Valentine's Day!

So it seemed like Valentine’s Day was plenty far away, but before you know it, it’s here, and it's gone. Not to mention that the stores were full of red, pink, and heart shaped crap galore. I don’t mean to sound negative, but really, do we really need all this superficial “I love you” junk? I say keep it personal. Why reserve only 1 day a year to celebrate being in love?

You can look at it two different ways for my husband. One, he totally gets out of buying a bunch of stuff just to say “I really do love you” or he gets totally screwed out of candy and other things he might like.

This year, we kept it fun: cooking together, opening a bottle of wine, and hanging around the house. I made a card pretty and as for all the flowers and candy jazz, I let my husband know he was off the hook. It was a perfect Valentine's Day! How was yours?

Ignite the Flame - Bring Sexy Back

Bring Sexy Back for Valentine's Day
Boudoir pictures can make a fun gift for Valentine's Day. Imagine the look on your husband's face when you hand him sexy pictures of you as a gift. Boudoir photo shoots can be a lot of fun and even a little self-esteem booster for you. What a way to reignite that passion in the bedroom! Many professional photographers have boudoir packages available. The photos can make a great wedding gift for the groom as well.

A couple's spa day is another fun and romantic Valentine's gift. Get reconnected while you pamper yourselves with side-by-side massages, facials and pedicures. You can even splurge and get a limo to drive you to and from the spa so that you can spend the day in complete relaxation.

Photo courtesy of The Memory Journalists

Cloud Nine - To: You, From: Us?

The Gift - To: You, From: Us??
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, which means it's time to start thinking about a gift for your spouse. Gift giving can be a little tricky when the giver and the receiver pull from the same financial bucket. However, if you and your spouse discuss how you are going to handle gift giving beforehand, you should have no trouble at all. Here are a few ideas Money magazine suggests about exchanging gifts as a couple:

Set spending limits – You and your spouse can come to an agreement as to how much you will spend for a given holiday. That is, you may decide to limit your spending to $50 for Valentine's Day. Another option is to agree on an annual spending limit. For example, each of you can spend $600 for all the gifts for the upcoming year – this would include birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, etc. The annual spending limit allows for a bit more flexibility but it also requires that you track your spending throughout the year.

Share a gift – Select a gift as a couple. If you have both been eyeing a new couch for the living room, agree to buy the couch as a gift to each other. However, it is important to be sure that both of you really want the gift.

Save up – Agree to forego gifts in order to save for a bigger goal, like a big trip or maybe a new home. Even if you agree that you will not spend any money on gifts, remember that some of the greatest gifts cost nothing. The best gift I have ever received was a personal letter from my husband.