Broke on Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day is about love, it's not supposed to be about material items or gifts. However, in today's world, it seems we turn every day into a reason to purchase another a material thing. So, for those of us (I'm one of you, I really am!) who feel we need to have a material item to give on Valentine's Day, take a broad look around your home and think of things that the recipients would love. It's not about the dollar amount spent, but the love spent giving it.

For Your Spouse (Husband or Wife) - I'm sure that one of you or both of you are in dire need of a break from reality. Instead of spending thousand's of dollars you don't have (you know, using the old plastic) on some piece of jewelry or a collectible NASCAR replica that's going to sit in the box most of the time anyway, visit http://ivyjoy.com/printcards/certificate.html and print out your own gift certificate for free! There are several pre-made options, as well as a blank choice, so you can write in your own "gift".

For Your Kids - Children are grateful for anything special that is theirs only. Bake each of their favorite cookies and make them their own individual cookie boxes that they don't have to share. Or again, visit http://ivyjoy.com/printcards/certificate.html, they offer certificates for kids as well.

If you feel that you really need to have candy or chocolates on Valentine's Day, there are many website's that offer free recipes for candy and I'll bet you have all of the ingredients for some of them already. My personal favorite candy recipe is Peanut Butter Balls, I almost always have the ingredients on hand and they are so easy to make! If you'd like the recipe, feel free to visit my blog, Homemaker of the 21^st Century and just type Peanut Butter Balls in the search box, it's free!