Valentine’s Day can be very stressful… and expensive. Finding cheap Valentine’s gift ideas can be a nightmare, since we want the very best and sparkly thing for our better half, right? And that’s usually expensive.

I personally don’t celebrate Valentine’s. We ‘imported’ it from the US and since I couldn’t identify anything truly meaningful about it (beside buying tons of chocolate and flowers) I kind of skipped it every year. BUT I know lots of you out there celebrate it and that’s quite a big deal.

Related: How Do Romanian’s Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Here are a few thoughtful Valentine’s gift ideas that I think would melt every heart (it melted mine, for sure!).

Embarrassing Photos

Now… this could go terribly wrong if your partner can’t see beyond the ’embarrassing’ part. But let’s assume you know your partner well enough and you’ll be able to decide if this is a good idea or not.

Go though the archives and find some of your dearest (and embarrassing) photos together.

Print them and add them in an album.

Related: Gift Ideas for Boyfriend or Husband

Here comes the ‘heart melting’ part: write cute, funny, thoughtful notes under each photo. Write things that will even the balance of the embarrassment and will turn the photos in amazing memories. Things such as “I truly love your appetite. Always wondered how you can fit that much food in such a tiny body” or “You think this photo is ugly, but it’s my favourite”.

Post-Its Jar

I have to admit, this idea requires some time. This is not something to come up on the spot or a day before Valentine’s.

The idea behind this touching gift is to add post-it notes in a jar as often as you can. Write small, meaningful things your partner did that day that made you feel loved and special.

Put the date each time (gives it an extra touch) and the event, fold it and put it in the jar. Write even the smallest things ever. Things such as “you washed the dishes for me today because you knew I was exhausted and stressed out” matter because you felt loved.

Related: Gifts Your Girlfriend Wants

This requires some time – to collect as many post-its as possible – but it’s such a cute Valentine’s gift idea!

You could even turn this into a routine: constantly keep a ‘love jar’ and read each other’s notes every now and then.

Gratitude Letter

I think this is quite classic, but it’s one of those gift ideas that never gets old.

It’s more difficult for us to express our feelings verbally. Good or bad feelings are always expressed better if written. Writing frees us from the pressure of talking in front of someone and wonder if we hurt their feelings or if they’re judging us. Also reading someone’s thoughts is more intimate and gives the recipient the liberty of processing, re-reading and so on.

So take some time to write a gratitude letter to your partner. Pour your soul in it: the bad, the good, the ugly and the beauty. Just remember it’s about gratitude, not about complaining.

Such a letter could help both of you better understand each other and maybe fix some unsaid things.

52 Reasons Why

If you are not a crafty person, this might not be such a good idea for you. But maybe you could ask a crafty friend to help you.

I saw this DIY idea on What’s Up Moms and think it’s such a cute Valentine’s gift idea.

What this basically is it’s a deck of play cards turned into a mini book. Each card should have a different reason why you love your partner. You don’t need fancy supplies:

• a deck of cards
• glue
• hole punch
• craft paper
• binding rings
• the list of 52 reasons

Below is the DIY tutorial for this nice Valentine’s gift idea.

All the Other Small Things

I would say this classic idea works best for older couples who already exhausted the gift lists and don’t really wish something material.

Sometimes the best way to show your love and appreciation for your partner is easier than you ever thought.

Related: How To Choose The Right Gift for Anyone

Doing simple things that would take some of the small burdens off their shoulders mean a lot. Things like doing the dishes and laundry, taking the kids to school or any other small house hold related activity matters A LOT.

Make sure you emphasise that you’re doing it because you love them – to eliminate any doubt.

For me personally, it means a lot when my partner offers to do something instead of me – even thought it was my turn to do it (let’s say wash the dishes). This tells me that he’s paying attention to how I feel, he empathises, cares and wants to protect me. For me this values more than the biggest box of chocolate ever.

I hope you found these cheap Valentine’s gift ideas thoughtful enough to melt your heart. If they did, they will melt your partner’s heart for sure!

Happy Valentine’s and remember you should celebrate love each day!