10 cheap date ideas for Valentine's Day

Erin Hicks

Sure, it's true you can't buy love. But you do want to show you care without looking cheap on Valentine's Day.

Bust out of the dinner-and-a-card-rut by trying one of these romantic and cheap date ideas that won't break the bank, but will break his heart—in a good way.

Read on for our top ten fun dates, then start planning your favourite one.

TAKE A TRIP

Dirt Cheap Not ready for that first vacation together—or even a long weekend? If your relationship is something you'd rather keep on the fling-level, maybe the biggest trip you'll take is inviting him over to your place for dinner, if he hasn't been there already.

Try: Make him miso salmon for dinner. Salmon's loaded with mood-boosting omega 3's and has a healthy dose of vitamins A, D, B, and calcium which help with a libido lift.

Another bonus to the home-cooked meal? You get to choose your own ingredients, save on the sodium and fat, and season to your own taste buds. Cook his fave food or pick from our healthy menu of delicious dishes:

Try these recipes from Women's Health

Spicy Mussels
Middle Eastern Stuffed Capsicums
Seafood and Mushroom Pasta

Afraid you'll pick the wrong dish? Make him a menu the week before and let him choose his own V-day dinner.

Midrange
Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday this year, so make the weekend your time to play. Take him to a local bed and breakfast and spend the weekend there. It doesn't have to be fancy, expensive or far away. The point is, you'll both be exploring a new place together. Or, at least a new bed.

SEX IT UP

Dirt Cheap If you're thinking he wants you to be a porn star for V-day, don't worry about it-he's probably not expecting you to do anything too kinky.

"Sure, guys want sex, but mainly they want appreciation, demonstrative affection, and closeness," says relationship expert, Melissa Zwanger.

"Sometimes it's the woman who wants it, and she'll go out shopping for sexy lingerie for the occasion or prepare a romantic meal. The bottom line is, each person gets to choose want they want to do. There is no obligation."

The key here is just to break out of the mould and find new sexy things to do: Text him and have him come over for a quickie at noon.

Take him on the kitchen floor before he has a chance to unbutton his tie, or try a new sex position and bring him to new heights with an unusual angle.

And the best part of this gift? It's free.

Try: The best sex positions of all time: guaranteed to hit all of his hot spots—and yours too.

Midrange You think it sounds cheesy, and maybe it is, but chances are your guy would love to see you in his favourite briefs for Valentine's Day—and nothing else.

Spice things up by acting out one of his fantasies and it'll lead to a hotter night for the both of you.

Try: If you have an old cheerleader costume lying around or an old uniform from your uni waitressing days, try it on for him. Or go to a costume store or online retailer like Costume Direct if he's in to something a little less conventional (and who really has a flight attendant outfit lying around, anyway?)

But if lingerie would make you feel sexy and him feel like Hugh Hefner, there's nothing wrong with a trip to lingerie store.

EDIBLE EROTICISM

Dirt Cheap After dinner, make him a banana split for dessert. Besides the obvious shape, bananas will put you both in the mood because they're filled with potassium and B vitamins - essential nutrients for healthy sexual reproduction.

Try: this guiltless banana split is sure to put you both in the mood without weighing you down.

Guiltless Banana Split

1 banana, sliced lengthwise

1 pineapple sliced, into wedges
4 large strawberries
2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon of whipped cream or 2 scoops of low-fat icecream

Slice banana, place in a bowl and assemble all ingredients as desired.

Midrange If he's a sommelier in training, go ahead and get him a nice Shiraz or Malbec varietal - both go well with dark chocolate. But you may want to bust out of the wine and chocolate cliché by giving him a treat you know he really likes whether it's his favourite kind of candy bar or his favourite port wine and share it with him.

Try: Send him a beer and chocolate gift package for an unlikely pairing sure to surprise him, made by Edible Blooms.

SWEET (AND CHEAP) SENTIMENT

Dirt Cheap Send him a card, but personalise it with a message no one at Hallmark could write. Make him laugh at an inside joke, or get him anticipating the night ahead with a subtle hint at what's to come. Let his mind wander to what he really wants for Valentine's Day — you.

Try: Some Ecards has hysterical and sarcastic cards you can send your guy for free.

ACTION-PACK IT

Dirt Cheap Play his favourite video game with him with a twist. Every time he loses or you lose remove a piece of clothing.

You don't have to be into S&M to find power and competition sexually exciting, and the experts say men love this sort of game time because it eroticises something ordinary.

Midrange
Catch some live local music at a bar or amphitheatre. Universities usually have cheap shows open to non-students. Sneak in with your honey to relive some of your uni-day debauchery.

Try: Check out the local calendar in your home-town newspaper to see if there are any free shows in your town.

Midrange
Forget flowers at the office—send him a pizza.

"It's a sweet gesture because it shows him that you care, but lacks any sort of formality that may come along with more orthodox Valentines Day gifts," says communication expert, Lisa A. Mokaba.

Try: It's pizza, but it can still be a little healthy.

Opt for a thin crust over the deep-dish stuff and ask for double sauce and less cheese so your honey gets more of the lycopenes from the tomatoes with less fat.

Another alternate to a box of chocolates is a burger bouquet. Burger joints around the country deliver—send your lucky guy a burger and some fries with a Valentine's Day note as if the burgers didn't speak of your love enough.