Shopping for men is hard! Shopping for men on Valentines Day is harder! Doing it on a budget...its almost not fair.
Fret not, gentle readers, I have some ideas of things you can give or do for that special man in your life for free- or almost.
1. 100 reasons why I love you
I did this for my husband the first Valentines Day after we were married. It cost me one dollar for a little wooden box from the dollar store. Out of construction paper I cut 100 hearts and wrote reasons why I love him. The trick here is to really think about it. Skip the "You"re my best friend" business - it's very likely true but it doesn't tell him anything. Stick to thinks you love about him in particular- like how he makes your orange juice if you're sick, or sticks his tongue out when assembling furniture.That Guy still has the wooden box with the hearts inside in his bedside table.
2. Massage
Guys love this. 99% of the time he wants a massage from you making this a very fun and totally free gift.
3. Massage oils
This is a nice companion to the massage gift. Homemade or store bought versions work well, but obviously I highly recommend the home made option. There are a ton of free recipes online and most of them call for things you very likely already have in your home- making this another free gift.
4. Pair of pretty panties for you to model for him.
This requires no explanation.
5. Make him a heart shaped pizza (or some other of his favorite food)
Heart shaped pizza is no more difficult to make than a regular pizza, the dough is simply worked into a festive shape before toppings are added.
6. Offer to watch his favorite movie with him..... even if it is Star Wars...ick.
7. Give him a blanket for when hes watching movies or playing video games or reading.
Of course I suggest making your own blanket. There is a no- sew fleece option that is very very easy to make and you could easily complete before this evening..
8. Pieces for his hobby in festive colours.
Does he like to paint? Maybe red/pink/purple or white paints. Is he into LEGO? Why not the same colour options in LEGO pieces. Maybe he likes golf and you can spell out a sweet message for him with golf tees and balls (they already come in a festive white colour)
9. Scarf/hat/gloves/warm socks
Its still winter out there, folks. These gifts are not just for Christmas time. It might not be a sexy approach, but it does say "I care about you" and isn't that really what the holiday is about?
10. Homemade truffles or molded chocolates.
Feel free to reference by previous blog post "Cookie exchange win for the baking impaired" for tips on how to use a chocolate mold. If you can buy your chocolate melting wafers from a bulk store you can do a beautiful job of this for under $5
11. A bouquet of bacon roses
They exist. Google it if you don's believe me- I will wait. When That Guy saw these he thought it was the greatest idea ever. And although I have not made them myself they actually look quite doable. The only cost is really bacon and an extra dollar for floral wire stems (found most cost effectively at the dollar store but can also be purchased at your local craft store).
12. Offer (or provide a coupon) to spend time with him participating in his hobby
This might mean you have to spend your time fishing, so I advise to first ask yourself how much you really love this man, ha ha ha.
13. Do his household chores for a week
Does your guy take out the garbage? Shovel the driveway? Give the kids their baths? By offering to take on his tasks for a week this free gift is two fold. It gives him some time to himself and also shows him that you notice and appreciate what he does to help make your home run smoothly.
14. Beer of the month "club"
You can sign up for something like this online but it is expensive! When I looked into it for That Guy for his birthday one year I was astonished that they were going to charge me $300 to send him three bottles of beer each month. So what did I do? Made him out a certificate of my commitment to buy him a six pack of a different type of beer each month for a year. The cost me a little less than half of the online cost, he got twice as much and my cost was able to be spread out over the whole year. Its a gift he still talks about. The beer here could be substituted for anything else he might like. Hot Sauce of the month club? Ice cream of the month club?You get the idea.
Hope this gives you some ideas to help celebrate this fun holiday. Enjoy Valentines Day!
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