If you're like me, you don't enjoy spending lots of money on this fancy, lovey-dovey day in in the middle of February. Yep, I'm talking about Valentines Day.
But, if you're also like me, you have a boyfriend this V-Day, and/or friends who want to exchange presents.
So, I present to you my own list of super cheap V-Day gift ideas; perfect for the broke college kid, or for your inner broke college kid!
1. Valentine's Day Candy (the classroom edition)
If I had a nickel for every time I heard a fellow college student bring up a memory about exchanging valentines in elementary school, I would have my student loans paid off.
Many of us have fond memories of getting so many valentines in cute, decorated paper bags on V-Day. So, why not reenact these memories and get your person a classroom's worth of candy? Or, if you're not too keen on giving one person a box of 24 candies, take out individual packets and write sweet notes on them, and hand them out to your friends!
Price: $2-$10
BONUS: Make your friends/partner a cute paper bag decorated with hearts and their name so you can really throw it back to elementary school! And be sure to add the candy to the bag!
2. A Haiku
Haikus are probably one of the easiest and cheapest options when it comes to V-Day gift ideas. Haikus are very short Japanese poems that are only 17 syllables long.
The first stanza has 5 syllables, the middle has 7, and the last has 5; Haikus are short, sweet, artsy, and can be very beautiful pieces of literature! Since Haikus are easy to write, I recommend writing a few for each person you're giving them to.
Example Haiku:
My Drew is my love
I write love haikus for him
He is a haiku
Price: Free! (You need paper/supplies, though!)
3. Coupons
No, you don't need to give someone an actual coupon to a store, but rather, a friendly coupon that gives the receiver some service/gift down the road!
Take a piece of paper, cut it, and decorate it as you please. Then, make the paper into a useful coupon involving yourself! Some awesome coupon ideas are:
- Dinner Date (on yourself)
- Free Hug(s)
- Free Babysitting/Petsitting for the Evening (for those with kids/animals!)
- Free Dog Walking for a Day
- Coffee/Tea Date (on yourself)
- Movie Night (ticket on yourself)
Price: Varies on situation
4. A Handwritten Note
This gift works especially well for those who love reading. Handwritten notes are unheard of nowadays; so, writing one and sending it via mail (or giving the note to them) is very special.
Write a nice, page-long letter on lined paper about how much you like the person receiving it. You can write about how great they are, or even come up with a story for them.
Do you have pen smears on the page? Good, that means you were working hard! Bad handwriting? At least you didn't copy and paste some message from the Internet and printed it out for your friend.
Handwritten notes go such a long way nowadays (especially for your girlfriends, boys).
Price: Free! (You need paper/supplies, though!)
5. Dollar Store Toys/Crafts
Everyone, regardless of age or ability to admit it, loves toys. So, what's better than super cheap Dollar Store toys?
Often times, too, these toys are straight out of the 90s; so, you'll enjoy a very cheap gift with extra points given to you for the nostalgia factor.
Do you remember the awesome plastic bubbles you'd make with B'loonies? Or what about the capsules that broke apart in water and revealed tiny foam dinosaurs? The Dollar Store has those!
Or, if your person is more craft-minded, the Dollar Store has the perfect amount of crafting supplies for all of your crafting needs, and plenty of awesome crafting kits (now I want to make a birdhouse...).
Price: $1
6. Chores
The final gift option on my list is chores. Chores? Yes, chores.
Doing someone's chores for them, such as cleaning their dirty dishes or vacuuming their carpet, goes a long way. This simple little "gift" has a lot of meaning to it! People don't like doing chores; it's boring work that has to be done, so get cleaning and do the dishes for your friend/special someone!
I am sure they will be very grateful for this kind gesture and it'll definitely merit you some brownie points with whoever is receiving this gift. As a general note, this is just a nice gesture to do at any time of the year!
BONUS: Turn this gift into a coupon! Make a coupon for chores, vacuuming, sweeping the stairs, etc!
Price: Free!
V-Day may not be the best holiday of the year, but it's the perfect time to make a meaningful impression on your friends/family/or significant other.
Have an awesome, lovey-dovey day, and I hope my list of cheap gift ideas can help you craft the perfect cheap, or even last-minute, V-Day gift!
