Valentine’s day planning can get stressful and expensive—which makes it even more stressful.  However, with a little bit of creativity, this day can still be enjoyable and budget-friendly.  Here are a few fun and simple activities to try out for last minute planners!

Day-Date: Brunch-Game Day

Early birds- wake up and prepare breakfast for you and your significant other.  Cook omelets and turkey bacon, transfer orange juice into a glass pitcher, and pick up a fresh batch of bread from your favorite bakery.

Pack everything into a nice picnic basket with silverware, napkins, and a board game.  Also, for a little more fun, bring a bottle of champagne—to add to the orange juice or enjoy separately.

While enjoying brunch, bring out your favorite board game! Not only will you both burp from all the food that you just ate, but you will also share laughs and make memories.

Since brunch is such a casual event, dress it up.  For the ladies, wear a nice, romantic dress, and make it more casual with some sandals or even sneakers.  Gentlemen, whip out your nice spring jacket, dressy shorts, and boat shoes.  Don’t forget to wear your favorite pair of sunglasses and sunscreen.

Try Betty Givan’s, cookbook author and host of YouTube cooking channel BettysKitchen, “Fantastic Spicy Mexican Omelet” recipe:

6 whole uncooked eggs (I use 4 yolks and all 6 whites.)

• 1/2 tablespoon of margarine for sauteing vegetables
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper (chopped fine)
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper (chopped fine)
• 1/4 cup onion (chopped fine)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder,
pinch of cumin,
salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese

Stay Fit: Sporty Day

Who says athleticism is necessary to play sports?  Keep it light and fun.  Start the day with a delicious, light lunch.  Refer to “Day-Date: Brunch-Game Day” for an omelet recipe to use.

Since the sun is finally starting to come out, enjoy the nice weather with your significant other and get active.  Make use of what you already have to avoid the hassle of planning.  If you own a basketball, go to a local park and play.  Tennis is also another exceptional option.  However, if you are not very sport savvy, you can always put on a pair of running shoes and just take a walk around the block.  For added competition, try jogging, then racing each other.

Kendyl Chavez, a communications student at California State University, Bakersfield has been in a relationship for two years.  She says, “friendly competition is good because I feel like you push each other to do or be better.”

Fashion should not be compromised for fitness.  Since perfect weather has been upon Bakersfield lately, fun and colorful fitness clothes can be worn.  Ladies, it is time to sport your racer-back tank tops paired with your favorite gym shorts and running shoes.  Fellas, show a little skin with a nice tank, fitness shorts, and your training shoes.

Keep it light and breezy, as the heat can get overwhelming.  After a fun, sporty date, maybe this can turn into a fitness regime. Hello summer!

Date Night: Dance Away

Receiving your tab after a fun night at the club can be surprising, depending on how much fun you have had.  So here is an idea that all ages, and all budgets, can enjoy.

“I once paid over $300 for a bar tab,” Jonathan Santiago says, a former CSUB employee.

Girls, put on the dress that makes you feel most beautiful and confident.  Pair it with your favorite pair of dancing shoes.  Guys get dressed in your most dapper suit, wear your freshest cologne, and your most comfortable dress shoes.

For this activity, do not be afraid to get “dorky.”  Couples are supposed to be most comfortable with each other anyway.

Make a poster with both of your Twitter or Instagram names on them.  You can also make an additional poster that says, “Happy V-Day!” Make it fun.

While dressed in your fanciest outfit, go around town with your posters and look for local businesses with surveillance cameras by the front door.  This activity is most fun when businesses are already closed.  Since most surveillance videos are silent and appear black and white on screen, it would be fun for you and your partner to create a short black and white film or a silent music video.

At the end of your film, get your posters and show it to the camera.  The business owners will definitely be surprised and entertained when they watch the videos.  Who knows, they may post the videos online, go viral, and you instantly become an Internet sensation!

You can also bring your own camera and record yourselves while making your silent films.  Go to as many businesses as you can, record yourselves, and edit the videos to connect all the clips, make it black and white, and put background music.

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Valentine’s day should not just be about fancy dinners, movies and popcorn, and date nights anymore.  Make it fun, affordable, and create memories with your loved one.  Last minute planners, if you choose to incorporate any of these ideas for your V-Day date, I would love to see them! Tag me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  Have a safe Valentine, and for those who are of age, enjoy responsibly.

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