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Cheap & Easy Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Special for Kids

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No magazine-worthy crafts here; just practical cheap & easy ways to make Valentine’s Day special for kids.

No magazine-worthy crafts here; just practical cheap & easy ways to make Valentine's Day special for kids.

We’ve all seen those elaborate Pinterest-worthy holiday crafts, right? If I’m telling the truth, I envy those moms who have the time, money, and ability to put those crafts together; I know how special holidays must be for their kids.

Maybe, like me, you’re not one of those moms. Fear not. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to pull off the things included here. I’ve compiled a list of cheap & easy ways to make Valentine’s Day special for kids.

Cheap & Easy Ways to Make Valentine’s Day Special for Kids

Dye Their Breakfast

This is one of my fondest memories from childhood. There wasn’t a lot of money in my house growing up, but that didn’t stop my mom from making holidays special for us. One of the simplest things she did that was so fun was add food coloring to our pancakes and milk for breakfast. She’d use red dye on Valentine’s Day and green dye on St. Patrick’s Day (my little brother’s birthday).

If you don’t usually make a full breakfast in the morning, this would be a great year to do that because Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday. You could easily make a weekday holiday special by coloring milk for breakfast cereal or dying oatmeal.

Obviously, you could adapt this idea to fit any meal or snack of the day, but I love the idea of starting their morning with something so fun.

Buy a Special Book

No magazine-worthy crafts here; just practical cheap & easy ways to make Valentine's Day special for kids.

Our kids, especially our five-year old, love to read. Buying a Valentine’s Day book is the perfect way to celebrate the day as a family while adding to your book collection. G is obsessed with The Berenstain Bear’s right now, so this book is on my wishlist.

A few other options that include characters from classics: Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool, and Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! (with the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie mouse).

My favorite thing about this idea is that the book can be read for years to come.

Create a Theme for Lunch

If your kids are school-age and take their own lunches, it wouldn’t take too much extra effort to create a Valentine’s Day themed lunch. You could cut everything into a heart shape, or just stick with a red and pink theme: strawberry jelly on the sandwich, Babybel cheese, cherry or grape tomatoes. Take the whole thing over the top with a themed paper napkin.

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Maternity Clothes: What to Get & What to Skip

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Maternity stores would like you to believe you need at least one of everything they sell, but that’s just not true. Here’s a seasoned mom’s list of what you really need to make it through nine months of pregnancy.

Maternity stores would like you to believe you need at least one of everything they sell, but that's just not true. Here's a seasoned mom's list of what you really need to make it through nine months of pregnancy.

Maternity Clothes: What to Get & What to Skip

What to Get

Belly Band

I bought my belly band when I first got pregnant with G and it continues to be one of the best maternity purchases I’ve made. I first begin using it around 10 to 12 weeks when my pants will no longer button. The band sits around my waist and holds the pants up so I don’t have to worry about them falling down. When I transition to maternity pants, the band is helpful to hold them up when the built-in elastic is still a little loose.

Best of all, I wear the band for at least a few weeks- okay, fine, it’s more like a couple months- after baby arrives as I wait for my pre-pregnancy pants to fit again. These bands are miracle-working lifesavers. I can’t explain how much easier it makes the transition from regular pants to maternity pants and back again.

Mix and Match Pieces

maternity pantsmaternity top

Buying maternity clothes can be a fine line between trying to be frugal and wanting to look good at a time you often feel less-than-good. It’s so tempting to splurge on cute patterned pants or that wild top. I don’t have anything against pieces like that, and I even have a few in my own closet. When we’re talking maternity wear on a budget, though, it’s important to purchase every piece with the intention of wearing it with nearly every other piece you have.

If you buy patterned pants that really only look good with one top, you aren’t maximizing your money. Consider using your existing accessories, like brightly-colored scarves or funky jewelry, to liven up your maternity wardrobe.

Fitted Tees

Okay, first of all, when you’re pregnant, most anything is going to be “fitted”. Even so, there are still some dressy, flowing options available. I find I get much more use out of fitted tees than I do anything fancier, though. Even though I was working at a bank during my first two pregnancies, and I’ve been a teacher during my most recent two, I love that plain fitted tees can double as work wear and casual wear.

I can wear a tee like this, or this, or this, to work with a cardigan, a blazer, or just on its own and be perfectly in dress code (side note: I don’t think many bosses are going to question the hormonal pregnant lady if she happens to be pushing the dress code boundaries a little). I can wear the same tees with jeans and be casual. As someone who dresses up for work four out of seven days in a week, I appreciate clothes that pull double duty.

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5 Frugal Ways to Show Love on Valentine’s Day

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February 14 doesn’t have to be a day of obligatory gifts and unmet expectations. Make the day special with these 5 frugal ways to show love on Valentine’s Day.

February 14 doesn't have to be a day of obligatory gifts and unmet expectations. Make the day special with these 5 frugal ways to show love on Valentine's Day.

Valentine’s Day is a polarizing holiday. On one side, you have Team “every day should be a celebration of love.” Those people argue that February 14, is a “Hallmark holiday”, a day manufactured by greeting card companies and chocolate makers to boost sales. They say that, if you really love someone, you’ll spend all 365 days each year showing it.

On the other side, you have Team “Valentine’s Day is a day for you to lavish me with all the presents I didn’t get at Christmas”. That team asserts that… well, I’m not sure what their reasoning is.

I fall somewhere in the middle. In no way do I think V-Day should consist only of the obligatory exchange of gifts. I also don’t think it’s necessary to skip the day altogether. I think that, like Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day should serve as a reminder to treasure the things and people we should be grateful for every day.

For those of us who want to find a way to our love to the special people in our lives without breaking the bank or giving into the commercialization of the holiday, I have 5 ideas to help you out!

Hop over to Money Saving Mom for the rest of the post!



February 14 doesn't have to be a day of obligatory gifts and unmet expectations. Make the day special with these 5 frugal ways to show love on Valentine's Day.