Fortunately, ideas abound.  Just search the internet for frugal Valentine ideas, or try some below.

Chocolate. It's practically required, but how many of us really want to add a whole box of chocolates to our hips and waistline?  Instead of paying for fancy packaging and presentation, do the presentation yourself: a few rich and creamy Dove brand chocolate hearts on the pillow speak volumes, and hint at even more. ht to Frugal Fiction

Flowers. Another firmly entrenched tradition where it's possible to break free from consumerism and come out smelling sweet.  Try hand-delivering a single rose with a kiss and a single chocolate (but don't leave it at that!), or buy a variety of flowers with more personal meaning than overpriced high-demand red roses.   Tulips are lovely and last longer than thin-petaled flowers.

A potted flowering plant is usually far less expensive than cut flowers and will last much longer, even if your sweetheart doesn't have a green thumb.  Again, tulips are inexpensive, widely available and absolutely beautiful in pots.  With a little know-how, they can be enjoyed for years to come.

If you really must buy a dozen flowers, here's a fun idea to get a lot of bang for your buck:  Plan to meet in a public place, and have eleven strangers each deliver a single flower to your sweetheart just before you arrive to deliver the last flower.  Oh - do make sure you have a vase or box to hold the collection when you arrive.

Express yourself. Don't rush to buy a sparkly $5 card full of cliches written by a total stranger.  Write a love letter, try your hand at poetry, or jot down a handful of love notes and leave them in unexpected places.

Dinner. It doesn't have to be at a fancy restaurant.  When we were first married, we often celebrated by splurging on inexpensive steaks that we cooked together at home.  Over the years, we tried our hand at seafood and other specialty items that we could never afford to order at a restaurant.  A nice bottle of wine at home is also far cheaper than 2 glasses of nice wine at a restaurant.

Later, when we had children and couldn't afford a sitter, we would buy the kids some fun foods like chicken nuggets and fries, then send them to bed with - gasp! - a video in their room.  If they weren't ready to fall asleep at 7, they stayed put until they were ready to sleep, and hubby and I had the rest of the house to ourselves.  The kids still have fond memories of these times.

Gifts. Sometimes the most appreciated gifts are the practical ones.  One year hubby and I went clothes shopping together.  We each bought 2 or 3 badly needed items that lasted for many years.  Some years, we buy one item for the house that we have both been wanting, using the holiday to justify the purchase.

Get creative. Some gifts are free, requiring your time rather than money.  If you are married, you have a whole other class of gift options from which to choose.  Use your imagination.

Dates. Dates need not include a full sit-down dinner and a movie.  Go browse a bookstore (then come home and check PaperbackSwap for the titles that caught your eye), go out for ice cream or coffee,  split an appetizer at your favorite restaurant, stroll through an art museum, or visit that fast food restaurant where you first met your sweetheart.  Look for sentimental value rather than retail value.  more ideas here.

Movie. If you do want to take in a movie, consider renting one from the library, Netflix, or RedBox (search the internet for a free rental code).  You could even buy an old favorite as a mutual gift.  Pop a bowl of popcorn, dim the lights, and snuggle up together on the sofa.  No matter how you get it, a movie at home is a more relaxed and intimate time and has far more potential for romance than the local theater.

If you must go to the theater for your movie fix, try an early matinee or a dollar theater, and avoid the concession stand.  Instead of shelling out $10 for popcorn and coke, save your money and split an appetizer at your favorite restaurant afterward, or buy a nice treat to take home with you.

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As soon as he hopped on the bus though, I knew that we would have to plan a little celebration for him. Emily did her part destroying the house while I did my part in cooking our dinner. We celebrated his accomplishment simply with a homemade pizza, watching the Olympic games, and feasting on a fresh batch of blueberry muffins.

The rest of the week will be spent trying to get back in the swing of things again- I am putting my calendar back online, I have been working on our menu plan, and getting back to playing the CVS game.   The rest of the time will be spent working on the house and reacquainting myself with a regular laundry routine.

As he got off that bus today, I couldn't stop smiling, or hugging him, or kissing him. I wanted that first day to be so special for him and I hope that it was. I fulfilled that dinner request and let him man the remote for the night which is just what he wanted. Simple and special... just like him!

Do you celebrate the first day back to school in any special way?  

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This summer has been spent outdoors almost every single day with my kids for hours on end. I still lay beneath a giant hat with an excessive amount of sunscreen on, but I have the freckles and sunburn to prove that I have loved the outdoors with my children.

Almost every day we have been outside in our own little oasis enjoying the sunshine and the sprinklers. The laundry mounted inside, the floors a dusty mess most days, the chaos of grabbing what we needed and heading outside all was within the house, but order felt restored when I headed outside to spend time with my kids.

I didn’t sit in a chair all of the time like I did last year, but I ran through the sprinklers with them, I created games to amuse, and I even sat my rear on the ground and drew with the chalk. We talked and giggled and I hugged and kissed them as many times as I possibly could.

Our days were carefree and cleared of normal activities. I would become agitated if anything foiled our plans for backyard laziness because this was all I wanted for our summer. Appointments had to be made late or not at all because nothing was going to ruin our summertime fun.

My kids have been sprinkler loving, homemade slushie chugging, water play hogging, alfresco dining, bubble blowing, wild & crazy hooligans. And I have been their proud mother observing, playing, and eating up each moment with a spoon.

It is with a heavy heart that our life has to return to normal. Order will need to be restored in my home, I will have to use an alarm clock again, my son will be heading to his first year in elementary school, and I will be left with memories of my best mommy summer break ever.

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As I headed to the counter to grab my bowl of macaroni, I felt my feet sticking to the floor. My halfhearted attempts to clean didn't seem to do the trick so my time spent lounging outside for a bit was quickly replaced with a little bit of good old-fashioned cleaning.

I shook out the rugs, broom swept the floors and moved everything out of the way. I grabbed a bucket and a washcloth and found myself on my hands and knees in a pile of sticky. As I washed the floors, I started to get a rhythm going and then I figured that I might as well do a really great job and get the floors clean for the week.

I stood back to survey my work and felt really proud to have them clean. Two children, a sandbox full of sand, grass clippings, and dirt had made their way onto my floor and I relished this one little moment where they were clean for just a day, an hour, or a minute. I don't know how long it will last like this, but I have cleaned the grime away for now.

This made me think how entertaining others is often just a roundabout way to motivate myself to tidy the house. I wish I was more disciplined and had a better grasp on the home management, but this summer I have felt like I am in a cleaning slump and would rather be outside with the sweet children than sweeping a floor.

A weekly playdate, a dinner guest joining our table, a birthday party, a friend swinging by for coffee- those are the things that force me into the cleaning mode. I get my home ready for those moments.

I figure if a tidy home is what I desire, I will just have to rely on my guests to help push me in the right direction.

How do you stay motivated in the summer?

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Well, the frugal woman in me has to think early. In fact, I am sometimes the crazy lady ripping apart the Christmas displays the day after Christmas. I am always trying to outdo myself from the  years before, but not in the way most people do. No, I am always trying to lower my budget, each year meticulously charting how we are doing and trying to make the gifts a little more memorable while spending a little less.

What am I planning on doing and making this year?

Working on our Christmas Countdown- This requires me to have an eye out each time I am thrift shopping to look for books to complete our countdown to Christmas. I stash these away for the big unveiling in December.

Recipe Research- Each year we do a box of goodies for the most special people in our life and I like to start looking through my recipes and put together one or two new recipes to make these little treat boxes shine. I did get the boxes and ribbon on clearance at the end of season, but I will still need to plan what is inside. I also look for recipes for hostess gifts and dishes that can be taken to all of the family functions.

Photo Gifts- I do a photo album for the grandparents each year and I have already started compiling the pictures to include. I started a little file on the computer and have been dumping pictures into that when I get some really good shots of the kids. I think I may make a photo DVD this year to send to them and set it to music.

Handmade Goodies- I have been knitting up a storm for birthdays so I am going to try to put together a few knitted goodies away for hostess gifts and teacher gifts this year. My husband is worried that I am going to only hand out scarves this year, but I think I am a little more inventive than that.

Passionate about having a handmade Christmas this year? Why not sign a commitment that you will only buy handmade and support the efforts of all of those amazing craftsters out there?

Do you start early with your Christmas shopping and crafting? What are some projects you are working on?

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Then reality sunk in and my husband pleaded with me to turn it back on. We missed our favorite shows and our date nights were lacking that sparkle that only a good television show could complete. Netflix wasn't cutting it- we just aren't that into movies.  It wasn't the children that he begged for the cable back for. No, it was us.

There was certainly not a lot of arm twisting involved. Just a couple of comments and I logged onto the satellite television's website and changed our plan back. I can't even blame my husband really- I just really missed my television.

Then I read Ivy's entry, at Home Ec 101, on how we save so we can splurge on other things and felt a tiny bit better about my indulgence.

Yes, it might be sad that our date nights consist of watching an old 48 Hours Mystery and a board game, but with two small children this is a frugal date night for us. We don't drone out on television all day, but we love to watch a couple of shows in the evening after the kids go to bed. I curl up on my sofa, he curls up on his sofa and we chat while we watch our show. Doesn't it sound romantic? Probably not, but we love it.

I am not apologizing for my behavior, even if this is an indulgence we just don't need, I am just keeping it very real here. I love my television and I decided to not deprive us anymore.

I understand if you need to kick me out of the Frugal Hack's club. I can already see the clubhouse sign made with random bits from your recyclables that says, "Keep out, Traitor."

That is perfectly understandable... me and my television exit the club hand-in-hand.

What is your big splurge in your family budget? Remember I am a traitor so I won't kick you out of the club!

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I like to keep my reading nice and light during the warmer season though because I am usually squeezing it in between all of our fun summer activities. I am trying to complete some books off of my book club list (through my local mom's group)  and I just finished reading a fabulous book called, "The Knitting Circle," by Ann Hood. It was an excellent read, but it had me in tears through the whole thing. This was not exactly the light-hearted and fun reading I was looking for during the summer months.

I was wondering if my fellow Frugal Hackers might have some fun additions for my beach reading pile? Do you have any great recommendations for my library list?

And while we are on the subject, do you use any online tools for tracking your reading progress? I just joined Good Reads and I really like it, but wondered if anyone else had some suggestions?

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For die-hard fans of this book though, the issue is pretty much the same except for the addition of a wonderful preface that seemed to really resonate with me, in particular for this column on entertainment.

The author invites you to go on a journey with them by creating a clear, secure financial life for yourself, connecting with others, dreaming big, deepening your life and getting active.

"I've come to believe that the consumer culture is like a virus- it enters where the bonds of community have been broken. Needs are perceived as reasons to consume rather than as reasons to connect with others. Money becomes the glue holding together a society that has lost its integrity. Assumptions of solidarity, equity and cooperation are becoming as quaint as the horse and buggy. Material downshifting, then, can make room for "upshifting" connectedness. Frugality isn't the end goal, it's the means. One by-product of simplifying is having the time to engage in the arts of caring- communication, meals together, touch, having good parties, remembering birthdays, clearing up misunderstandings, empathy, patience, and on and on- and this is the biggest antidote to overspending. So consciously building nourishing relationships... is a way to unwind the ropes that entangle you in debt, insecurity, job boredom and fear of the economy."

In a busy, busy world, one by-product of slowing down, simplifying, and spending less is becoming more connected with the world around you. How can we apply this to our lives?

We could build awareness in our children of their own connectedness to the earth.

We could get to know the people within our own neighborhoods.

We could find new and inexpensive ways to celebrate holidays.

We could care for those when they are sick.

We could host a frugal party in our homes.

We can connect within our own family unit in a unique way each and every day.

How important are building connections in your life and what ways have you found to cultivate these connections? 

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Here is a list of some great things to do as you prepare for the summer season!

1. Go to the parks- find out what is available in your area to do. Many parks offer free classes during the daytime and free outdoor concerts that you can be enjoying in the evening time. Pack a lunch or pack a dinner and enjoy the fresh air with the kids. It makes cleanup from the mealtime simple and they can burn off some energy & calories while playing on all the playground equipment.

2. Join a summer reading program. Have your children commit to reading a certain number of books or challenge them to a reading contest and see who of the children (or how about yourself?) can read the most books by the end of the summer. Try to incorporate some of the suggested reading materials from your child’s teacher.

3. Stock up a container with craft supplies and instructions for completing crafts. This container will come in handy when it is raining outside and the children are bored. Visit FamilyFun.com and print out the instructions to go in your container.

4. Speaking of bored…create an “I’m bored” list and write down some activities that your children can be doing instead of telling you how bored they are. You can incorporate some of the ideas from this list.

5. Plan a day trip. Visit your library to get suggestions in your state (or neighboring states) of day trips that you can do together.

6. Find out what summer programs your library is offering. For example, our library shows movies during the summer, does an ice cream social, and offers different types of crafts to do each month.

7. Take your child’s art supplies outside and set up shop out there. Messy crafts, such as painting, can be done outside without a lot of clean-up.

8. Make your kids a magic milkshake or slushie.

9. Hit your local dollar store and stock up on stuff to do outside.

10. Take a hobby with your child or children. What could be more fun than learning a new skill together? Take a course or check out books and learn a craft or hobby together and use that time to really bond with your child.

11. Start working on gifts for Christmas. Working with your child on these types of activities now will make them seem less overwhelming when it gets closer to Christmas. Painted mugs, anyone?

12. Host an outdoor playgroup.

13. Set up the sprinkler or kiddy pool and run through them with your kids. Watch as they look at you with bewilderment as you run like a crazy lady in your regular clothes in that cold water. Watch your husband’s mouth drop open and look at you as though you have been doing drugs….yes, I have done this. Can you tell?

14. Make a popcorn table and fill it with sand toys for your kids. Take it outside and let them throw popcorn around with wild abandonment. No messy sand to clean up.

15. Stock your beach bag with the essentials and store it in your car for a day at the park or a day at the beach. Don’t forget the baby powder!

Whatever you do, here in the Midwest, we enjoy the warm weather as long as it lasts! I hope you enjoy some sun-filled days too!

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Alzheimer's runs in my family and although I am only thirty, I am already trying to engage in activity that will keep my brain physically fit so that my brain doesn't become a puddle of mush when I get older. My brain has already felt mushy from the mommy years, but I am trying to incorporate activities that are fun, but also keep my brain sharp as a tack.

Here are some fun and inexpensive things you can do to keep that brain from getting dusty:

1. Puzzle books- I love to get puzzle books from the dollar store and am particularly fond of Sudoku because it is challenging and a great game to unwind with in the evenings.

2. Picking up a hobby- Crafts and hobbies can be a great way to keep your brain fully engaged, particularly if you are learning a new skill. Make sure to try and pick hobbies that are inexpensive so that you can engage in them often without the guilt of spending too much money. Right now I am attempting to learn to knit and it is making my brain think extremely hard. Trying to do patterns in knitting... well, it definitely is challenging my brain and I am loving every moment of it. If you can engage in your hobby while listening to some really good music, then you can engage your brain just a little more.

3. Writing & Journaling-Blogging has been a great way to keep my mind engaged and is a fun and free hobby for me. This entry, for instance, can qualify as some legitimate brain activity and it didn't cost me a dime! If you don't blog, writing or journaling can also get your mind engaged. Start a journal about your life for your children and try to think of some really great memories that you want to always be able to share with them. Gratitude journals can offer a wonderful time for reflection on all you already have and focus positive energies on all that you are enjoying.

4. Reading- I love to read, but I have a hard time squeezing in some good reading time. I can't say enough about how wonderful our library system is though and I am constantly checking out books and trying to learn more as I get older. Try to set some reading goals this summer or start a book club just for you and your spouse. Remember, his mind needs just as much sharpening as yours and you can use this time together to build your relationship too.

 Sound Off: How do you keep your mind sharp? Do you have any online or print resources that you could recommend?

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