Tips for a frugal Valentine’s Day

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The day when chocolate companies rejoice, couples celebrate, and everybody else does nothing. According to About.com, the average male will spend $135.67 and the average female will spend $68.64. But, those average people have jobs, not ever growing amounts of college debt. So what is a poor Rose student to do? Bury himself or herself further into the hole? Or ignore the holiday completely and risk the disapproval of their significant other? This Valentine’s Day, show you care. Not just about your Valentine, but about your financial situation. Here’s some ideas to keep this Valentine’s Day from putting you in the red:

This Valentine’s Day, show you care. Not just about your valentine, but about your financial situation.

1. Don’t go out to an expensive dinner. Instead, cook a special one. Even if you spend a bit of money on some candles and higher-end ingredients it will still be cheaper than Stables.
2. Don’t exchange gifts. Everybody knows Valentine’s Day was invented by the card industry; when did presents get involved?
3. If you do exchange gifts, don’t go overboard. As one internet de-motivator put it, “Diamonds. Nothing says love like an over valued rock clawed from the earth by African slave labor.” Like with Christmas, it’s the thought that counts. Sometimes the perfect gift will be over a hundred dollars, but it’s not the perfect gift because it is expensive.
4. Sometimes, the best gifts are free. Here at Rose, we are pressed for time. This Valentine’s Day, take a break to focus on those that matter. Give a massage to your significant other, or just kick back with your friends. Time is more valuable than money.
5. Use protection. Nothing spells financial ruin like dropping out of an expensive college to raise an even more expensive baby.