Homemade Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

In less than two weeks, Matthew and I have been together for 14 years. That’s 14 whole years – how crazy is that? We didn’t really celebrate our first Valentine’s Day as it was very early days, in fact, we had only met the week before. From then on we’d mark the occasional year with a card and a small gift or just a kiss – you see, we don’t believe that you need one special day to tell the person you love just how much they mean to you.

This year will be a little different though -it’s our first Valentine’s Day as man and wife and that to me is special as we’ll only get a first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.

Money is tight for us this year though, so it means no fancy nights away or meals out for us, however, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a memorable day/night together. If you are in a similar position to us or you just want to mark the occasion on a more personal level, here are a few things you could do.

A Card

Nothing is more personal on Valentine’s Day than a homemade card. I am not very creative at all so drawing something on my own merit is not an option. However, I am pretty good when it comes to designing and creating things online. As this is our first Valentine’s Day after getting married in the summer I would use a monogram maker to make a personalised card or keepsake for Matthew with images from our wedding day in New York. I’ve already mentioned that our budget is restricted this year so I think it’s really great that there is a service like monogram maker free, meaning you can save your pennies for something else.

Sweet Treats

You don’t need to be an expert in the kitchen to make your loved one some of their favourite treats. I am by no means perfect at baking, and my presentation is a little hit and miss, but Matthew loves my creations, especially when I make brownies, cupcakes, and my homemade fudge, so I have plenty of things I can make for him. This year I plan to make him some cupcakes and possibly some fudge too.

A Photo Book

If you’ve been together a long time, you’ve probably got a million and one memories and most likely even more photos sitting on your phone or cloud storage. Why not have a look through them, find your favourites, and create one or maybe a few custom photo books? They’re perfect for keeping all those important memories to hand and in a special place.

A Favourite Meal

We all know it can be an expensive day/night to go out for a meal on or around Valentine’s Day and if you have children finding a babysitter can also be tricky. Why not treat your other half to a meal at home instead (yes, I know that you eat together almost every day)? set the table, light some candles, play some music and serve them their favourite dish. For me, it would be roast beef and homemade Yorkshire puddings. I love a good roast but I absolutely hate the prep work that is required for a good roast.

Homemade Gift Vouchers

If you are stuck for present ideas, make your other half a book of homemade gift vouchers that they can use anytime they wish. It could be things like a massage, a night out with friends, not arguing when the footy is on TV or a week of Xbox gaming, it could even be full of things to spice up your bedroom – you name it, your imagination is the limit with this type of gift.

How will you be spending Valentine’s Day this year?

*This is a collaborative post*