CLUTTER-FREE VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT IDEAS
Want to show your love without adding to the clutter? Here are some clutter-free Valentine’s Day gift ideas and ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day without yet more stuff.
GIFTS THAT DON’T CONTRIBUTE TO CLUTTER
This Valentine’s Day why not show your love to your loved one with something special – a meaningful gift, activity or memory that you can celebrate and enjoy on Valentine’s Day but without adding extra clutter to your home or life.
Sometimes when we give or receive gifts, particularly if we’re trying to be more conscious consumers and/or reduce the clutter in our lives, it’s difficult knowing what to give as a gift. Let alone what to do if you receive a gift that maybe you wouldn’t have chosen.
One way around this is to carefully choose gifts that are consumable and that, once used, won’t stick around to clutter your home. Consumable gifts are also great for birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries and other celebrations. They’re wonderful to give, receive and enjoy using but they also won’t physically stick around to clutter up your counters and cupboards afterwards!
As well as consumable gifts, experience gifts can be a fantastic way of giving someone a memorable experience which stays on in their minds, hearts (and maybe photos) but which doesn’t stay in their homes! There are so many experiences on offer these days that you’re bound to find something special, unique, different, exciting, magical and more!
CLUTTER-FREE GIFT IDEAS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
Here are some clutter-free Valentine’s Day gift ideas that you can enjoy giving and your loved one can enjoy receiving without contributing to yet more stuff in your home and life.
- Date morning – Get up a bit early, make a tasty breakfast and enjoy each other’s company before the rest of the day and household wakes up.
- Go for a walk – Take in the fresh air, explore a new neighbourhood, linger over a coffee at the coffee shop.
- A box of chocolates – Choose your loved one’s favourites and let them enjoy! The only clutter left over will be the packaging.
- Make your own chocolates – See above but with the added bonus of no packaging to dispose of!
- Movie night – Put the kids to bed early, choose a film you’ll both enjoy and treat yourself to drinks and snacks.
- Hire a baby-sitter – Get someone you know and trust to watch the kids and take yourself out for dinner or drinks.
- A night in a hotel – As above but give yourselves a little longer to enjoy each other’s company!
- Flowers – A traditional romantic gesture and they’ll make your home look and smell beautiful without clutter.
- Go out for dinner – Book a table at your favourite restaurant and enjoy a date night.
- Plan a meal in – Choose, prepare, cook and eat together with candlelight and background music if you like.
- A love note or two – Leave little love notes in places where your partner will see them, for example on their pillow, the bathroom mirror, in their packed lunch.
- Send a text – A love note in digital form to surprise them and brighten their day.
- Bath products – Enjoy a luxury pamper session with a warm bath and bubbles, either on your own or with your partner! Put some background music on, open the wine bottle and sink back to relax.
- Candles – A lovely way to scent your home and create a romantic atmosphere.
- An act of service – A massage, walk the dog, mow the lawn, the weekly shop. Giving your time, energy and thought is worth more than many material gifts.
- A replacement for something worn out – If your loved one has used an item that’s now seen better days and can’t be repaired, why not buy a replacement? It could be an item of clothing, a gadget or DIY tool, a new wallet or purse. Make sure that your partner would be happy to get rid of the old item or else you’ll end up with duplicates. Maybe they could choose their replacement item so you know they’re going to like it and feel comfortable wearing or using it.
- A bottle of favourite drink – From champagne to craft beers, easily consumable and something special to celebrate Valentine’s Day, or any day really!
- For the kids – I like to share the love on Valentine’s Day with my kids so we’ll make some cupcakes and decorate them with heart-inspired icing. Other Valentine’s Day gifts for children could be art and craft supplies which they’ll use up easily.
These are just a few ideas for clutter-free Valentine’s Day gifts. When you’re deciding what to give your loved one and trying to find ways to give gifts that don’t add clutter to your home, I encourage you to think about consumable or experience gifts wherever you can.
However, don’t underestimate how it feels to share more than just gifts. Your time, energy, patience, love, touch, presence, conversation and closeness are just as important as material gifts.
For many of us, as we hurtle through our busy days and busy lives, we seldom have time for ourselves or our most important relationships. Spending time with partners is so often snatched time at the end of the day. Not quality time where we can give the best of ourselves to the ones we love.
Valentine’s Day might be a good time to think about how you connect with your loved ones on a regular basis and if there’s anything you can do to be closer and more present with them on a regular basis.
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