Saturday, February 6, 2016

How to NOT go Broke or Crazy for Valentines Day


I'm not claiming to be an expert on Love or relationships, 
But I know what matters. 
The basis of Love is trust. 
You cant love another until you love yourself. 
This year I find my valentine again in the same place. My mirror. Now there is a difference between self-love, confidence, and just being vain, or even narcissistic. 
Self-love is accepting yourself the way you are. You may not be the perfect weight, or the perfect height, you may not have the perfect teeth, face, skin, hair. But if you can be OK with yourself and realize yes you are worth it. You do deserve respect and nothing less. Then walk with your head held high, (stop looking for coins on the ground) shoulders back,  put on a smile and say "Today I'm gonna be the best me that I can be. 
If you see yourself as better than other people, you are conceited, you put other people down, you figure everybody should like you, or your ego is so big you could barely go through the door. then you might be vain or narcissistic. You may need to bring it down a notch. 
One of the first gifts you can give to other people is a smile and a sincere compliment. When I say sincere, don't lie to somebody and say something you don't mean. There is usually something good in everybody. Sometimes beautiful and kind eyes, a warm smile, sometimes people could be just like a big teddy bear, very huggable, or caring, sweet, there are a lot of qualities in people if you look for them. Sometimes the harsh people are just honest and up front. If you look close enough at a good person you truly notice the beauty comes from within. 
OK there is gift 1 a smile and a compliment. Sometimes that alone could make somebody's day. 
If you want to give something more tangible, or real there are many ideas. If you are in a relationship your significant other (that's just a safe way to say spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend or even somebody you like or care about) may just be expecting some token of your affection. Lets hope they are not only looking at the price tag on the gift you give, but they also see its the thought that counts. So don't take out a 2nd mortgage on your home to get a huge diamond ring if you cant afford it. 
There are the traditional Valentine gifts. Just do NOT wait until 5pm February 14th to get something. Because Valentines Day is going to be here same day as last year and many before. February 14th. Although you really should show somebody you love them the other 364 days of the year as well. 
2nd gift a card. You can get them at the dollar store sometimes 2 for $1, family dollar, dollar general, Walmart, or Hallmark. again not the price tag its the thought. 
More traditional stuff:
3rd gift idea Flowers could be tricky because different color roses could mean different things. I'm gonna go with a very simple chart. Over and above that I'm gonna claim ignorance. That opens a whole new dimension. Here is a relatively simple chart on roses. If you are unsure just go with a mixed bunch or other flowers and state that the mixed bunch of flowers is as diverse and different as the person you are giving it to. See that works. again if they are only wanting the most expensive ones, then you may not need such a materialistic person in your life. Its the thought that counts.
4th gift idea. traditional would be chocolates. Now if somebody is dieting maybe get them a smaller box and let them know that you know they are dieting so you went with a smaller size so they don't have as much temptation. You can go to the grocery store and get the smaller box maybe $3-4 and some mixed flowers for less than $5 and a card. 3 gifts and less than $10. Your doing good. Just not at the last minute, they WILL be gone. 
Now there are still many ideas left, and plenty of them being traditional still. 
5th Jewelry. Uh oh this is where I come in. Yes you could go and get diamonds and Gold but keep it down to what you can afford. Something handmade could be very nice. Oh wait that would lead to me. Or you could ask around if you don't know somebody personally who crafts jewelry, the person next to them probably does. I have some items listed on the tab custom creations by Renee, Most of my jewelry is $5 each so you can even get matching sets. I also do custom colors please give me a few days to make it if you have a custom request. I do lots of custom colors, themes, charm bracelets, rings, bracelets, necklaces. You name it I probably make it. If you make jewelry also or gift items that are affordable you are welcome to leave a comment on this post with a link to your page. I do moderate comments so if its inappropriate it will not be posted. 
More traditional stuff. 6th Stuffed animals sometimes work, but sometimes you just have too many to display. 
7th gift idea. Lingerie, this could be sexy but if your not there in your relationship this may not be the way to get there. Also if the person your getting it for is size medium and you get them an XXL, you will probably just get the lingerie back and call it a day. 
8th gift idea. If the person you are getting a gift for avidly collects something say like rubber ducks (oh wait that's me again, oops) or pigs, bats, owls, elephants, and you happen to see something that fits their collection. They will probably like it because its personal. 
Now the reason I'm ending with gift ideas here is because not everybody has a spouse or significant other to celebrate with so love your kids, your parents, your relatives or friends. And most of all. 
LOVE YOURSELF. 
Just in case your not sure if its OK to get yourself a gift. By all means you could or should. Who knows you better than yourself. 
Last but not least if I get enough comments, likes, followers and shares. I will have to give away a valentine gift or two. probably a custom piece of jewelry so if you happen to comment on what you might like for valentines day leave me some form of contact for you and I will accept entries until February 14th Midnight MST. 2016