Creative ideas for Valentine’s Day on a college budget

By Ashleigh Bennett, Jess Sacco and Jordan Huskins. Feature photo credit: C.P. Storm.

Chances are if you are reading this, you’re a college student and Godiva truffles and diamonds aren’t in your budget. There are several inexpensive and free things to do that are far more creative than a stuffed pink gorilla wielding a heart from CVS. Trust me, with these ideas you don’t need to buy anyone’s love.

• Celebrate Valentine’s Day after Valentine’s Day. Everything is half off and the chocolate still tastes the same on February 15th.

 

• If you’re into arts and crafts make your significant other some origami flowers instead of dropping $60 on a dozen roses. It will show you’re thoughtful, they’ll last a lot longer, and save you some serious cash.

 

• Camp out. Not outside, but in your living or dorm room. Build a blanket fort, dim the lights, share ghost stories and make s’mores over a camp stove or sterno can. Crack open the window a bit, snuggle up in your sleeping bags, and pretend you’re on a mountain get away.

 

• Think you’re a little bit too rock ‘n’ roll for Valentine’s Day? Think again. Get a $20 heart tattoo at Tiki Tattoo in Mansfield.

 

• Try making a card. Supplies are cheap and the card will be much more meaningful than a card from the store. It doesn’t have to be mushy or require much artistic skill. One year I peeled the label off my boyfriend’s favorite beer, glued it to a card, and put hearts around it. Plus, the Student Union Craft Center has drop-in hours all week with all the supplies you need to make a card for 50 cents to a buck.

 

• Not the card type? Make a special mix tape or CD with songs that remind you of the other person then decorate the case for it.

 

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• Turn some of those Facebook albums into real albums and give your S.O. a scrapbook. You can make a cute one out of a paper bag and some ribbon.

 

• Instead of going out to dinner, make each other’s favorite dinner for the other person or make a “red” dinner together. Make spaghetti and tomato sauce, drink red wine, then bake a red velvet cake or cupcakes together. It’s all inexpensive (well, splurge on the wine), Valentine’s Day colored, and tasty.

 

• Go to a museum. The Museum of Natural History at Amherst College is free, and open from 11-4. The museum has fossils and the world’s largest collection of dinosaur footprints. The University Gallery at the UMass Fine Arts Center is free, open from 2-5, and has over 2,600 objects inside. And where else could you use this pick-up line?: “Here’s my ‘Fine Arts Connoisseur’ diploma. You sure are a masterpiece.”

 

• Get your love blooming at the Smith College Lyman Conservatory . The conservatory is free and open until 4. There’s even a rainforest room, where it’s like taking a vacation from this winter weather.

 

• Valentine’s Day socks and boxers at Marshalls and Target are an inexpensive and practical gift idea. Plus, the more socks and boxers you own means doing laundry less often.

 

• Valentine’s Day is a day of cheesy pick-up lines and now a day of cheesy food. For a romantic and fun meal try fondue. Pre-packaged fondue is really simple to make, but for the more ambitious chefs out there you can try to make it from scratch. Crusty bread is the best to dip. If you are like me, and have a huge sweet tooth, try chocolate fondue. The dipping possibilities are endless: strawberries, bananas, pretzels, apples, marshmallows… be creative, there’s lots of stuff you can do with chocolate.

 

• Prefer to kick it old school? Stick to one of the classics, write a love poem, song, or just call to say “I love you.”