Guest Post: MakeYour Valentine Go Green

Like most present-swapping occasions, Valentine’s Day isn’t a particularly eco-friendly affair. Even the smallest gifts seem to treble in size once they have been wrapped in tissue, boxed-up and then given the big red bow treatment!

Even a single red rose can get lost in a fog of tissue, bows and cellophane!

So follow our simple tips and make your Valentine’s Day go green.

Make your own cards

Card manufacturers seem to use Valentine’s day to get rid of any unwanted pieces of ribbon, lace and card that they have lying around and many cards end up looking like they’ve been made from the cast-offs from a 1980s Madonna video. They also seem to go crazy with card sizes and some cards are so large that they wouldn’t fit through Paul Bunyan’s mailbox!

So go for the less-is-more approach and make your own cards this Valentine’s Day. Even if you are not the most creative person in the world, your card will be appreciated purely for the time and effort that you’ve put into it. A good idea, and a really simple one, is to cut out old photographs to make a montage of the times you and your partner have spent together as this adds a truly personal touch and shows that a lot of thought has gone into making the card.

And in making your own card you are not only saving the environment but probably saving yourself about $5 into the bargain!

Go local

Valentine’s Day is to florists what Christmas is to elves and what Thanksgiving is to turkey farmers but saying it with flowers can heavily impact upon the environment. This is because many of the exotic flowers you give on Valentine’s Day, and even simple red roses, may have traveled thousands of miles to get to your local florist and so will have a massive carbon footprint. And that’s before we even get onto the subject of pesticides!

So go local this Valentine’s Day and give your partner a locally grown plant or locally sourced flowers…but that doesn’t mean you should go and pick your own from the local park!

Buy vintage

Another good eco-friendly tip is to buy vintage Valentine’s gifts. This probably works best with jewelry (but certainly doesn’t work with lingerie!) and you can pick up some stunning and very individual pieces at vintage outlets or even thrift stores.

Dine at home

Although more time consuming, preparing a Valentine’s meal at home instead of eating out is a great way to save money and will also have less of an impact upon the environment. Turn your dining room into a romantic restaurant and dine by candlelight, preferably biodegradable and smokeless candles, as this will not only help to set the mood but will also save on energy.

Then you can make your favorite meal using locally sourced, possibly organic, produce and couple it with some organic wine or Champagne. And going to the trouble of preparing a romantic meal is a great way to show your other half just how much they mean to you!

So there are just a couple of ways in which you can have a green and frugal Valentine’s Day. The savings you make financially are made up for in effort but it is this thoughtfulness that will make this Valentine’s Day extra special!

Guest post by OneIncomeDollar.com