10 Romantic Anti-Valentine’s Day Ideas

Life

10 Romantic Anti-Valentine’s Day Ideas

It’s that time of the year again, you’re probably reading this article to stop yourself from projectile vomiting over everyone else celebrating Valentine’s Day in the same cliche way – a not-so-surprising dinner at a fancy restaurant, ending off with a not-so-surprising expensive gift. Yawns! That, multiplied by the number of years you’ve been together – could very well set you back on your dreams of a BTO, let alone your dream house.

So no thanks, Valentine’s Day – screw you, your sale tactics, and your marketing ploys. I’d rather save money for a house and spend quality time with my bae. Is that term still cool in 2018?

If you share the same sentiments, we’ve collated 10 alternative date ideas for you that will not inflate in costs come Valentine’s Day. In fact, they are great for any day too! Don’t worry – everything is still Instagram-able, even when you’re just chilling at home.

DISCLAIMER: This article is not sponsored. 

A Hands-on Dining Experience

We love spoiling ourselves silly with food cause that’s the Singaporean way – but a fancy restaurant is not the only way for a romantic date. All you need is a little more creativity.

1. Go for a picnic at Botanic Gardens

If you feel like basking in the sun while having a meal lying down, try a picnic at a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And yes, we mean Botanic Gardens!

We’ve found a hassle-free way to enjoy your date, and you literally have to bring nothing. Casa Verde offers a picnic set for $30 nett and it includes: two 6” pizzas of your choice, 6 pieces of nuggets & fries, fresh fruits, bottled water, soft drinks of your choice, a plastic mat and utensils. The set is available from 11:30am (last order at 5.45pm) and you can return the basket any time before 7pm.

So take your time, cause there are no pesky waiters to clear your plates as a hint for you to make space for the next couple. Call the restaurant and make a reservation beforehand to avoid disappointment. 

A lovely afternoon picnic without the hassle for just $30? We think that’s a pretty sweet deal!

Casa Verde is located at 1 Cluny Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre, Singapore 259569. Telephone: 6467 7326

Note: Casa Verde is not Halal-certified. 

2. Cooking for two at home

Fancy restaurants charge insane amounts for small portions. By cooking at home – you’ll not only get to dictate the taste of the food (fingers crossed), but how much you get to enjoy as well!

The MeatMen has over 370 recipes ranging from local to international delicacies that’re super simple, even you newbs can follow! With these recipes at your fingertips, you might just have more stay-at-home date nights too. Here are 5 dishes that are commonly served up in the most atas of restaurants:

3. A plating contest

Image Credit: Dabaogram’s Instagram Profile

If you can’t cook and don’t want to risk burning down the kitchen, we’ve got a game for you! Inspired by Dabaogram, set yourself a budget and go crazy at your favourite hawker centre. Make sure to get all parts of a full meal – which means, appetizers, the main dish, dessert and drinks should be included. Once you get home, take time to plate up your food in the fanciest way possible, and upload it on to Instagram to get your friends to vote! 

While the social media war is happening, swap your creations with your partner and sit down for a full-course meal. Ooh fancy.

Get Artsy-Fartsy

Not gonna lie – DIY art workshops are pretty cool, even when they’re overpriced and overdone by everyone and their grandmothers. We’ve seen it for birthdays, anniversaries and every other celebration as well. For example, if you decide on a date at Arteastiq, it’ll cost $96 for two – for only 3 hours, and includes a 50 x 50 cm canvas, drinks, acrylic colour, palette and sponge each.

Here are alternatives that you could do with your significant other at a lower price, and at higher comfort and fun levels (you could totally end up in a paint war, and that’s perfectly fine). Besides, you’re probably more creative and crafty in the comfort of your home, yeah?

4.  Art Jamming at home

Get your own art supplies and paint at home! What’s better than getting your creativity on, and lounging around in home clothes? So much freedom, so much comfort! For the uninitiated, get yourself to the nearest art supply store – we’ll recommend Art Friend (cause members get discount too).

To begin, you’ll need:

5. Get scrapbookin’!

Imagine yourself 10 years down the road – if you see yourself sitting with your future kids, going through a scrapbook filled with memories and pictures from the past, then here’s the perfect date activity for you!

Sometimes, it might be easier for you to just join a class to learn and experience scrapbooking properly – but really, where’s the fun in not messing up once in awhile? Before you go shopping for scrapbooking items, find out what you already have, so that there’s no overlap or waste! Use old markers, magazines, books and even old pictures. Once you have that under control, it’s time to browse Redmart for the goodies.

There are several scrapbooking sets provided at Redmart that include decorative papers and stickers – your choices include:  

Depending on the items you already have at home, you could also get these essentials:

6. Jigsaw and Netflix

You might think jigsaw puzzles are a thing of the past – but honestly, they make so much sense! They could even work as a decorative piece for your new home. PerfectFit carries puzzle frames too, so it’d be perfect for you to frame up your masterpiece, once it’s done.

Feeling extra mushy? You could even customise your jigsaw puzzles at Printcious or PerfectFit, with prices starting as low as $10. And if you’re really up for a brain-hurting challenge, check out the 1000 changing colours jigsaw puzzle – should definitely keep you busy for many dates to come. 

You could pair the jigsaw puzzle date with a lil’ Netflix too! If you are not a Netflix user already, you can get a month of free movies to binge watch. It’ll literally cost you nothing to watch a movie at the comfort of your home (or anywhere else for that matter) – at least for Valentine’s Day or up to a month.

With the basic monthly plan starting at only $10.98, there are endless possibilities for your dates to come! There’s so much to watch on Netflix that it makes going to the movies a little redundant, saving you money on movie tickets for two. 

Our top 5 picks of romantic movies this Valentine’s Day are:  

Grease,10 Things I Hate About You, 13 Going on 30, Silver Linings Playbook, Begin Again

Time to Explore

A standard gift for your significant other during Valentine’s Day could include a romantic getaway to a nearby destination – like JB or even Bintan. More often than not, a staycation in the city at one of those boutique hotels could even do the trick – that’s after setting you back about $200 a night, of course. If you’re ballin’, good for you! However, you could go the road less travelled and spend the day exploring seemingly unromantic places, and here are some ideas for that. All you have to do, is plan ahead!

7. Spend a day at Pulau Ubin

Bring all the necessary items (pack light) for a day of exploring in Pulau Ubin. Start early and board a bumboat at Changi Point Ferry Terminal, which departs daily from 5:30am to 9pm. The bumboat will depart only when there’s enough people for the boatman (maximum 12 people per boat), or you could fork out $36 to leave immediately. Patience really is key when it comes to saving money.

Once there, you can either hike, cycle, kayak, or do all 3! When you’re tired and hungry, treat yourself to fresh coconut juice or grab a bite at the handful of food kiosks on the island, remember to set aside a little bit of money to spend. You’ll need your insect repellent and sunblock too. 

  • Bumboat: $3/person, additional $2/bike
  • Rent a bike: price ranges from $6 for older models to $35 for newer ones
  • Kayaking: approximately $80/person

8. A trip down memory lane

With the introduction of bike-sharing services, gone are the days where you were limited to riding in East Coast Park, and you’ll never have to worry about returning the bikes on time. The best way to reminisce and reduce your carbon footprint is to take a trip to visit locations of your first few dates.

Plan out your trail and cycle on – we guarantee there’s plenty of bikes around. Always remember to park your bikes at the designated parking spots – or else you’ll just be that jerk (you know, those who leave the bikes in the middle of the pavement).

  • OFO bike: No deposit required. 50 cents for 30 minutes, capped at $5 for singular trips
  • OBike: Deposit of $49, 50 cents for 30 minutes
  • MoBike: Deposit of $49, 50 cents for 30 minutes

9. Explore imaginary worlds

The idea is to go to any local library and to give each other an hour to look for books that your significant other would like. Might seem like an easy task, but it really does require an extensive knowledge of your partner. Once you’re done, grab a cup of coffee at any of the cafes available and start reading! Bonus points if you can actually finish the book by the end of the night. Here’s a list of the most swanky libraries in Singapore:

  • library@orchard – 277 Orchard Rd, #03-12 / #04-11, Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858
  • library@esplanade – 8 Raffles Ave, #03-01, Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay, Singapore 039802
  • National Library in Singapore – 100 Victoria St, Singapore 188064
  • Bishan Public Library – 5 Bishan Place, #01-01, Singapore 579841
  • Tampines Regional Library – 1 Tampines Walk, #02-01, Our Tampines Hub, Singapore 529684

10. [GIVEAWAY] Win a gift

Made a pact with your partner to not overspend this Valentine’s Day on gifts and other unnecessary items? Well, you’re not spending any money if you win a gift!

Since it’s probably your nth Valentines Day together, let us spice things up. We’ve put together a Valentine’s Day Hamper worth over $290 all thanks to our generous sponsors Escentials and Hello Flowers – and it could be yours (or your partner’s)!

The hamper includes:

  • Hello Flowers ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ Bouquet
  • Compagnie de Provence Scented Soap Gift Set (Set of 8)
  • Diptyque Tubereuse Scented Candle

To stand a chance of winning, all you have to do is:

  • Like How To Adult and Escentials on Facebook 
  • Like and share this article on your wall (make sure your post is public so we can choose you)
  • Hope your partner doesn’t see this post (if you’re into the surprise thing)

Giveaway ends 11th February, 1200nn. Winner will be notified via Facebook on 12th February.

Good luck, and we hope you have fun trying these unconventional date ideas with your significant other this Valentine’s Day.