As practically everyone knows, Valentine’s Day is coming up. Practically everyone also knows the traditional way couples celebrate Valentine’s Day—a card and some candy with a rose, followed by a nice dinner and maybe even a little gift. (Single people have their own Valentine’s Day rituals, but that’s another blog post.)
While this is a perfectly fine way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s not the only way. Here are some activities that you and your partner can do together that aren’t your traditional Valentine’s celebrations. They also make good financial sense.
Set Financial Goals
At first glance, this would seem the polar opposite of romantic. What could be more boring than sitting around figuring out financial matters?
Before you write this off completely, though, think about this—you and your partner probably have things that you’d like to do in the future. This can be anything from what kind of vacation you’d like to take this summer to buying a house or even getting married. What could be more romantic and satisfying than to take these dreams that you both have and make them a reality?
You can get started on setting financial goals as a couple simply by talking about what you want. Open up with your partner about what your dreams are and what you’d like to accomplish and ask your partner about their goals too. For added romance, you could do this over a nice dinner or just a bottle of wine and a charcuterie plate.
Once you’ve shared your goals, you can select the ones you have in common. From there, you can prioritize which ones you’d like to work on first. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even make them S.M.A.R.T. goals—goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound.
Get started setting financial goals today!
Cook Dinner Together
Did you know that according to Zagat, a romantic Valentine’s Day meal at a restaurant might cost you as much as $170? Cooking at home, on the other hand, will not only save money, but also a fun way to spend some time with your partner.
One of the best parts about this is that you can be as fancy or as simple as you want. You and your partner can spend time planning a five-course meal and eat the leftovers over the next couple of days, or you can keep things simple with one or two decadent touches, like making a nice pasta meal accompanied by strawberries and chocolate.
Take a Couples Course
Another great way to spend quality time with your partner is by taking a course together. While you can search for local classes, there’s also a lot of online courses that will teach almost any skill imaginable. If you really want to make a good financial move, select a course that will teach you a skill that you usually pay for, like how to make a latte or how to perform basic maintenance on your car.
Build Your Relationships With First Alliance Credit Union
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to celebrate Valentine’s Day. There are a lot of things you can do that are not only romantic, but also smart financially.
You can also build up your relationships by becoming a member of First Alliance Credit Union. The My Money tool in our online banking platform will let you create a budget that will let you spend money on your loved ones guilt free, not to mention let you save up for vacations to you can see your family and friends in person.
