Friday, February 6, 2015

Frugal Valentine Ideas

 I said in my last post that I am a romantic at heart and it's true, but I am also very frugal. For Valentine's day this year my husband and I will be attending a little banquet at church. It's a BYOD  (bring your own dessert) party with a chocolate fountain. Nothing fancy, but it's all free, including the child care.

 Um, a child free evening full of desserts? Say no more. 

As far as the kiddos, my heart is pitter-pattering at the realization of how much I spent on their class Valentine cards. 80 cents! As in two boxes of cards for 40 cents each. I got them on a clearance table at Kroger last year for 90% off! Z's have little angry notepads included and SJ's are an animal theme that come with stickers, so I think the kids will love them. Valentine's are not all that expensive to begin with, but every little bit saved is helpful. So if you find me sifting through the clearance tables in a couple weeks you know what I'll be looking for. 

Another way I saved last year and have repeated this year is with McDonald's Valentine's. I know you all probably love McDonald's as much as I do. Which means you hate it. However, living in a small apartment with no outdoor play area means we have to get our recreational activities elsewhere and on a rainy day that means the good ol' Mickey D's play land. Even though I don't need any Valentine's for the kids I bought a pack for us to keep. Because when I can get 12 valentine's coupons for $1 that means I am saving $11. I can turn these Valentines in for a free ice-cream cone, or bag of apples slices, or whatever, and then the kids play for free. 
Lastly, I want to give a shout out to a fast food chain that I do endorse and that is Chick-fil-A. Last February Z and I participated in our first Mother Son Date Knight.
 It was such special time. I can not say enough good things about the activities that CFA does to promote family bonding. In fact my friend Ashley and her husband (who I mentioned back in my 31 day series about Lots of Hope for the Little Home) have their own Chick-fil-A in Loveland Ohio. They are hosting a fun little Valentine's event at their restaurant so I wanted to throw that out there for any of my readers in Northern Colorado that want to enjoy an evening with their Valentine in a memorable laid back way. They'll have table side service, a photo booth, and live music. You need to reserve your spot though so give them a call.
If you are in the Cincinnati Ohio area and interested in the Mother Son event then you can reserve your table online (click on the date of the event and you'll see the announcement on the banner above the calendar). I've got our tickets already and Z is over the moon about getting to do this outing again. 
And since we are talking about February freebies I should also mention that Chick-fil-A's all over the country are doing free coffee for the entire month!!! Married, dating, or single, this offer gives everyone a reason to fall in love with this season. 
 There is only one week left before February 14th. Who's ready? 
 

10 comments:

blestbutstrest said...

Great ideas! I had no idea Chik-Fil-A did all of those things :). Alas, I'm a vegetarian (although I DO drink coffee), so I've never been in CFA! I think the closest one is 90 miles away. I'm with you on the buying cards on clearance (I do that for Christmas, too).

Unknown said...

What wonderful ideas! My kiddos aren't in school yet, but I have to admit, I'm looking forward to doing class valentines with them. :-)

Lauren said...

I love the idea of a date knight. No CFA close to me... but that doesn't mean my little guy... um,young man... can't do a date! Thanks for some great ideas!

Why Girls Are Weird said...

I am so ready just because it means I get a night out with my husband.

Unknown said...

Well, I for one, LOVE McDonalds...at least, their french fries!! They USED to be my fave ff's until I ate Zaxby's!! But, Chick-fil-A is one of my fave places to eat, especially with the grandkids. My thing is the fountain drinks (diet dr. pepper) and the grilled chicken sandwiches. And I also love the activities and events they have. BUT...I usually want Chick-fil-A on the day I can't have it...SUNDAYS!! But LOVE that they are closed!!! Thanks for sharing!

Tobi@SimplyJesus said...

Great post,thanks for reminding me that I can get free coffee. :) Enjoy your kid free evening of dessert!

Jennifer Pepito said...

Free coffee, how fun! I love your new blog design, I have been reading your blog on my phone and didn't see the new header until today. So cute. I would love to hear how you made, found it.
Have a great weekend!

Unknown said...

I love the date night your church is doing. Free child care how awesome. I think we might drive to my parents this weekend and then we can have a night out with free child care as well. I am also a fan of chick-fil-a, not so much McDonalds, but I understand the play place with cold weather.

Zion said...

Barbara, it's like Jim Gaffigan says " It’s fun telling people you go to McDonald’s. They always give me that look like, Oh! I didn’t know I was better than you. No one admits to going to McDonald’s. They sells six billion hamburgers a day. There’s only 300 million people in this country. It’s like I am not a calculus teacher, but I think everyone is lying." ;)

Jessica @ Barefoot by the Sea said...

LOVE YOUR BLOG DESIGN! Chevron in my fav color combo, it looks fantastic! I also love your thrifty ways my friend! As I get to know you more and more, I realize we have SO MUCH in common! Thanks for the tips!