Unconventional Valentine’s Day Dates
Feminist Club will be selling hand-knit roses and chocolate in the main foyer on Monday, February 14. This is a cheap but meaningful gift idea.
February 11, 2022
Want to spend quality time with your partner but don’t want to do the overdone–and often expensive–dinner, flowers, and a box of chocolates? Here are some unconventional Valentine’s Day ideas that are low-cost and just as special.
Making a meal at home
Instead of spending a fortune on eating out and doing the stressful task of making reservations for one of the most popular days of the year, try making dinner at home with your loved one. Whether you’re a master chef making your own pasta or a novice boiling a store-bought box, making food together can be a fun way to explore new hobbies and create something of your own.
Volunteering
Spread love everywhere this Valentine’s Day and help others. Volunteering is a great way to spend time with your partner while bettering your community. Local organizations include the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva, Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, and Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin.
Creating homemade gifts
If you’re an artist, some scissors, glue, and pink and red construction paper could be the key to making your Valentine feel valued. Not only is a handmade card cheaper than a store-bought one, it’s also infinitely more meaningful. Show your significant other how much you care for them by creating a photobook of the happy moments you’ve had together.
Thrifting
For fashion-forward couples on a budget, thrifting may be the best activity. Choosing outfits for each other to try on is a cute bonding experience and lets you get to know each other’s tastes. Local options are Goodwill in South Elgin and St. Charles as well as Plato’s Closet in Batavia.
Going on a Nature Walk
If the weather’s nice (or as nice as February weather can be), then go hiking at a nearby nature preserve with your partner. This activity is a free opportunity to explore the natural world with your date. Local options for walkable trails include Leroy Oaks and Hickory Knolls, which has a visitors center for those wanting to learn more about the land.
Solstice • Feb 14, 2022 at 8:26 am
Love these!!!
John Doe • Feb 11, 2022 at 9:07 am
None of these are unconventional. Of them, volunteer would be the most unconventional, but these have all been don many times by many people. The stereotypical homemade pasta dinner. Couple volunteering, as the variations of how to say “couple volunteering, is a very common google search. Homemade gifts are very common and often desired more than non-homemade gifts. People also often try to recreate those montage scenes where couples try on new clothes by going to clothe stores, thrift stores, and and other places one might find clothes. Finally, I really shouldn’t have to explain why a nature-walk isn’t unconventional. People have dates out at parks or trails all the time. None of the ideas here are unconventional.
Cait • Feb 15, 2022 at 10:22 am
It’s considered unconventional because the typical valentines date includes flowers, a store-bought card, and a meal at a restaurant. All of these seemed new to me.
Jane Doe • Feb 15, 2022 at 1:43 pm
ratio
Ashley • Feb 15, 2022 at 1:43 pm
Hi John, if you have any wacky unconventional date ideas to share then by all means share them! Clearly you are the expert on dating and romance.