Student? In a relationship? Strapped for Cash? Bethan is here to help with her top 5 best ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a student budget.
For the food lover
If you’re in the mood to impress someone special this Valentine’s Day but your student loan won’t stretch to dinner at the Ritz, why not cook a romantic meal together? Pick a couple of dishes that are simple and don’t require too many ingredients, roll up your sleeves and get cooking. A super easy dish is homemade pizza, which- in addition to tasting far better than any takeaway- allows you to have some fun and flirty time in the kitchen together and means you can tailor your meal to exactly what you love, even if they do think it’s strange that you put pineapple, olives and beef on a pizza together.
For the fun seekers
Feeling bored of traditional romance this Valentine’s? Re-visit your childhood and spend the day having old-fashioned fun with your date. Take all the covers and blankets you can find in your house (ask your housemates first) and build a fort in your bedroom. When the fort is complete, hunt around for some retro board games like Twister and get stuck in. This is a great thing to do together as in addition to being good fun and cheap, it will allow you to become more comfortable around your date as you can have a laugh and get to know each other at the same time.
For the old romantics
Why not surprise yourself this Valentine’s Day and go all out on the romance. Arrange with your date’s housemates to visit their house at midnight so you can take your date outside and watch the stars together. This simple gesture will blow away any old romantic and will make for a memorable Valentine’s they will have never experienced before.
For the nostalgic couple
If you’re not a culinary whizz in the kitchen, why not recreate your first date this Valentine’s? Get dressed up in the same outfits you were wearing on the night, go to the same restaurant, ask to be seated at the same table and order the same food. As many places in Canterbury offer a discount to students, there won’t be the worry of overspending so you can kick back and enjoy reminiscing on your first date. When you’re finished, grab some ice cream and have a night of Netflix in the kind of comfort you couldn’t enjoy when you first met (yes, that means sweatpants and slippers).
For the outdoor lovers
If February 14th rolls around as a sunny day and you don’t feel like staying inside with your date, grab some sausage rolls and a couple of blankets and have a picnic in the park. This is a great way to get to know someone new as it is casual enough to not feel pressured but romantic enough to make your date feel special, so to keep the atmosphere fun and light when you’re done eating, take a stroll around the park and use the leftover bread and pastry to feed the ducks.