Romantic Valentines day ideas like Valentines day dinner and Valentine’s day getaways don’t have to be expensive. Here are some budget minded romantic suggestions that will save your wallet.

Love is in the air...

O.k. guys, put down the remote, stop playing Madden 2009 and listen up!

Just because you’re living close to the bone, doesn’t mean that you have to skimp in keeping yourself and your loved ones happy. One of the main reasons why I live as frugally as I do is so that I can save my pennies for the finer things in life, and keeping things fresh and invigorating between you and your partner is most certainly it’s own reward. Here are some ideas for how to keep the flames well kindled in your relationship:

• Romantic Getaways: There are bargains all over the place in the travel industry right now. Check out websites like travelzoo.com and cruise.com for some great inexpensive vacation getaways that regularly go on drastic sale. For a quick romatic getaway, do a little research over at tripadvisor.com for reviews on hotels and bed and breakfasts from the people who actually stay there (peer reviewed) and then contact the management directly and ask about specials and last minute reservations. Haggle for a better price. There’s no harm in asking for 30-40% off the usual reservation price if it’s last minute, and the hotel/B&B has vacancies. They’d rather fill the room in many instances and just might accept the price. If you’d rather do it electronically and don’t care where you stay specifically, Priceline.com is another option. You can pick your place, pick your price and pick your rating (two star, three star, etc.) at participating hotels /B&B’s. The only catch with priceline is that you’re committed to accepting the reservation IF the hotel/B&B’s ACCEPT YOUR OFFER. So, haggle low. Try 50% off. It could happen.
• Coupons and Freebies: Alright, let’s get over our hangups about coupons. They’re a “Guy thing,” too, and here’s my way of proving it to you. There are coupons for all sorts of things out there, and all you need to do is look. There are even coupons for family planning and sexual health. You can find some great coupons for condoms over at trojancondoms.com and they’ll also send you a free sample. You can find coupons for some great new massage oils and personal lubricants over at k-y.com and I would highly recommend the yours+mine product. It’s a faaaantastic way to spice up your fun in the bedroom and it often goes on sale at CVS and Walgreens.

Dinner in: Even if you don’t cook, it’s a pretty sweet idea to treat your partner to a nice quiet dinner in. You can find some tea candles and candle holders over at your nearest everything for $1.00 store or even thrift shops for a romantic setting. If you like to cook, break out the pots and pans and whip up her favorite meal and she’ll love you forever. Cooking shows you understand her needs and that you care. If you can’t cook your way out of a paper bag, check out coupons at places like restaurant.com and ask them if they’ll honor the coupons and gift certificates on take out orders. Usually, they will.

Video night: Redbox often offers free movie rentals and you can usually find them located in front of walmart and other major retail chains. Check commonsensewithmoney.com for codes on free movie rentals from redbox, enter the code, and get your free rental. If you have coupons for snacks like candy bars and popcorn, even better. Pop up some popcorn and M&M’s and mix them together, snuggle up, and smooch. I’d recommend picking up “PS: I Love You”, “When Harry Met Sally” or “The Notebook.”

Sunset Walks with Style: Being outdoors at sunset, hand in hand, is often magic itself. Pick a new romantic spot and take a little walk and breathe in the beauty of a nice sunset. The beach, a hiking trail or a quiet little romantic lookout spot might be all you need for a little together time. Bring along a little totebag filled with a single rose, snuggle blanket, two wine glasses and a bottle of your favorite beverage (white wine, champagne, etc.) makes for a loving nightcap on a perfect twilight. Don’t forget the corkscrew, big guy.

Every story on the news is another horror story of the economy. Banks are failing, homes are under forclosure, businesses are going under left and right and jobs are in jeopardy. The days of frivolous spending are over, perhaps over for good. The party is over and the hangover cure is a bitter pill to swallow; however swallow it we must.

The first step in figuring out how to save your money and live well is by looking at what you spend your money on. It’s worth it to your wallet to take a look at going on a budget if you aren’t already on one.  If you don’t know where to get started, our friends at www.money-zine.com have a great article here that will help get you started. If you have openoffice (free download at www.openoffice.org) or Microsoft Excel, you can use their sample budget spreadsheet to help track and calculate your expenses. It’s located here.

Simply start by looking at your bank statements, credit card statements, bills and recipts and hash out a rough budget of what you’re spending every month, and which items are costing you the most. Once you know what you spend your money on, you can then analyze where you can save money by trimming back and making adjustments to your spending habits.

Tip: Learn to live below your means while still living a comfortable lifestyle. The more you can live below your income level, the more you can save for the future on things you really want or need (retirement, children’s college tuition, vacations, expenses, etc.).