Valentine's Day Book Give Away
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Stop using the plastic in your wallet to make up for the plastic in your heart.
Tell me about your best Valentine's Day gift - given or received - sweet or silly - BUT it had better by FREE or darn cheap if you hope to win a copy of my book for your efforts.
Post your entries here or email them to me at UltCheapskate@aol.com no later than February 15, 2008 in order to eligible.
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Handmade Coupon booklets for massages from my children. One of the best investment you can make is to teach little hands very early how to massage. With more than one child there is the added bonus that comes with the inevitable competition to see whose hands are better. It often takes a while for me to determine whose is best and frequently I require redoes as the talent is so close. One solution is to recognize that one set of hands is better at working shoulders while another set works better on feet.
I never spend money for my sweet husband's gifts. I have written very sweet and loving letters to him on beautiful stationary, sprayed with his favorite perfume and tied up with a pretty ribbon.
I usually make coupon books for him and use the items I have on hand such as parts of scrap papers, construction paper, etc. These coupons can be for a evening walk, time at the park, an evening at the free jazz concerts near our home, or can be for a free massage from me!
I also like to make heart shaped brownie bites to give to him and my children.
I forgot to tell you my most favorite Valentine gift. My husband knows I love flowers but he also knows I hate the expense and waste of flowers.
Each year he buys either a blooming plant or a bunch of fresh flowers for under 6.00 at the local Wal Mart and arranges them himself and puts them on my desk at work the night before with my handwritten card. He usually enlists my office mate to help him out by arranging to put them on my desk but it is sweeter than any huge lavish display of flowers. It is sweet, simple, and frugal!
My husband shows his love for me everyday, by showing me how to save more, spend less, and have fun doing it.
My birthday is Feb. 4th. Every year, he buys a bunch of flowers (from a local discount grocer), and arranges them in an old wine caraf (recycled). He nurtures them, feeds them sugar water, and trims them daily, so they will last thru Valentine's Day. He is very proud of his ability to prolong the life of the flowers. And we have fun, making a sort of contest out of it, to see how long they flourish.
I can not tell a lie. I have wasted money on useless Valentine's Day Gifts. Plush Toys, Chocolates, Custom Cereal Box, and always a corny card to top it off. This year, I had the pleasure of listening to Jeff Yeager on the radio (Vancouver's The Beat 94.5), as did my boyfriend. He text messaged me (which, by the way, was free between FIDO Subscribers) "I want that book!" Hopefully, this year will be a CHEAP Valentine's day! A free copy of your book. If not, I'll scour Wal-Mart on Feb.15 for some discount goodies!
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I think that I have never received
A gift as lovely as a tree.
The tree my hubby gave me, rests
Planted in the backyard garden, best.
A tree that looks at me all day,
And lifts leaves and branches, to sun rays
A tree that oft in summer wears
A nest of birdies in her hair
Upon whose limbs the snow has lain;
Who's nurtured and grows with the rain.
Poems are paraphrased by fools like me,
But my sweet husband planted the tree.
(from a sapling gathered in the woods)
The gift: A marriage proposal (She said Yes!)
The item: Two fortune cookies
Purchase price: Free with lunch from the day before.
The presentation: Before I made a chinese dinner at home for my Valentine, I delicately pulled one fortune out of one of the cookies and gently replaced it with my own stating "Will you marry me? Love Jon". I place it on a small plate with the other and after dinner placed the plate in the middle of the table with hers closest to her. I then deliberately ignored the cookies, waiting for her to institute the ritual. When she finally did, the moment turn to magic.
My favorite Valentine's gift was a recipe card from my four-year old son, for his favorite recipe: Potato Chips. I still have the hand-lettered index card, but I have never attempted to "fill a whole disc with potatos, fry them in the oven for about 2 minutes, take them out and eat them." My son is now nearly 20, and I still tear up when I find the recipe card in my favorite cookbook.
One year I made homemade brownies for my then-BF. I tried to make my own frosting, with red food coloring. Needless to say, brownies probably shouldn't be frosted with red...I tried to laugh it off when I gave it to him but I was utterly embarassed. Plus, I saw him trying to scrape off the frosting in secret.
The most romantic Valentine's day I had...My husband got home from work before I did. When I got home, I noticed little post it notes and flowers (picked from behind our apartment building) that started at my normal parking space and then went up the stairs. Each post it note had a sweet little note on it (I love your laugh, I love your kisses, I love your giggle, etc) and a flower next to it. I followed the post it note and flower trail upstairs to our apartment, and found a simple dinner for two that my husband had cooked laid out on the table. It was wonderful! Then he pointed out a trail of flowers and notes that led into the bedroom, where I got a wonderful massage...And I'll leave the rest up to your imagination!
My husband has made up his own little tradition on Valentines Day (and Mothers Day also). He buys a potted rose bush, and then we plant it in our garden on the side of our house. We have lived in our house for six years, so I have a wonderful garden full of rose plants.
Not only do I get a beautiful plant for the holiday, it is a gift that keeps giving because they bloom almost year round (we live in Florida). Then every once in a while, when he sees the plants have some nice flowers, he will cut them off, arrange them in a vase from the closet, and surprise me with them. They are the best bouquets in town, not only are they beautiful, but they are free. It is a gift that keeps giving year after year. Now if only I could get a copy of this book for free??
This year... after hearing your lecture in Tempe at Changing Hands book store I told my spouse that we were going cheap this year. We have decided to spend the evening doing service for our church by attending our temple together. Before we attend we decided to eat at the place where we wil be giving service. We agreed to budget the cost for our dinner...$5dollars each, which will come out of our date fund for the month. We than have a gift card we got as a gift to go get ice cream together afterwards. Total cost... $10 dollars - not bad for the two of us, plus the place we are eating requires no tip!
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I now I'm a few days late but wanted to make this entry. The first year my husband and I had spent Valentine's Day together he bought me a red journal with a heart on the front of it -- each year he gets me a card and makes a new entry in that journal -- VERY SWEET!!!and I love it!
Over the course of my dating experience, I have been wined, dined, escorted to delightful destinations and lavished with expensive gifts. But nothing touched my heart more, when Ray,the love of my life, came to me on Valentine's night after a busy day at the office, and knowing that I had expected flowers presented me with a simply and child-like drawn tulip on a post it, and handed it to me with a cherub look illuminating his face. He hugged me tightly, and said "I know I can't draw, but I love you and here is your flower. Drawn from my heart. Happy Valentine's Day" This was the best valentine I have ever received. I know I am late in submitting this entry. But, I had to make a public proclamation of such an affectionate and endearing Valentine that did not cost a thing. I love you Ray!