Yep, it’s that time of year again. This year instead of thinking of the holiday as a time to give a gift, think of it as an opportunity to spend extra time with your spouse! Yes, flowers, jewelery, candy - all of that is nice but I’m all about the time factor. Try one of these ideas and give the gift of YOU. Feel free to run with that in the bedroom too .

1. Make Candy Together – Chocoley is an internet based company that offers candy making supplies. Instead of buying a heart shaped box from the near drug store, make candy together! Plus if you have left over chocolate you can always enjoy it in a more, ahem, adult fashion.

2. Make Dinner Together – Do you remember what you had on your first date? Or is there a meal you enjoyed when you were dating? Or maybe there’s a new recipe you’d like to tackle together. Cheaper than eating out and you get to interact with you Valentine.

3. Puzzled About What to do – My clever attempt at a pun. Buy a jigsaw puzzle and a bottle of wine. Spend time together in the evenings working on it together. It’s not just a gift for that evening, but it gets you doing something together as a couple. The bottle of wine will just make it more fun. Not into puzzles? How about a new board game.

4. Scavenger Hunt – I’ve personally done this one. Purchase small gifts, cards or even make sexy love notes and hide them all over the house. Follow them around and to tease them when they’re way off track. With each stop of the hunt, have a hint of where the next clue is. Of course – the end point should be the bed. I have a one track mind sometimes.

5. Coupon Book – When you create a coupon book, resist the urge to be generic like “Good for One Free Back Rub”. Instead, try something like “Good for Video Rental of Your Choice – No Whining from Your Spouse”. Be funny and figure out what will make them happy. Couple this with some chocolate, wine or flowers.

Don’t wait until the last minute and make sure whatever you decide to do for your spouse on Valentine’s Day, it’s something you can do together.

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