caramel corn, jalapeno cheddar, kettle corn, or sweet and salty mix (where you mix candies right into the popped corn).

Camp Out – 

Bring the fun of summer into winter. Move furniture out of the way and pop up a tent, or make a good old fashioned blanket fort. Pretend you're out in nature with no electronic devices, and play games and read stories instead. Make s'mores in a fireplace, over the stove, or even in the microwave. For dinner, have food you'd normally have while camping. And, of course, don't forget the flashlights for shadow puppets.

Home Project – 

This may not seem very romantic, but sometimes the best gift you can give someone is to finish a lingering home project. Maybe something needs sprucing up, cleaned out, or refinished. Get up early and tackle a project you can finish by dinnertime. Then order takeout that sounds good, curl up on the couch and bask in the glow of finally getting that project off your mind. To not waste time you could be working on the project, be sure to think through everything you'll need and make purchases ahead of time.

Fabulous Fondue –

Fondue dining is coming back into popularity; and for good reason. It's an experience, designed for lingering around the table, enjoying food slowly and having conversation. Standard fondue fare includes a selection of meats (cooked at the table, a piece at a time, in hot cooking oil or flavored broth); warm cheese dip for breads and veggies; and melted chocolate, for over pound cake, marshmallows, pretzels, and fruit. The beauty of fondue is you make the menu.

If you don't have tabletop fondue pots or a small chocolate fountain, you can still make it work. Simply heat the oil or broth in two small pots, leaving one on low on the stove and using one at the table. When the table pot gets too cool, trade them around. For cheese dip, make ahead and keep warm in a small slow cooker.

For chocolate, temper it slowly, using very hot water in a bowl underneath another bowl holding the chocolate. Stir it well and often. If the chocolate begins to harden, simply refresh the hot water in the bottom bowl. For the forks you'll need to cook meats, metal skewers can do the trick. In a pinch, you can also use a long-handled slotted metal spoon and simply drop the pieces in, then fish them out. For the cheese and chocolate dips, forks or skewers work fine.

And finally, to make fondue economical, don't overbuy your ingredients. A little of each item goes a long way, especially when you'll want to try some of everything.

A World Away – 

You may not be able to physically get away this year, but you can simulate it at home. Choose a location you'd love to visit, then theme around that. For example, if you'd love to see Paris, start with a snack of fruit and croissants. Then tour Paris through a presentation found on DVD or online. Later, create the vibe of a French cafe with dim lighting, candles, music, and French-inspired food. Wrap up by watching a movie or reading a book that takes place in Paris.

Written by Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel

Josh Elledge Consumer Savings Expert and Founder/Chief Executive Angel, SavingsAngel.com®

Josh Elledge is on a mission to help Americans save money and time so they can give. He is Founder and Chief Executive Angel of SavingsAngel.com®, which was created to bolster the buying power of the average U.S. family by combining technology, coupons and smart thinking for extreme savings on household consumables and everyday items.

Through his work with SavingsAngel.com, Elledge has emerged as one of the nation's leading experts on consumer savings appearing in the media more than 2,000 times!

READ MY FULL BIO HERE: https://savingsangel.com/josh

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