This guest post is brought to you by our partners at San Diego Bargain Mama.
Blog Post by Stacey Ross
I am always captivated by the Corinthians passage that begins, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud,” and I think I am going to go with it as a prompt for this post because sometimes the whole approach to keeping the special day called Valentine’s Day in perspective is a bit difficult. Don’t get me wrong, as I love celebrating love and romance of that special day, but I am also the first one to advocate not going overboard or beyond your means (hey, I am a “Bargain Mama!”).
This Valentine’s Day I challenge you to think a little bit out of the box and consider embracing the month of February as Valentine’s Day month and not necessarily worry about navigating the price hikes and crowds on the day, itself. Granted, if you have things set up, live it up sisters and brothers and splurge a little, but if you are looking for some affordable and creative Valentine’s Day options in San Diego, single or married, consider some of these suggestions:
1. Stay home and surprise your honey! What we typically do is have special dinner at home with kids on Valentine’s Day proper. If you do such, as well, consider having singing Valentines pay a visit to your doorstep! The talented quartets from the award-winning San Diego Chorus will deliver very special messages of love either in person or via telephone all day on Friday, February 14 and Saturday, February 15, 2014. Singing Valentines are priced at $40 for a personal performance and gift for your Valentine or $10 for a singing Valentine via telephone to anywhere in the world.
2. Go have a laugh together! Laughter is not only the greatest medicine, but it actually has scientifically proven to bring people closer! Consider courting your love through laughter on Valentine’s Day at National Comedy Theatre (NCT), when it will bring couples together with a special “House of Cards” show in honor of Valentine’s Day! Tickets are just $15 for adults and $12 for students.
3. Center your night around music and dance. Help celebrate the life of the late Loren Nancarrow and take your loved-one to Belly Up Tavern on February 9, 2014, featuring The Highwayman Show and Loren’s son, Graham’s band, Nancarrow! A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to The Loren Nancarrow Healing Garden, along with a live auction and raffle emceed by personalities Chris Cantore & Susan Taylor.
4. Visit a San Diego museum for half-off! Swing over to your local San Diego Macy’s store and grab a half-price admission pass that allows you to take advantage of San Diego Museum Month February 1 – 28, 2014 at 40 local museums, monuments, historical sites and gardens! offer. You will find February museum discounts for the entire San Diego Museum Month!
5. Engage in a fun outdoor game! Looking for a way to turn San Diego into a giant game board (and the fun is under $40, too!)? Urban Adventure Quest has created an interactive scavenger hunt that combines the fun of the amazing race with a three-hour sightseeing tour of San Diego. Guided from any smart phone, groups make their way among well known and overlooked gems of the city, solving clues and completing challenges while learning local history.
6. Set Out On Your Own Whale Watching or Sea Cave Adventure! Save over 50% with an awesome deal from Everyday California. The sea cave kayak tour takes you below La Jolla’s sandstone cliffs, where you will explore sea lion & harbor seal preserves as well as seven sea caves, or you can opt to kayak as you enjoy a whale-watching kayak tour! Set out from the natural boat launch in La Jolla, you’ll keep your eyes to the water to potentially catch sight of these majestic creatures on the move!
7. Splurge on ideas from SanDiegoVips folks, themselves! Yes, for Valentine’s Day we decided to share tips as our gift to one another and I have to share of all their gifts and restaurant suggestions, Dinner at Café Sevilla takes the cake, and I’ll tell you why! Well, because that restaurant offers a perfect combination of food and ambience; we will get a taste of Spain with a live Flamenco performance, enjoy four-course meal, and lastly, we will share a heart-shaped chocolate cake with hot chocolate sauce!! That is my Valentines’ Day wish (simply love that place), but if it doesn’t work out, the beauty of this all is that we have ALL month to figure something out!
Stacey Ross is the founder of San Diego Bargain Mama, a site that brings together a community of moms and budget-minded families who love to share local value for less. We invite you to share your events in San Diego and sign up for our periodic newsletter! Disclaimer: Affiliate links included.
