The annual dreaded Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

Thanks to the great marketing of Valentine’s Day, we are mostly accustomed to giving or doing something for our other half during Valentine’s Day as our way of showing love.

Throughout last week, Mr Budget was mostly stressed out thinking about what to buy or do for Mrs Budget in order to maintain our peaceful relationship (HAHA!). So I turned to Google to see if there are any interesting restaurants or things to do this Valentine’s Day.

And what I found out gave me a mini heart attack!

What I realised is that, a 4 course meal in a fancy restaurant in Singapore cost minimally S$150+ per couple this coming Friday! 

Of course, there are some cheaper alternatives than a luxury dinner at a fancy restaurant, but because Mrs Budget likes surprises, unique dining experience which caught my eyes were really expensive!

Here are some interesting ones and their cost price:

Dining at Aquarium Singapore	$488 per Couple  inclusive of a glass of sparkling wine  5-Course Set
Dining at Alkaff Mansion	$148 per Couple 3-Course Set Menu Complimentary – 2 cocktails & 1 bouquet of flowers
Dining With A View at Cook & Brew	$188++ per couple
Dining at Alley on 25 at Level 25	$88 per person  3-Course Set Menu
Tallship Sunset Cruise	$288 per person 3-Course Set Menu Fireworks
Staycation at Six Senses	S$420++ per night One Night Stay Dinner for two Unique craft experiences

Honestly the list can go on if I search for more but the more I research, the more I feel like spending the money doesn’t make much sense.

Being more rational than emotionally driven, I tried to see if it make sense for me to splurge $300 – $500 on Valentine’s Day.

My average stock position size is S$3000 – S$6000. To make S$300 in returns from one of my stock, depending on the stock position, the stock will need to return me 5% – 10% for me to cover the cost of Valentine’s Day! I’m not too sure if it made financial sense for me to splurge. Surely there are some other ways! 

So what I’ve decided to do instead, was to look at all the menus of the restaurants, and I’ve decided that I would cook for Mrs Budget a 4 course meal instead!

The menu which I will be trying is cooking a steak and seared scallop, complimented with baked salmon with a little bit of aglio olio pasta, and finish that up with some dessert. Hopefully it’s not too ambitious! From a cost perspective, I think I can get all of these for less than S$40.

Of course, while this sounds like the perfect plan, I needed to get Mrs Budget’s buy in. 

So I decided to tell her my plan. 

Mr Budget:
Babe babe, Valentines day i cook for u ok? Want to book outside but xiao ex haha thinking of staycay also but like want to save money also haha i try cook steak and maybe we sear scallop if we eat outside its at least $150 per pax for like 3-4 course dining meal so maybe i go buy steak, scallop, salmon also, and pasta. we eat at home?  BUT if u want, you can also ask for like an out of home experience

Luckily, Mrs Budget welcomed the idea.

Mrs Budget:
awwww you so cute
no need celebrate v’day la babe
I loveeeeee
hehehe happy excited
wa u nv tell me u stress haha poor thing

So yes, that’s Mr and Mrs Budget’s plan this Friday! Nothing fancy, just a simple dinner. Sometimes maybe quality time is more important than expensive gifts, depending on your partner’s language of love.

And yes, the Valentine’s Day thing is generally an annual stressor for most guys.

What’s your Valentines Day plan this weekend? 🙂

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