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Valentine’s season can be a bit of a toss-up for couples: Either you’re anticipating a romantic gesture or fretting about how to pull one off. The latter situation gets especially tricky on a student budget. You might try to stretch your funds, while wondering whether your significant other will understand how you cannot. Despite the grand expectations surrounding Valentine’s Day, however, this occasion does not have to break the bank. Here, Vantage presents some date options that may skimp on the price, but never on the sweetness.
1) Be one with nature
Those leisurely strolls of romance novels need the perfect scenery. The Chinese and Japanese Gardens of Rizal Park are good places to start, if you don’t want to go too far. Instagram-able bridges, ponds, and pagodas await just for an entrance fee of PHP 10—and the rest of Rizal Park, along with its monuments and fountains, is completely free. Fly a kite, have a picnic, or opt for couples’ meditation to forget about life’s hustle and bustle.
For the adventurous, a road trip to Daranak Falls should be interesting. The natural attraction in Tanay, Rizal is easily accessible via public transport, costing up to PHP 250 inclusive of entrance—that means cascading waters and forest cover just two hours away from the city. It’s a steal for a Valentine’s that will truly make a splash.
2) Pile up the plates with unli-food deals
Fancy dinners and small portions are hardly ever economical, and Katipunan Avenue already presents a host of unlimited food promos guaranteed to satisfy a table for two. You can have as many plates as you want of Samgyupsalamat’s Korean barbecue or Sweet Inspirations’ mixed Mongolian bowls, both for under Php 400. The Old Spaghetti House’s revamped interiors also create a new date-worthy space, so watch out for their pasta-all-you-can or half-price pizza promos.
A full buffet spread below PHP 500 is a rarity, but not if you’re willing to chow down in the wee hours. Somethin’ Fishy in Eastwood City Walk offers a PHP 209 buffet from midnight to 10:00 AM. Lest you shy away from the odd schedule, let the roast beef carving station, lechon, and array of seafood convince you otherwise. This would be a unique (and filling) way to cap off a day together.
3) Better yet, make your own dishes
Surprise your Valentine with something homemade. February 14 is a weekday where he or she might skip a meal in favor of rushing to class, and not many things show concern better than lovingly prepared baon. Show how much you know about your SO’s favorite food by going the extra mile to cook it yourself.
On the other hand, you can both spend Valentine’s in the kitchen. Take pointers from rom-coms where bonding happens over flour fights and haphazard cookies—you’ll have fun attempting to come up with your own candlelit dinner and dessert. For a competitive spin, throw other couples into the fray and challenge them to a V-Day cook-off: An easy way to split the tab for ingredients.
4) Spread the love by volunteering together
Although Valentine’s Day is typically associated with romantic dinner dates and special one-on-one time with a significant other, why not share the love and celebrate it by making other people smile? Not only will it be something new and different, but it’s also a priceless and meaningful experience that you and your date can share together.
There are many organizations set up to help others such as Habitat for Humanity, PAWS, and Red Cross. You can also look over the various volunteering activities available in iVolunteer Philippines, an online volunteer search database that allows you to search for opportunities that you can partake in. There are many people and groups in need, and spending an afternoon to help can already make a big difference in the lives of others.
5) Feel like a kid again
A trip to the nearest Timezone guarantees hours of fun. Challenge your SO to an air hockey match, sing your hearts out at the karaoke machine, and take creative shots at the photobooth. Newer Timezone stores such as in UPTC also offer tons of new games and features such as pool tables, foosball, mini recording booths, and 4D racing games. You can load any amount you want in your card, but spending at least PHP 150 (which gives you +30 free) would already be enough for four to five games.
On the other hand, if you want a more quiet and romantic way to spend the day, you could always stay in, pop some corn, and go back in time by watching your favorite childhood movies and television shows together. From That’s So Raven to Cheaper by the Dozen, there are plenty of relive-your-childhood shows to watch in a marathon.
Making Valentine’s special for you and your loved one doesn’t always have to be ridiculously expensive. With the right company and a sense of adventure and humor, anything you do is sure to be special.
Photo by Rexford Ng.
