Romance is lovely but over-commercialized pressure to spend isn’t. So we’ve come up with a list of cheap but cute things you can do with your partner to help keep your bank account happy.

Take a hike together

Couples that hike together, stay together 💪

Science shows hiking can improve your relationships as well as your personal health and wellbeing. Exploring the outdoors with your partner can help open up ✨ free flowing conversations ✨, bringing you both closer together.

And not only that, it can increase libido 👀

Regular outings in the outdoors are said to be a great way to help lift a low sex drive. And studies show that all of the benefits that outdoor adventures offer (exercise, vitamin D, and stress reduction) are all things that can contribute to an improved libido.

If you need route inspiration, download the free Komoot app (iOS/Android). You can easily plan a walk near you. You'll just need to enter the area you'd like to explore and it’ll show a list of walks nearby.

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Romantic picnic

Name something that screams romance more than a scenic hike and a romantic picnic ⛰️

We’ll wait.

If you’re not sure what food to pack for your hot date, Live Bold & Bloom has a blog with tips on snacks to take for a romantic picnic (other than yourself).

Avoid garlic. Or don’t, if you’re into that kind of thing.

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Handmade cards

Recycle the ❤️ love ❤️ with a homemade card.

French Artist Henri Matisse once said 'Creativity takes courage', and what better courage than to reuse a card from an ex?

As this extremely talented anonymous artist has done here, you could even recycle Christmas cards.

Free printable Valentine’s Day cards

And if you happened to burn all the cards your ex’s gave you (don’t blame you), Greetings Island has a ton of cards you can print and personalize. The cards which aren’t marked as 'premium' are completely free ✨

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‍Cheap or free food

There are plenty of ways you can get yourself a few treats without paying a single dime. We’ve literally got a whole blog dedicated to this.

And there are apps like Olio and Too Good To Go which sell food for a fraction of the price to help prevent food waste. Here’s How to get free food with no money 🍕

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‍Movie night with your Valentine

Bring the movie theater home with our 10 popular free movie and TV trials blog and get access to popular subscriptions such as Mubi, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+.

Craving a Kardashians marathon? You can get a free Hulu trial and binge watch all the classic episodes.

Enjoy.

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Gift a plant

Give the gift that grows 🪴

You can literally multiply your plants and gift them to loved ones. Clever Bloom has a blog post which shows you how.

Cute.

And not only do plants add more life to your home, they also come with many health benefits.

The benefits of houseplants:

🌱 Boost moods, productivity, and creativity
🌱 Reduces stress and anxiety
🌱 Minimize headaches by improving air quality

If you need me, I’ll be at the garden center.

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Go gadget-free

Unless of course you’re both reading this blog on Valentine’s. If that’s the case, we fully support it. Thanks for thinking of us on this special day.

Seriously though, it can be tough to give your undivided attention to each other when you’re both checking the latest TikTok trends or emails. It can cause a void in intimacy.

When there are fewer distractions, you’re more likely to pay more attention to each other and have more meaningful conversations and quality time 💖

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‍Homemade Valentine’s gifts

From tasty snacks to DIY photo frames, The Pioneer Woman has tons of inspiration for homemade gifts.

A few of our top picks:

Love potion bath sets – Unfortunately, unlike the love potion in Harry Potter, this probably won’t make your crush fall head over heels for you. But it might make them smell like flowers 🌼

Chocolate covered strawberries – An easy sweet treat which doesn’t require hours slaving away in the kitchen. Winning

Reasons Why I Love You Jar – Feeling cute? Decorate a jar and fill with your own personal messages

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Love coupons

If you’re someone who actually sticks to your word, pledge to do something nice with Canva's free gift checks instead of splashing out on gifts.

Perhaps breakfast in bed for your partner, a three course home cooked dinner, or if you’re feeling extra kind, you could offer to do all the washing up in 2023.

No amount of money could buy a better present than that 🍽️

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‍Make a budget together

If you’re looking for something to help spice things up in the bedroom department, look no further.

The Institute for Family Studies 2022 study found “consistent practice of financial management behaviors was strongly linked to their own reports of less financial stress,” which in turn improved married couples’ sex lives.

It’s true, budgeting is sexy. And we’re here for it 🌶️

We also conducted our own survey in January where we asked 770 US adults (couples and singles) how they’re saving, spending, discussing, and thinking about their money.

It turns out Gen X looks to be “the worst” generation in terms of using tools to manage their finances. They’re twice as likely not to use money management tools or open dialogue with their partner compared to other generations.

No shade.

Millennials are most likely to have regular meetings or conversations with their partner or use budgeting and money management apps vs Gen Z.

So if you fall into the Gen X or Z category, we’ve got something that could improve your financial health and your sex life – just in time for Valentine’s.

If you want to step your budgeting game up, try Cleo for free today. You’ll wish you did it sooner 💅

And if you ever go over your budget, Cleo will playfully shame you via GIFs and throw harsh burns about how much you’ve spent and how little you’ve saved.

Welcome to 🔥 Roast Mode 🔥

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Also, if you want to see where your money's been going and win $500 this Valentine’s Day (duh, who wouldn’t?) type “roast my ex” in the Cleo app between February 6 and February 14 and follow us at the links above for contest entry instructions.

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Happy Valentine’s 💕

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Enjoy this post? Give it a share or send it along to a friend. You never know, it could make a big difference.

‍Big love. Cleo 💙