Valentines Day is less than a month away, so if you’d like to treat your honey and save money, it’s a good idea to start planning now.

Here’s some ideas of Valentines Day dates that will cost you $20 or less, for both of you.

(Two ideas today; two more tomorrow.)

Romantic home-cooked dinner for two

A romantic dinner for two in a nice restaurant can easily cost $150 including wine. I love fine dining so I certainly won’t discourage you from eating out it if you have the money… but if not, you don’t have to miss out.

With a little planning, it’s easy to cook a very nice meal at home for under $20. Here’s how:

1. Pick a recipe (that suits your cooking ability)
2. Make sure you own all the necessary equipment
3. Raid your pantry for grocery ingredients
4. Buy your fresh ingredients on the day
5. Cook!

Personally, I’d make something simple, but with one or two pricey ingredients we wouldn’t normally buy… say, a half-dozen oysters from the local fish shop (usually $7-ish).

Tip: Create a romantic atmosphere by giving the house a quick tidy, setting the dining table nicely and lighting some candles.

A night at the movies — at home

In Sydney, a night at the movies for two can easily top $40: $25 for tickets, $10 for snacks plus at least $5 for petrol, parking and incidentals. If you stay home, you can have a similar experience (without the queues) for under $20. Here’s how:

1. Buy some corn to pop, and any other snacks you like
2. Take your honey for a stroll to the local video store and let them pick a movie
3. Go home, pop the corn and play the movie

If you’d like to turn it into a more substantial meal, an antipasto plate would be great to eat while you watch.

Tip: Again, atmosphere is important. Clean up the house, dim the lights and serve the popcorn in your nicest big bowl.