The 5 Most B.S. Things About Valentine’s Day

By Lauren Ver Hage Saturday, February 13, 2016

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow ya’ll, and sadly, that means a ton of useless spending. It’s a ~special day~ when people feel the need to go out of their way to buy stuff they normally wouldn’t. For a lot of people, it seems that Valentine’s Day is an excuse to spend a lot of money (they may or might not have) on stuff that is simply not worth it. Think pricey bouquets of flowers, expenses dinners out, and astronomically high prix fixe menus. Americans will spend nearly $20 billion dollars on this holiday alone, which seems out. of. control.

It’s not that we don’t cherish love, romance, and companionship here at TFD, it’s more that we know a lot of people feel compelled to spend out of obligation. When people around you are feeding their money into an industry that celebrates spending on a prescribed holiday (the origins of which are very muddy), it can feel like you need to as well. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are a ton of great ways you can spend the holiday, and celebrating it without breaking the bank. There are so many neat budget-friendly date ideas, festive recipes to try out at home, and cocktails to whip up for a fraction of the price. It’s the perfect opportunity to get creative with how you celebrate the day, and show loved ones that you appreciate them. And hell, if you prefer to host an Anti-Valentine’s Day party or co-host a fun Galentine’s Day party, that’s totally cool too! Whatever you decide to do for the holiday, make sure it’s actually something you want to do. No one needs to get roped into dropping hundreds of dollars on a Cupid Dinner with doily menus and shimmery-heart confetti on the table.

Like I said, Valentine’s Day is a made-up holiday anyway, so we shouldn’t feel pressure to pull out all the stops on this one day. We should all spread the romantic gestures evenly throughout the year and not cram it all into one day. Check out what we think are the five most b.s. things about Valentine’s Day spending, and what you can do as alternatives to them!