Inside: Valentines day gifts for married couples that you can use all year to strengthen your relationship

I don’t care about Valentine’s Day.

I disliked Valentine’s Day because the holiday just felt arbitrary and obligatory.

A last-minute jaunt to the grocery store gift of flowers somehow loses its value.

But I realized my rejection is less about the last-minute gift and more about my desire for a heartfelt, well-thought-out gift.

In fact, one of my favorite gifts on Valentine’s Day was when I was a teenager. I was probably, to my recollection, feeling moody and sorry for myself and assuming that I would never have a boyfriend and I would never have a Valentine. You know, typical teenage stuff.

Then the doorbell rang…

At my door, a bouquet of flowers was shining with all their glorious burst of color.

No, it wasn’t from a secret admirer, it was just from my parents.

But in spite of that, I remember my face lighting up, my spirits soaring, and how my mom said the flower delivery guy stated my reaction was the reason he delivered flowers.

A second reason I tend to be a Valentine Scrooge is that it’s so very expensive. My husband will buy me a $20 card or a $100 box of chocolate strawberries (which I love), but any other day they would be half-price.

So instead of thinking about the gift, I end up thinking about the exorbitant and unjust price.

Yes, I know, overreact much?

So in light of Valentine’s Day,

And any day of the year, I’ve put together some thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts without the exorbitant price tag.

And while I appreciate the well-thought-out gift, I tend to procrastinate myself. I’m much better at the day-to-day moments.

For this list, I tried to think of some out-of-the-box non-flower/non-chocolate ideas, as well as ideas you could do at home.

While I do love chocolate and flowers, I’m always looking for unique ideas.

In addition, I wanted to think of things that would last more than a day, since we all hope our relationships last more than a day.

And while most of these are intended for a spouse or boyfriend, many could be adapted to others in your family as well.

10 Valuable Valentines Day Gifts for Married Couples and More

1. A list of scriptures about love.

Think Song of Solomon. Any romantic will appreciate these heartfelt words of love and thanks. (If you’ve never read this book of the Bible, you may be shocked by the content. )

You could plan to say them out loud throughout the day, or write them on the mirror, bedside table, or anywhere your love will see them. Here are a few examples:

• Song of Songs: 1: 2 (NLT) Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine.

• Song of Songs 1:15 (NLT) How beautiful you are my darling, how beautiful! Your eyes are like doves.

• Song of Songs 1: 16 (NLT) You are so handsome, my love, pleasing beyond words!

• Song of Songs 4: 7 (NLT) You are altogether, beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way

• Philippians 1:3 (NLT) Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

For even more love scriptures check out the following find on Etsy:

2. Join the Dare of the Month Club:

So, I just heard about this from Jill Savage’s podcast with Dr. Jenifer Degler. (I might be a podcast junkie.)

Fair warning: It’s about sex. I know we don’t like to talk about this publically, but within God’s plan for marriage, sex is supposed to be a gift, and Dr. Degler has some great resources.

Rest assured, she speaks from a Christian perspective.

3. Coupon books:

I know, I know, a little cheesy, but you can’t underestimate this simple gift. (I was inspired by the coupon books we gave to our children for stocking stuffers one year.)

You could even make up your own. I’m a minimalist, so I’m talking scrap paper with some holes and whatever you can find to loop it together. Or if you want something a little fancier, consider buying your own coupons from Etsy like pictured below:

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4. Date Night Bucket List

I don’t know about you, but our date nights often consist of going to the same restaurant, ordering the same food, and driving around town to kill time till the kids are in bed.

So, we need a little help with the creative juices. My husband and I are both homebodies, so a ready-made list is a kick in the butt we need.

I’m not going to say we always use our bucket lists; sometimes we just want to go to the same restaurant we love.

But on nights when we are feeling a bit more adventurous, we already have some fun ideas. Pictured below are some examples:

5. Date box subscription

While I am a bit cynical about the love holiday, because let’s face it, if we’re only telling our love that we care about them one day a year, we might be missing something.

So that’s why these date boxes appeal to me.

We’ve only tried one ourselves and while the dates were fun, the one we tried was not quite what we were looking for at the time.

A quick google search revealed an option for everybody. To help you start your search, check out the article below:

10 Best Date Night Subscription Boxes for Couples in 2023 – MSA (mysubscriptionaddiction.com)

6. Make a list of 10 things (or more) of things you love about your spouse

One of my husband’s top love languages is affirmations, meaning he likes for me to praise him and appreciate him. I could use some improvement in this area, so perhaps this one is more for me.

I just recently listened to the Small Things Often Podcast (told you I’m a podcast junkie), and it talked about this exact subject, with emphasis on being specific about things you love and appreciate. Like…

• I love how patient you were with the kids when…

• Or I appreciate you taking out the trash…

• Thank you for remembering… It really showed me you listened to me.

I think you get the point.

7. Listen or read a book or podcast together.

While we love our TV shows, sometimes we gotta make ourselves get out of our rut. The book doesn’t have to be about marriage improvement, it can even be fiction.

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery?

Below are two that we’ve found helpful for marriage improvement:

• Small Things Often Podcast: A two-minute clip on simple tips to improve relationships

8. Plan a Dessert Date

So okay, this one isn’t really that unique but you can’t refute a classic. Now a quirk that comes along with my Scroogieness is that I don’t like to go out to eat on Valentine’s Day.

Crowds, mushiness, and my frugality mark my top reasons for avoiding the public. (And for a while I could blame it on Covid.)

So if you’re with me or you just forgot to make reservations, try the following idea:

Put the kids to bed early and plan a fancy dessert over candlelight together. Or maybe just your favorite candy bar from the gas station. (I like to keep things simple.)

Pop open some champagne, sparkling water, or juice boxes and just enjoy being with each other, whatever that looks like for you.

Some fun dessert ideas:

30 Best Instant Pot Desserts – Insanely Good (insanelygoodrecipes.com)

65+ Healthy Dessert Ideas : Food Network | Healthy Meals, Foods and Recipes & Tips : Food Network | Food Network

9. Find a Virtual Date Night

So this one became easier in the world of the pandemic as many companies have expanded options to include virtual, allowing opportunities we may not have had otherwise! Great for your marriage and your budget.

In Chattanooga (where I live), we have an organization called First Things First. They offer many great options for marriage events and classes and the good news is since many of them are virtual you don’t even have to be my neighbor. 🙂

10. Go on a dream date

No, I don’t mean a magical date on a horsedrawn carriage through snow-covered Disney World (though that does sound nice).

I just mean dream together. Plan together. You can either do it at home or on a drive.

But you can take it further even and share your bucket list and maybe even start planning a dream vacation.

Jill and Mark Savage’s website has so many great resources for marriage, which is what inspired this last idea.

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Well, I am becoming less of a Scrooge as I write this,

So I’m anticipating a fun-filled day, even if we don’t get it planned before Valentine’s Day because well, life.

And added to my to-do list this month is:

• My daughter’s birthday
• Making Valentine boxes and cards for school parties,
• And the mountain of never-ending laundry stagnant on my couch.

So I hope those Valentines day gifts for married couples and more will help you think of some ways you can celebrate love, whether it’s on Valentine’s Day or a day or two or 20 late.

After all, it’s about the meaning behind the day, not the date on a calendar. In fact, if you did sweep over Valentine’s Day, don’t fear, plan a surprise date night instead.

What about you? What ideas can you add to my list?

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As always, thank you for reading! And if you enjoyed this post, would you please consider sharing on social media?

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Can We Have Eternal Joy? Inspiration from a Southern Snow Day

How to Improve My Marriage in 3 Underrated Ways

The Ultimate Bridegroom: Are You Worthy of Love?

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More Great Ideas and Resources to Keep Valentines Day All Year Long :

• 12 Epic At-Home Date Night Ideas for Valentine’s Day · Pint-sized Treasures

• No More Perfect Date Night | A membership site for marriage resources

• Jennifer Degler Ministries – Emotional Wellness | Rewarding Relationships | Satisfying Sex

Recommended Resources/Gifts:

**Original Post Published: February 10th, 2021, Updated February 8th, 2023