Love your finances – our top Valentine’s Day tips

Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion to celebrate love and cherish relationships. What better way to demonstrate your feelings to loved ones than by being savvy with your finances? 

Just like in relationships, it's the little things that count. Here are some tips from the Ginkgo team to help you save a little extra this Valentine's Day:

• We always cook a special meal at home on Valentine’s Day. In the past it used to be a romantic way to celebrate Valentine's Day but now we’ve got the kids it’s a bit more of a free-for all! But we all get together and create our favourite meal. It saves money on expensive restaurant bills (and the babysitter)! 
• Our family love handmade cards and gifts. In previous years I’ve made a scrapbook of some of  favourite memories together and tried my hand at making jewellery for my partner. Not only does it save money, it’s a really personal way to show how much you care. 
• Instead of fancy outings, we look for free or low-cost activities in our area. A romantic walk in the park or a visit to a free museum is just as good as an expensive date night. 
• My husband is a bit of a spender, so we always set a budget and stick to it. It helps avoid any unnecessary stress or overspending. This works for all celebrations, not just Valentine’s!
• As a singleton there’s no pressure for me to worry about Valentine’s but as a group of girlies, we’ll make sure we avoid Valentine’s Day to eat out as places always hike the prices up. So, my tip would be, if you’re going to celebrate Valentine’s or ‘Galentine’s’ do it the week before or the week after. It’ll be cheaper and quieter and let’s be honest, more fun!

We hope these tips help you have a wonderful and budget-friendly Valentine's Day! Remember, it’s supposed to about celebrating love and spending quality time together, not about how much money you spend.

By Daren Wallbank

PS Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we’ll leave you to “guess who” gave which tip!