By Yeritza Mejía
February is supposed to be the month of love and friendship, where you give to the people you appreciate the most, no matter how expensive it may be. But, honestly, Valentine’s Day is now a business where everything from flowers to chocolates, or something as simple as teddy bears can seriously leave you bankrupt. And this is why I took on the challenge to show you simple but romantic gifts that your mate and friend will love and most importantly, will keep your money inside your pocket.
Open When Letters…
Personally I made this for my boyfriend when he went on vacation to the Dominican Republic while I traveled to Europe. They’re simple, romantic, beautiful, long lasting, cheap and can be personalized however you want. You only need envelopes, paper to write the letter, and everything you want to put inside like pictures or tickets from the movie theater or game you went to together..
Some ideas: Open When… jealous, mad, sad, happy, stressed, bored, miss me, worried, etc.
It’s All About You…
We all know the usual box people fill with candy and notes in order to express their love to their loved ones, but why not use an empty bottle or a mason jar? Just follow the same method you would when filling up a box and fill it with anything you want and even decorate the outside with markers and glitters.
The Memories…
We all have pictures of our loved ones, and best friends so why not put them in an album and make it a gift? (Aren’t Albums Boring?) NO!!! We can personalize them with anything we want. We don’t even need an album to make this gift; a good notebook can do the job perfectly. And, it’s not only about pictures, you can also include letters or notes that you sent each other, tickets that you kept from a day out, wrappers of your favorites candies and much more.
To The Sports Lovers…
Nowadays all of us have a favorite sport and this is a perfect gift for any sports lover. Just grab the iconic figure from the sport your mate or friend loves (baseball balls, ballet shoes,etc.), fill it with messages, wrap it up and you are done. This also works well for other hobbies such as dance. You can decorate a pair of ballet shoes and give it as a gift to your loved one this Valentine’s Day.
Mugs…
Mugs are another all time favorite for Valentine’s Day. Most of the time they are filled with candy, but what if you make it a double gift to both of you by getting matching mugs. Mugs can be personalized with sharpies and an oven. First, you get a plain mug, grab an oil based sharpie, decorate it and put in the oven for 45 minutes at 350F. Once it’s done you can fill it with something of your choice and wrap it up.
And there you have it folks! Enjoy your Valentine’s Day on a budget!