Attention lovebirds! If you check your calendar you’ll see it’s fast approaching February 14th, but this year’s Valentine’s Day will be different from the last few for two reasons:
- It’s a leap year, which traditionally means it’s the lady’s turn to propose (so be prepared, fellas!)
- St Valentine is being challenged by St Credit Crunch, which means you may have less money with which to woo your partner in 2008
So to ensure that even cash-strapped couples don’t miss out, Confused.com presents a bouquet-full of romantic tips for a happy Valentine…
1. Breakfast in Bed
Our trip through Valentine’s Day starts at breakfast. If your budget won’t stretch to taking your loved one out to dinner, lessen the chances of he/she dumping you by serving the most important meal of the day in bed.
For that real Valentine flavour, why not serve up heart-shaped eggs from a heart-shaped frying pan. Play.com is currently doing a deal on these – just £6.99 including delivery. The pan is divided into four moulded sections so that eggs, mini-omelettes or pancakes all come out as lovey-dovey hearts.
Don’t overdo the fry up though or you might get heartburn.
2. Flower Power
OK, the real budget tip here would be to snatch freebies from gardens or gravestones, but we couldn’t possibly condone that. Instead, take advantage of supermarket competition and nab some online bargains.
Asda’s Valentine’s special includes a dozen fresh red roses, Belgian chocolates, and delivery (next day if ordered before 3pm) for £18. The object of your affection can then delight at opening the box and reading your message on the complimentary gift card.
A dozen red roses from Sainsbury’s costs £20, though no Belgian chocolates. However, the roses are guaranteed freetrade from specifically selected farms in Kenya, and there’s next day delivery if ordered before 3pm.
A similar offer from Marks and Spencer is priced at £19.50 including delivery. Again, no choccies but you do get a “classic bouquet of twelve rich red Kenyan roses, full of romance and sophistication” – ooh, you can almost hear the velvety voiceover.
For a less thorny alternative, tulips are sure to prompt a ‘two-lipped’ response from your partner. Next can deliver a dozen in red for £18.
3. Find a Match Made in Virtual Heaven
Don’t have a Valentine’s date? The reason cupid’s arrow keeps missing you could be because love is blind. One tip is to make yourself more visible, and in today’s world that means visible online.
Joining a reputable dating agency could hook you up with that special someone. It may be a little late for this February 14th, but once you’ve found Mr or Mrs Right, every day could be Valentine’s Day.
Match.com is “the no.1 most popular dating site in the UK” and since 1995 it’s been on a mission to take the lottery out of love. Six-month’s membership starts at £65.25 and it currently guarantees to find you someone special within six months or give you another six-month’s membership free.
Friends Reunited got into the dating game in 2003 and membership also includes an online speed dating service. Upgrading from friends to potential partners will cost you £49.50 for six months.
If you want to meet someone who reads the same ink as you, then the Guardian newspaper’s Soulmates could be the answer. It has a relatively small database though it does claim to be able to match you up with “higher quality members than your average big bucks dating site – professionals, graduates, thoroughly nice people.” Six months with Soulmates costs £64.95.
Careful now…
Always tell a friend or family member your plans before meeting a stranger on a date, and don’t forget to take your mobile.
4. Shameless Plug for Confused.com Broadband and Home Phone
If your dating site is taking ages to load, or you're desperate to whisper or email sweet nothings to your loved one, then upgrading your broadband or telephone service could give you that really special connection.
Click on the link to learn more about reducing your broadband bill.
5. Take Your Partner to the Pics for Free
Ah, remember those two-person love seats that cinemas used to have? You and a date (or sometimes a stranger when it was busy) could cuddle up in the flickering light while smoking a JPS and slurping kia-ora through a catheter-sized straw. Those were the days!
Amazingly, going on a cinema date these days can be even cheaper! Get yourself on the SeeFilmFirst mailing list and you and a friend can take advantage of FREE movie previews held regularly throughout the country.
Simply sign up and you’ll start receiving emails with info on how to attend the next free screening of a yet-to-be released film. You’ll have to be quick though as seats sell out fast.
If you’re too slow but still want to save money on your Valentine’s cinema date, say you’re busy on Thursday 14th and instead take your partner to the cinema the night before using the Orange Wednesdays 2-for-1 ticket deal. Obviously, you’ll need to be an Orange user to benefit from this money saving tip, but if you are, you’ll save enough money to cover two drinks in the pub afterwards.
Finally, if you’re a lonely heart and a film lover, click here to find a great tip on seeing movies for free while meeting other singles.
6. Champagne and Choccies
If this morning’s heart-shaped fry-up is still refusing to go down, why not flush it through with some champagne.
At the time of writing, Asda is selling non-vintage Martell brut prestige champagne (75cl) for just £10. Morrisons are also currently doing an instore deal on bubbly, this time with posh choccies thrown in. The deal includes champagne worth £23.00 and chocolates worth £10.99 – all for just £15 (deal expires 17/02/08).
7. Foreign Food where you can Always get a Table
Here’s one last money saving Valentine’s tip and it’s a cracker. If your partner really wants to go out for foreign food but you really can’t afford it, announce you’re taking him/her to a Scottish restaurant and then turn up at… McDonalds.
It’s the Thought that Counts
In all seriousness, you really can’t fail if you at least make an effort for that certain someone in your life. Quite simply, if you think they’re special then do something special just to let them know. And who knows, if you’re lucky it could be you on the receiving end of some special treatment this February 14th.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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