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5 Frugal ways to Celebrate Valentines Day with Kids

It's love month, and that means it's the commercialized month of Valentines day. Que the chocolate, flowers, cards, and plastic trinkets for kids.

I totally get sucked into all things Valentines and enjoy trying to make the day special, without getting sucked into a money pit.



Here are five ways that I celebrate love month with my kids:


1. Door Hearts
On February 1st I start adding hearts to their bedroom door saying one thing that I love about them. By the time February 14th rolls around, they have 14 hearts on their door. In the past they have all been from my or my husband, but this year, I think I'm going to get them to write some to each other.


2. Valentines for Veterans
These had to be sent out by February 1st, so it might be too late for that program, but there are lots of other places where I am sure handmade cards made by kids would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking nursing homes, hospitals, seniors apartments, etc. If you want to be a little more environmentally conscious, you could always make fun Valentines cards through apps like Picollage and email them to different places or send them out to family who live far away.


3.  Heart Food
Every year I manage to try my best to make a heart shaped pizza or heart shaped pancakes, and are never truly happy with what they look like, but it's close enough that the kids get the idea. If they are around, I will often get them to help make the food too. Not feeling the home cooked option, there's always Boston Pizza who has the heart shaped pizzas that actually look like hearts.


4. Books about Love
I noticed that there are more and more books about Valentines Day popping up, but for a while, I struggled to find any. As someone who often has a book countdown to different holidays, I wanted to make sure Valentines days was not exception, but I don't have 14 valentines day books, so we just go with the theme of Love. Some of our favourites to read about love are Love is you and me, and  I love you through and through. 

5. Paint
This has become part of our Valentines traditions. Each year we take this as an opportunity to get messy and finger paint with red and pink. We buy canvas', painter tape, and lots of paint. We tape off a festive design on the canvas and then let the kids go nuts with the paint. The result is sometimes saved and sometimes gifted to family. Who wouldn't love an abstract xoxo painting to decorate with?!


I also make sure the kids have something to wear on February 14th. If you aren't wearing red or pink on February 14th, are you even celebrating the day?! If they don't have anything in their drawers already, I will head to a local consignment shop like Growth Spurts in Bedford or a second hand store like Guys Frenchys.


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