LIFE

Think creatively for Valentine’s Day gifts

Abbey Roy

I have a lovely friend whose name is Val*.

Not long ago I was thinking about The Roys’ plans for Valentine’s Day — which, as of my writing this, don’t exist — and it dawned on me how much fun it would be to do something encouraging for Val on this holiday (whose roots, as I understand it, haven’t remotely to do with romance).

I considered sending Val some flowers, candy, a card ... maybe a gigantic stuffed gorilla holding a gigantic stuffed heart, but nothing really seemed to fit.

(Note to all florists, chocolatiers, greeting card companies and toymakers: All of these can be great gifts, they just weren’t what I had in mind. Please find it in your heart to forgive me, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, and read on.)

Then one day I had a revelation. My internal dialogue went something like this:

“Sigh. I like to DIY so many different things ... why isn’t there such a thing as DIY flowers?”

“Because I don’t have time, patience or a greenhouse. Duh.”

“ ... But wait! What if I could DIY flowers, in an instant-gratification, foolproof, not-dealing-with-seeds-or-sunlight-or-soil sort of way?”

Cue Google search: “Origami flowers.”

Errr, hold on. “Easy Origami flowers.”

Yesssss.

I printed out the instructions, cut some squares of paper from an extra wallpaper book Grammy gave us (free), folded a practice round or two, then invited Little Roy — who also is a huge fan of Val’s — to come help me.

I have to say I underestimated Little Roy’s ability as a paper folder, because eventually I could no longer keep up.

First we made a couple flowers. Then we made a few more. At last count, we had about two dozen of them, some affixed to sticks as makeshift stems (free) and other strung on a piece of twine across a window for early spring decorations.

My point in sharing this story is not to point out how generous and kind-hearted our family is (because we all have things to work on), but to draw your attention to how easy it is to brighten someone’s Valentine’s Day with not much money and a little bit of effort.

Of course I can’t guarantee that Val will be impressed with her huge vase of origami flowers, but I’m willing to bet they’ll serve their purpose.

Perhaps you’re fretting about how your Valentine wants one of those flashy chocolate diamond rings whose ads keep playing on Hulu, but you’re more of a cubic zirconia type of guy.

Or maybe you feel like your Valentine’s Day should be spent at a five-star restaurant whose three entree choices you can’t even pronounce.

Never fear, friends: The Bargain Advocate is here to tell you that in order for something to be meaningful — for most folks, at least — you don’t need to spend a lot of money on it.

The total cost of our origami flowers, whose supplies consist of leftover wallpaper samples, sticks, tape and florist wire (all of which we already had) was free. It required no trips to the store; only a Google search and some printer paper.

I received in the mail a while back a copy of a homemade book a reader made for his family for Christmas. I know we’re not ready to talk about Christmas yet (at least I’m not, though your local big box store may feel differently), but who’s to say you couldn’t make a Valentine’s Day book? I, for one, think the booklets of coupons for “one free hug,” “one free pass on cooking dinner,” “one complaint-free room cleaning,” etc., are lovely ideas.

Here’s the thing: You don’t need to be a professional artist to draw a silly Valentine card for someone. (Has “Be Like Bill” shown up in your Facebook feeds recently? Then you know what a big impact stick figures can have.) In fact, I think the less artistic you are, the better. It proves you have confidence in your message.

You also don’t need to go to a five-star restaurant to have a good time with someone you care about. I saw on our local White Castle sign not long ago that they’re taking reservations for Valentine’s Day. At least “sliders” is easy to pronounce.

And then we can all be thankful for Pinterest, whose ideas for Valentine crafts don’t all have to be just for kids. (Though I would contend that some probably do.)

I know not everyone thinks the same way I do, but if you haven’t yet made your five-star restaurant reservation, I encourage you to think creatively this Valentine’s Day, not just about ways to brighten your significant other or kids’ days, but how to make someone smile who might need it.

It won’t take much time (unless you want it to), and I can pretty much guarantee the payoff will be worth it.

*Real recipient’s name has been changed, because why would I risk ruining the surprise?

If you have insight about a frugal living topic or an idea for a future column, please email me at amroy@nncogannett.com. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy saving,

Abbey