If money can’t buy love, why is romance so expensive? If you’re tired of shelling out high prices for gifts that the media insists your partner needs, try these tips instead to have a perfect, personalized holiday that doesn’t break the bank.

• When you want to save money, try investing time. Put in the extra planning and effort to make a gift by hand or brainstorm gift ideas. Search the web, reading as many budget gift articles as you can until you find something you can do that your partner will love. Check out DIY channels on Youtube; they often have great ideas for things that can be made from a trip to the dollar store.
• Avoid media pressure. The TV insists that he needs a new razor, or that she’ll love a set of diamond earrings, but is that what your partner really wants? Think about their hobbies and interests and find something they’d like, not something the media tells you the will.
• Do something together. Are they watching a new show? Pick up some snacks and stay in to watch it with them. Go to the local museum, or visit your local library and pick out books for each other. Let them try to teach you how to knit, or pick up some cheap canvases at the local craft store and try painting. Finally try playing that game they always talk about. They’ll appreciate the effort and you might just pick up a new interest yourself.
• If you’re not usually the cook, it’s time to start. Find a recipe that your partner likes to order out, but doesn’t usually cook at home. He or she probably doesn’t make it because it’s challenging or time-consuming, so it’ll be even more impressive when you pull it off. Make sure to watch video tutorials before you buy groceries so you know what you’re getting yourself into.
• Whether you’re cooking or going out, think Italian. If you’re inexperienced in the kitchen, Italian food is pretty forgiving and a bottle of Chianti can cover for all sorts of culinary sins. Italian food has the added advantage of being extra rich, so if you only have minimal after-dinner plans, you can impress your partner with some cream sauce, thick noodles and garlic bread. Plus, if you’re going out, Italian restaurants tend to have great desserts and coffee options. That’s a table you’d like to linger over.

Whatever you do, remember that the important thing about Valentine’s Day is celebrating what you have, not spending a lot on things you don’t.