Enjoy Valentine’s Day – Without blowing your budget

Valentine’s day – overblown, over-the-top and over-expensive. But if you have a ‘special someone’, chances are you’ll be celebrating it. Whether you want to or not, heads are going to roll unless you put a modicum of effort in. With money a bit tight for everyone this year, here are some great tips to ensure you don’t blow the budget.

1. Weekend away
There are plenty of cheap holiday deals flying around at the moment – 1p flights from Ryanair (ryanair.com), allow you to visit romantic destinations like Prague, Venice and Rome for less than £30 per person.

Just make sure you organise your currency before you go away to avoid the bad exchange rates, as most bureau de changes and high street banks are offering £1 for €1. Instead, take a Caxton FX currency card with you - the card is the best way to keep costs down. Caxton FX offers the best exchange rate on the market and always beats high street favourites Marks and Spencer, Post Office and Travelex.

Cardholders will not face a ‘foreign usage loading charge’ when buying goods or drawing cash in the same currency as the card. Visit caxtonfxcard.com for more details.

2. Breakfast in bed
Instead of the conventional (and expensive) meal, take your partner breakfast in bed in the morning. Jazz up the standard tea and toast effort with mood message toast. Look up ‘I love you’ toast on cutegadgets.co.uk.

3. Dinner ‘in’ is the new ‘out’
Cooking a meal at home is a romantic gesture – sitting down with the lights dimmed and a luxury bottle of wine provides the perfect atmosphere for seduction and ‘lurve’. For a dinner that should inspire Cupid’s magic, check out broadstripebutchers.co.uk for a quirky heart-shaped pork steak that should impress your loved one.

4. Picnic
We know its cold – but the crisp white snow that’s falling all over the country couldn’t be more romantic! Just make sure you wrap up warm and take a rug. Buy a small hamper, rug and pack a traditional picnic – some warming red wine, spiced mulled cider and steak sandwiches should do the trick.

If you can’t be bothered to buy the contents, go to Fortnum and Mason’s website fortnumandmason.com and buy one of their pre-made picnics – we especially like ‘A Tryst in the Park,’ containing Champagne, Mr Lunn’s savoury biscuits, Duck Rillettes with Foie Gras and Champagne truffles, with prices starting from £50. Seriously yummy.

5. The oldest trick in the book
Cover your room in red roses, shimmering candles, crank up some Barry White and wait for the loving gratitude from your impressed partner....It’s the oldest trick in the book for a reason - it is the most effective!

Punch the credit crunch into shape with Marks and Spencer – we reckon their red roses are the cheapest – and they deliver on the day. Visit marksandspencer.com for further details.