How to spend Valentine's Day

Pretty soon, it is Valentine's Day. It is a day for the guys to rip their wallets apart while the ladies, it is a day to start complaining how their Valentine's Day were spent in the previous year.

Every year during this time of the year, my best buddy would drop by my house for a cup of tea. I am often asked," How was your Valentine's Day? What did you get?". My answer is "Nothing." because when couples are still single, dating and so deep in love, every day is Valentine's Day. Once you are married, husband will give you many excuses on Valentine's Day, Birthdays and Wedding Anniversaries. It might sound alarming but it is the actual fact that most couples face these days. We continued to chat about Valentine's Day and found out that men are always at lost on how to spend on this special day especially when everyone is tight on budget while cost of living has hike up instead.

We end up with some realistic solutions to this problem and here are some tips that I would like to share on how to spend Valentine's Day in a Tight Budget Way.

Some men love to have afternoon tea in fancy restaurant even though it is just a cup of tea or coffee, chat the whole afternoon occupying the table just to show off to his friends or sweetheart that his taste and preferance are high and expensive.

In my opinion, these men are nothing but an empty shell.

The truth is, you can spend a lovely Valentine's Day at the comfort of your very own home with your spouse , boyfriend or girlfriend over a cup of tea too. Anyway, it is important for you to know what he or she likes to drink, which brand, how much sugar or cream he or she prefers and what cookies, bread, muffins or cakes he or she loves to eat.

Prepare the beverages and food in advance, before the Valentine's Day, in order to beat last minute havoc which might turnout a bad impression. Bake one day ahead and keep the food in air tight container to ensure the freshness, crispy and crunchiness. I always consider getting ready a nice little gift would be beneficial in order to increase the feeling of love when you show it to your sweetheart at the right moment.

Thereto, you get to save money and spend as much time as you want with your sweetheart, chatting over whatever topics under the sun.

Nowadays, movie tickets price have hike up instead of maintaining the same price because more couples prefer to spend their money in the dark cinema, cool and loud speakers installed, great 3D gadget to wear on, vibrating armchairs to feel the special effects and not forgetting the popcorns, snacks and carbonated drinks to indulge in. Come to think of it, watching a movie could cost you at least $40 -$50 for a couple, excluding the transportation fee.

Needless to say, if the movie isn't your cup of tea, both of you will be cursing and swearing when the movie ends. From my point of you, you might as well catch as many movie or dramas as you want with your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend at the comfort of your home.

Both of you ought to discuss and decide what motive to watch, plug in your hi-fi home theatre to your computer. You still get the same cool, loud audio effect as the cinema while you may adjust the volume as you like. Furthermore, you can change the movie if your spouse or partner finds it dull and boring.

If you want a dark room, draw up the curtains, turn off the lights and shut the doors. Thanks to advance internet technology and fast broadband speed, you can watch movie online or download them into your hard drive if you plan to watch it all over again. If the broadband speed in your country is as slow as a snail, download the movies a few days before Valentine's Day. Otherwise, you could purchase the DVD movies online, at media shops or even get your friends to help you to download some of them.

As for the snacks and beverages, purchase them online stores or any nearby supermarket. When you are out shopping, do consider the nutritional value at the back of the snack packages. Avoid salty or high in fats food. Replace chips with dried fruits or dried vegetables, carbonated drinks with non-sugar drinks.

Thereto, ensure that your couch is comfy, provide a couple of cushions to hug on and a wastepaper basket nearby to dump the garbage. I am sure you wouldn't want to clean up a messy room after a movie.

Conclusion is, it is great to catch your favourite movie at home with your spouse or partner, laugh as loud as you want, grab his or her arms when you are afraid and cry as freely as your heart yearns to ! Free movie, no transportation fee and healthy food and beverages. Enjoy your movie !

There is nothing silly or weird about dancing to your favourite song at home or any suitable venue. Otherwise, you could hand out at clubs, discos or parties too, join the crowds to feel the joy of dancing with your partner.

Anyway, it is essential for you to know what song or music your sweetheart love to listen to. Take notice of his or her hints, comments regarding the song when he or she happens to stumble upon. Ask indirectly for the song title, who is the artiste and what album. Search through the internet to download the song in MP3 or WAV format as most handphones, laptops are able to accept these formats.

If it is a classic love song or musical instruments, slow dance shouldn't be difficult for both of you. However, if it is a hip-hop, heavy metal or fast pace song, I guess you need to practice the dance steps a few weeks earlier or made up your own moves instead.

Choose the right time, right location to play his or her favourite song. Invite for a dance. Even if your partner decline your offer, insist on the dance because this is the only chance for both of you to feel physically closer, immerse yourselves into the song, listen to the lyrics, let your heart beat to the tempo. When you are at home, dance to your favourite song after a meal or when both of you are out of topics to talk about. If you are outside, choose a suitable place with the right song, the right mood. Depending on your partner's nature, be it shy or bold, I would suggest the playground, an open field, on the beach, by the seaside, community centre or in the pubs.

Eventually, the little magic charged between both of you will build up in a fast pace. Best opportunity to communicate each other in a better way, let your feelings flow freely. Express yourself to your partner in a more delicate, romantic way.

Are you having problems getting the right restaurant to dine with your sweetheart? Are you able to pay for the Valentine's Day meal package with the service charge, government tax and unforseen food or beverages add in later on? How long are you going to wait for the next course to be serve when the restaurant is pack with many hungry patrons waiting for their orders too? I have been one candlelight dinner at a fancy restaurant back then, when I was still dating with my to-be husband. It took us two hours to finish the whole course which included some unpleasant experiences.

Forget about spending a few hundred bucks in this fancy expensive meal. It is not worth to dine in crowded restaurant and boast to your friends that you had been there. You might as well plan what dinner you wish to have with your sweetheart at home, at your own pace and the whole venue belongs to both of you,alone.

First and foremost, you need to find out what your sweetheart loves to have for dinner. Survey through various food websites for the quick and easy methods to prepare the meal. Choose the meal with the least ingredients and the shortest cooking time. You wouldn't want to end up burning the meal while your sweetheart is waiting at the doorstep with a bottle of wine in one hand ( I had seen this scene in Mr.Bean animated clips ).

Jot down all the ingredients, sauces required and the step by step method into your organizer or handphone for your own convenience. Next, make your shopping trip at the most nearest supermarket or grocery store. Do not delay your time by choosing which brand , comparing the prices because you should have done your homework at home while searching through the websites.Remember to check the expiry date and read the labels correctly.

When you are back home, start the food preparation and whip up the dinner by following closely the step by step method you had previously jotted down or downloaded. The whole process needs at least one and a half hour to two hours. Hence, you should work out your time schedule beforehand. Place a beautiful table cloth over the dining table, arrange the plates, cutlery, napkins, a box of tissue and a chandler with lit candles.

Of course, you need to take a shower and dress up in your best attire for your swetheart to see, right? Prepare a stalk of rose if your partner is a lady, a romantic song at the background if your partner is a gentleman. Do ensure that the food is still kept warm. Serve food with a couple of glass wine ( grape wine is cheap and taste wonderful too.)

Oh yes.. do switch off the lights since it is a candlelight dinner.