Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Fancy date night meals, chocolates, and gifts don’t have to break the bank. There are lots of handmade gifts and homemade treats that can be prepared at a lower cost.

Spreading love and kindness doesn’t have to be expensive. Making something as simple as a homemade card can brighten someone’s day. Sometimes showing someone love can be as simple as showing your support.

If you’re looking to plan an at-home date night with your significant other here are a few ideas, you might enjoy.

• Create a menu for an at-home date night dinner and cook your favorite dish or try a new recipe together.
• Pick out some of your favorite snacks and cozy up on the sofa for a  movie night or marathon.
• Spend the evening going down memory lane looking through old photos.
• Enjoy a slow morning with breakfast in bed.
• Make your own chocolate-covered strawberries.
• Write handwritten letters to one another.

If you’re looking for a few Valentines’ Day themed activities for the family, give a few of these a try.

• Cut fruit, cheese, sandwiches, and other snacks into heart shapes.
• Prepare dinner as a family and make heart-shaped pizzas together letting each person choose and apply a topping.
• Spend the evening playing games and sharing your favorite snacks as a family.
• Check out the local theater to see what movies might be playing.
• Look for local family-friendly holiday-themed community events - the library is a great place to check for themed activities for kids.
• Spend the afternoon creating crafts and handmade cards for loved ones.

There are endless ideas for things you can make and do at home to celebrate the holidays without having to break the bank.

Try out this easy sweet-treat recipe: it’s a great no-bake cookie recipe that even the kids will enjoy creating.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs (from one 11-ounce box cookies, pulverized)
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 21 ounces melting chocolate

Directions:

• For the cookie truffles: Combine the cookie crumbs and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until a thick non-sticky dough is achieved. Roll dough by the generous tablespoon into 21 balls and dip the cookie in the melting chocolate. Place on parchment paper to set, about 30 minutes.

Kaitlynn Tonn is an OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or tonn.13@osu.edu
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This article was previously published in The Daily Record.