Valentine's Day for Under $150

In these hard economic times all Americans are looking for a way to get more for their buck, and there is nothing wrong with that. But with Valentines Day right around the corner, how do we make that special day a very special and remembering one for the woman of our dreams? Men make the mistake of spening a lot of money on a gift when what your woman really wants is to know that she is appreciated and you actually put some thought in making her day one to remember.

Here are five things to do for your special significant other that will cost under $150.

• Remember the 1988 movie, Coming to America staring Eddie Murphy? In the movie, beautiful women threw roses at the king and princes' feet. Why not do the same for your woman? The night before Valentines Day, go down to your local florist and get 4-5 boxes of rose petals. The morning of Valentines Day, walk in front of your lady throwing roses petals at her feet. Follow her around the house as she scurries about placing petals anywhere she walks, and then follow her to her car. As an added bonus, already have rose petals places on the floor of the drivers seat. Be waiting for her outside from her return from work to do it all over again.

• Traditionally, men opt to treat their lady to a nice expensive dinner on Valentine's Day. The problem is that so does about a thousand other men creating one to two hour waits even at a two-start restaurant. This year get creative. About two or three days before Valentines Day create a custom menu on your computer. The menu should consist of a list of favorite wines, appetizers, salads, entrée's and desserts that your loved one enjoys. Get creative with it by "naming" your restaurant and take it down to Kinko's or your local print shop to add an authentic look to your menu. She will think you spend ours on it. The morning of Valentine's Day, right before she leaves for work or school, present her with the menu and instruct her to pick out an appetizer, salad, entrée, wine and dessert. About an hour to hour and a half before she comes home from work, call in the order (you may have to go to multiple places but this is her day so suck it up) By the time she gets home the table should be set (please use nice linen) by candle light. You should be dressed as a waiter (black slacks, white shirt and tie) Role-play, she is the guest and you are the server. Start conversation, the idea is to get her to invite you to dinner. Stay in character even after dinner is over and do the dishes.

• This year take full control of the entire day. The day before Valentine's Day call your lady off of work or get her out of class for that day (get a friend to keep her in the loop of missed assignments) you are the chauffeur today. Open the car door and instruct she sits in the backseat; it wouldn't hurt to wear the hat as well. Escort her to any destination she wishes, the entire day. (Open all doors and stand outside by the car and wait for her to finish) She can go to the store (you carry all bags and stay five steps behind her) or to a friend's house, it does not matter. She commands and you drive.

• Display your love for your significant other and immortalize it. Take your favorite picture of her and get it enlarged to a medium poster size. Post it on walls or telephone polls around your neighborhood, college campus and her workplace. Each poster should display a difference sweet message and the posters should strategically placed in the areas she will be that day. The objective is to let everyone know how much she is loved and adored. Everyone else who sees the posters as well will notice her. Another way could be to write a heart felt message or poem and paying to have it posted in your local newspaper to be read by all. Normally a half page with text and a 5x7 photograph normally runs $40-$80, size and location in the paper determines the price. This should be prepared at least a week in advance. Make sure the newspaper is opened to that page and have it ready for her when she wakes up.

• Take the stress away for a day for the woman that does so much. Instead of having her sit in beauty salons or spas, bring the experience to her. Either after work/class for before, have a masseuse (one who freelances can he found on www.craigslist.org in your local area) While she gets her massage, manicure, pedicure or hair done, you should be burning candles, incents or other fragrances that add to the ambiance and to create a place of relaxation and tranquility.

Depending on if you are feeling the economic pinch you may want to pick more than one of the above suggestions to create a Valentine's Day to remember. Or maybe one of the above suggestions can spark your imagination to come up with your own ideas. Nevertheless, this Valentine's Day can be special, romantic AND affordable. Remember, you don't have to spend a lot of money to show her you love her. Your ideas should be filled with love. If all else fails get your lady a nice book to curl up to. A nice romance, love or erotica novel. A great one, This Hurts, can be found on, www.aapribooks.com