Valentine’s Day can quickly get expensive when you add up the flowers, cards, gifts and food.
But celebrating with a loved one on February 14 doesn’t need to cost a fortune - and one couple say they’ve saved around £200 by switching up their plans.
Harry Crookenden and Georgie Park, both 35, are saving for their wedding and a deposit on a home, so they wanted to keep costs down.
The couple set themselves a budget of £25 for this Valentine’s Day and saved money by waiting to buy roses and watching a film on Netflix instead of going out to the cinema.
Harry and Georgie reckon their perfect evening could’ve cost them around £210 if they’d bought presents at full-price and had gone out for dinner.
Of course, Valentine’s Day is more about the gesture of showing someone you care.
You shouldn’t feel pressured into getting yourself into debt by buying presents or other romantic gifts.
Georgie, who works as a digital marketing manager, said: “There is definitely a load of pressure placed on couples to spend money on Valentine’s Day.
“But with a wedding to plan and a deposit to save for - we want to know we’re not overspending and getting the most for our money.
“This is our first Valentine’s Day since we got engaged so we definitely want to make the most of it but without spending hundreds of pounds on one evening.”
Harry is waiting until February 15 to buy Georgie roses flowers when they will be half price, saving £15.
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Georgie is also using a deal with her mobile provider to get a free Thortful card.
Instead of dining out, the couple will research and cook a romantic dinner at home in Wandsworth, south London.
They’ll also watch a movie on Netflix instead of a cinema trip and drink Champagne leftover from Christmas. They estimate this will cost them £10 rather than £25.
They are also looking forward to a romantic walk along the River Thames - further saving them £50 on the cost of transport.
They have searched online for fun, free activities and gifts such as writing lists of the things they love about each other and creating a “year in love” slideshow of pictures.
Harry, who is a property manager, said: “Showing you love each other doesn’t have to mean spending way beyond your means and when you haven’t got money to burn it just makes you more creative to squeeze the value out of what you do spend
“Even the planning is a romantic thing to do together. We love knowing we are getting more for less, that doesn’t mean missing out on the best things in life, it just means shopping around and thinking about what matters more to us.
“Caring about getting value for money is definitely an attractive quality in a partner, I think it would be difficult to date somebody who spent beyond their means.”
Harry and Georgie are far from the only couple hunting for a Valentine’s Day bargain.
New research from Plusnet also shows seven in 10 Brits (70%) would prefer good value dates over an expensive evening.
Lavish declarations of love aren’t on the menu as just 1% of Brits think you need to spend large amounts on Valentine’s Day in order to have a good time.
Joanna Carman Director at Plusnet, said: “Valentine’s Day is a lovely time for couples to celebrate but some people feel pressured to spend more than they want or need to.
“As Harry and Georgie’s example shows, getting good value for money doesn’t mean going without and nor does it mean going for the cheapest option.
“At Plusnet we believe value for money is simple, reliable broadband without the bells and whistles but with great customer service and at a fair price.”
