Don't break the bank on Valentine's Day

Free love: 10 top ideas

What couples really want, though, is an interesting and romantic gift that their partner has thought about and planned - time away together, breakfast in bed, dinner for two or a personalised gift.

Relationship Psychologist, Corinne Sweet, says: 'Many people, especially men, spend money to please or appease, when their partners would simply like to have more time, thought and appreciation from them. The personal touch, the little thoughtful gesture, is often more a sign of true love and commitment than extravagant, 'OTT' romantic gestures.'

So here are a few ways you can say 'I love you' without paying a fortune for it:

1. Find the way to your lover's tummy
   Write 'I love you' or other simple messages with jam or spaghetti on toast. Or for the adventurous, whip up a batch of heart-shaped pancakes using a heart-shaped mould (try www.lakeland.co.uk). Whipped cream and strawberries make this a very sexy treat.
2. Notables
   Put little notes in their lunch boxes, on the bathroom mirror, in his briefcase, stuck on the car windshields, in his underwear drawer...
3. Poetry In Motion
   Write him or her a poem. Can't write? Try out the poem generator at www.whimsies_online.com for fun! Print out your creation and place it on your loved-one's night table for when they awake!
4. A winter picnic
   This is a great idea if you have a fireplace (or a few candles to replicate the effect). Place a blanket on the floor and enjoy your favourite finger food - the sexier the better. Try olives, artichokes, asparagus, stuffed mushrooms and oysters wrapped in bacon, plus mousse and cherries for desert.
5. Sweet treat
   Make him a strawberry and cream sponge cake in a heart-shaped mould (available from www.lakeland.co.uk), dust with icing sugar sifted through a heart-shaped hole or his name cut in a piece of paper.
6. If music be the food of love
   Burn a CD of their favourite songs - preferably the romantic lovey-dovey ones. Put it on after supper and then...
7. Be hands-on
   While it might be tempting to spend money on buying them a massage, it's more intimate and cost-effective to do it yourself.
8. Pick your own Valentine's date
   Who said Valentine's Day had to be on 14th February? Why not decide between you that yours is going to be on 14th March, or 20th February or 25th May or any date that you can both make and when all the restaurant and hotel prices will be back down to normal!
9. Leave a voice mail
   Ring his answer machine at work and leave a sweet message so it's waiting for him when he gets in.
10. Pamper them at home
    Run them a nice hot bubble bath when he gets home from work. Don't forget the scented candles. If you've got kids, try and offload them for the night. If it's not possible, then get them to bed early with the promise of some treats over the weekend.

If you are single and fed up with it all, why not take over a bar, invite all your other single friends and host a 'Down with Valentine's Day' party? Get everyone to pay for their own drinks and not only can you have a cheap night out but you could end up with a date of your own!