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LIVING on the 14th of February WITHOUT breaking the bank

Recession Depression is getting to us all.  We wanted to start this off with a little bit of tenderness and include some cheap and fun ways to keep you from being financially depressed this Valentine’s Day.

You and Your Squeeze Ideas:

- A Foreign Affair. “You can kuss kuss over cous cous!” Here’s the scene, you and your love have been dreaming about getting out of the country. You spend countless hours flipping through travel books and IMing each other links of amazing vacation locations. So if you won’t be taking that romantic getaway this Valentine’s season, we suggest that you simulate it.  We know that you weren’t paying attention all 4 years that your DeadHead guidance counselor made you sign up for French, but a good start to a foreign love affair is to learn how to say I love you in a different language (here). Then grab those Gabriel Garcia Marquez library books that have been collecting dust and robbing you in fines for months and take a trip to your library. Return the books you owe them while trying not to look the librarian in the eyes (it’s the worst, like you’ve been caught cheating on a test). Go ahead and head to the cookbook section;  plan a cheap and foreign meal to cook. And don’t forget to perfect those “bizarre” customs (keeping your hands on the table instead of in your lap during dinner). When your sweetheart gets home have a picture of the country tacked on the front door, the food on, and your bad accent perfected. Bonne soirée.

- <3 Scavenger Surprise. Quantity > quality. Make lots of little notes (just an “I love you” or a drawn heart will do) then fold and tuck them in your lover’s bags, back pockets, coffee machine, car, toilet roll, book, phone, cereal box, and wherever else you can think they will find them (and you can manage to get them). Depending on how good you are and how many you make, your love can be pleasantly discovering that you heart them for months to come.

- The Art of Romance. Remember how you met at the school for the arts? Get out that dusty sketchpad, Polaroid camera, or video camera and spend the evening indoors creating something together. It could be a photo shoot or, if you are feeling dedicated, a stop motion animation (One day when your grandkids see it they will be horrified at the archaicness. See found video example of stop motion and instructions for how to make one here). If you and your catch do happen to be the old fashioned types or if you are still overly enchanted by Leo and Kate, then nude drawings are the way to go. You can scan them in later for your folks and believe me if you’ve been out of art school as long as I have they probably won’t be able to tell it’s a person.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMT-pFLhyWg]

Socialism - Gratification for Everyone:

- Charity is a Piece of Cake: “Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not.” There is a Soup Kitchen near my neighborhood (kudos for the heads up Mike D.) that takes volunteers on Wednesdays to bake desserts. This is a great way to help someone else feel loved without the long term commitment of most volunteer work. It’s just one dessert (unless you eat the first one out of greed, and then it’s two desserts). If you live in the NYC area, you can sign up here at Craig’s Kitchen. Around V-day they need people willing to bake Pumpkin Bread or Chocolate Pie . If you don’t live in the NYC area check and see if you’ve got something like this near you.

-Have a Hearts Party: I haven’t played cards since I was a kid, but a Hearts game night seems like an excellent alternative to Valentine’s movie night. You can still make buttered popcorn with pink food coloring and eat Devil’s food cupcakes (if you prefer cupcakes with a bite I highly recommend theseChocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen.)

- This is the First Song for Your Mixtape:Everyone, even your friend who refuses to celebrate holidays (especially ones sponsored by Hallmark) loves music. So dust of your dual disc-man rig, your iTunes list, or go to www.playlist.com to make a free online playlist. If you need ideas, flip through existing playlists on the site (other ideas for song combos can be found using iTunes Genius Bar or on Pandora). If you do go the CD route make sure you get blank white CDs that you can customize with a sharpie, or purchase the ones shown to the left on Etsy for $6 (set of 4).

- Rent Yourself Out: Do you know how many parents are desperate for babysitter’s on Valentine’s Day? My guess it’s a lot. So make some money and remind yourself why you have been avoiding marriage and kids. Known Side Effects: depending on the demeaner of the children you may also have a strong urge to get your tubes tied. If side effects occur please contact your OBGYN immediately.

If you Prefer Self Gratification:

- Live Sans Valentine’s Day: Live without Valentine’s day. All in all it really is just another, in this case, Saturday night. Do what you normally do on a Saturday night. If all of your friends are busy, a book and some hot tea make for a relaxing evening. Or if you can’t stand the thought of staying indoors, go to a concert or a movie.  If this all sounds too mundane, I know a great bar where you can reincarnate your middle school self and play Magic the Gathering, just a thought.