Spending Valentine’s Day On A Student’s Budget

If you have been dreading Valentine’s Day simply because you’re still a student and not accessible to any source of stable cash, I hear you. After all, you can’t flaunt what you don’t have. So you must be thinking, “That’s it; no Valentine’s Day for me.” Hellooo! Love is not all about the money; no matter how convincing those advertising companies make it to be.

Yes, it’s nice and sweet to be gifting each other cards, chocolates, flowers, and expensive gifts (with whose money again?), but let’s not allow money to do all the talking, shall we? In fact, the fewer bucks, the more effort you need to put into the plan and that will speak volumes about your affection. Let’s see how Valentine’s Day can be just as (and sometimes even more) special when all you have is a student’s budget.

Lesson 1: Make use of your stationery

Scrap the Hallmark moments and create one of your own. Ditch the old tradition of cheesy cards from the local gift store and switch to romantic, post-its of small secret notes for him/her to find on their study table, bag, laptop, coffee mug, in between their study notes, etc. They won’t be able to resist that kind of distraction, trust me.

If you’re like me, you’ll probably have 10 years’ worth of stationery supply stocked up somewhere in your room. Make use of that too. Besides, who says one love note is enough? Do the unconventional and create a love jar of handwritten notes for them to pick up and read one every day as a reminder of why they are special. Believe me, you’ll get extra points for taking it beyond February 14 (wink wink)!

Lesson 2: Speak your brains out

Nerds can hardly pull off Joey’s classic “How you doin’?” and come out of it unscathed, so know your weaknesses and play to your strengths. Use the grey machine to devise clever yet romantic (not to forget, budget-friendly) ways of declaring your love. Flaunt your artistic side and pen down your feelings in a poem (doesn’t have to be Wordsworth material) or a song. Better still, come up with a witty equation that’ll swoop her off her feet.

Treasure hunts are always fun, but your Valentine deserves a special one. Make your clues witty, charming and sweet. Use riddles and puzzles to lead them from one clue to the next till they find the treasure (which you are smart enough to decide what it should be). Use memories you have in common or their favourite things to formulate the clues so they know you’ve been paying attention.

Lesson 3: Get your geek on

If you have fallen for a fellow nerd, you’re both in for a treat!
Prove to them you know them like the back of your hand by planning a Star-Wars-followed-by-The-Big-Bang-Theory marathon. Spend the day inventing your own superheroes and create a comic book of the same. This will go down in the books for sure!

The way to a nerd’s heart is through their brains. Books are a nerd’s best friend so make sure you gift them that luxury on this special day. There’s never too many books for a person to own. Show them you care by buying for them books by their favourite author, and if you can manage to get your hands on a hard-to-get-author-signed hardcover of the same, well, extra points for you!

So if you have been feeling a little let down by the expensive holiday, I hope you’ve learnt these lessons well by now! Start planning and execute the romance with little fear of burning a hole through your pocket or through your heart. Happy Valentine’s Day from Embibe to you!