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Getting to Celebrate Valentine's this Year Without Breaking the Bank

Savings, Thrift & Investment	1275 VIEWS
Savings, Thrift & Investment
1275 VIEWS

Friday, February 14, 2020 / 06:00PM / Madonna Iloba for Proshare Foundation / Header Image Credit: Proshare Ecographics

It shouldn't come as shock to us that Valentine's Day is one of the most commercialised holidays in Nigeria and indeed, the whole world. According to the Sun News Online, last year, Nigerians may have spent about N30 billion in celebrating Valentine's Day. This year, the National Retail Federation has revealed an estimate of 27.4 billion dollars will be spent on Valentine's Day expenses in America.

Nigeria's current depressed economy has added to the financial pressure on lovers to 'go all out' in expressing love to their partners on Valentine's Day. Romantics are no longer so desperate to 'wow' their partners or potential partners with extravagant gifts and experiences, because their financial state is in RED, and they cannot paint the town RED as they would have wished to, as they face the obstacle of financial constriction.

You can still achieve this day of love and make your Val's eyes go red, with tears of love. It may be with your spouse, BAE, lover or just a random friend. Valentine is about expressing love, and you must not break the bank to achieve same purpose. It could be a kind gesture of putting a smile on a long time friend's face by sending a message of love, or sending phone credit to your mum or dad. It could even be sending a plate of food to that security man opposite your house. Do something nice to someone who is not expecting it, let's pay it forward and the world would be a better place for us all.

We have collated seven inexpensive but grand ideas on how to celebrate this year's Valentine's Day. Check them out:

Donations: you could make a donation to the less privileged, to a school, library, hospital or even a church. It doesn't have to be anything big. Besides money, you could donate items from your home that are in good condition, but are not useful to you.

Leave an Anonymous Note: you could write an anonymous positive and uplifting note for a colleague in the office or for someone you know is going through something.

Compliment Someone: something as simple as "you look great" could make someone's day.

Pay Someone's Bill: you could pay the bill for the person on the queue behind you at a tollgate, supermarket, restaurant or something else. But make sure you can afford it, especially if the person is buying a lot of stuff.

Cook Someone a Meal: cook a meal for a friend who just had a child or someone you know is having a hard time. This would be really appreciated. Another idea is to bake a cake or some cookies for children in a hospital.

Listen to Someone: ask someone how their day is going as actually listen to them. Sometimes, all someone needs is a genuine listening ear.

Leave a Big Tip: when you go to buy something, you could tell the seller keep the change. Say something nice to him or her as well.

As we go about our day today, let us be kind enough to leave that N200 charge for the old woman you bought oranges from and say to her, Happy Valentine's Day.

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day from Proshare Foundation.