Valentine’s Day is often touted as the made up holiday by Hallmark. Designed to make us spend money to prove our love and buy heart shaped items. Millennials are expected to spend over 200$ this Valentine’s day! Surprising because we thought Millennials were killing capitalism. If your wallets are like ours and still recovering from the holiday season, try some of these alternative options to spending half a paycheck for Valentine’s Day.

Cook a Meal

An oldie but a goodie. Cooking a meal for someone special shows that time can be a powerful tool in showing someone you care. If this seems daunting to you, check out these recipes that are seemingly no-fail and delicious. Even grocery stores like Whole Foods have take-home and make dinners that can give that homecooked feel without all the chopping, seasoning, and grocery buying. 

Good Cakes and Bakes in Detroit offers a lovely DIY cookie decorating kit, that proves to be a delicious dessert option.

Participate Together

Memories are gifts that last a lifetime. If you want to be romantic and a bit outside of the box, do a workshop together. Many businesses offer their expertise in a field while you learn a new skill. Screen Printing, painting, even cooking could be on the agenda for Valentines weekend. We found a few unique class suggestions happening across Michigan and virtually!

-Cooking Class (Online)

-Galentine's Day Shopping Event (Liviona) 

-Valentine’s Art Box (Take Home)

-Nature Hike (Otsego)

Netflix and Chill

Choose your favorite streaming service and hunker down for some serious couch time. You can jazz up your night by lighting candles, ordering in, and baking brownies for dessert. Scatter some rose petals from the door to your living room, adorn the windows with twinkling lights. Create a masterful movie watching experience with a few dollar-store items and make memories together. 

Just like every relationship is unique, so should a Valentine’s Day celebration. Remember that celebrating the non traditional Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive, but it should be fun!