13 February 2026

It's the month of LOVE!

Today's Money Spark - The best things in life are free

Valentine’s Day tends to get hijacked by the idea that big love needs big spending. But most of us aren’t after red roses in a box or sexy lingerie (so uncomfortable under a T-shirt and jeans). We’re longing to feel a loving connection and to be reminded that we still matter to our partner: not just as co-parents, or housemates, but as dearly beloved individuals.

Most of our partners won’t remember what you bought them this Valentine’s Day. But they’ll remember how you looked at them when they walked in the door day after day. Romance lives in personal attention, a happy face, warm eyes, shared laughter.

Today is a good day to commit to being a loving presence in your partner's life every day of the year.

So tomorrow is Valentine's Day...

1. Give the gift of choice

Ask your partner what s/he actually wants to do. Not what s/he thinks s/he should want, or what their friends are doing. And definitely not what you would like to steer them into doing... haha 😊. Then do that thing they want to do.

2. Be a Goddess in the kitchen

Cook something simple which doesn’t cause you to be stressed with finicky ingredients and the chance of a flop, and sit down together without distractions. Put your HAPPY HAT on no matter what kind of day you have had.

Need something sweet that’s guaranteed to please? Try the Ultimate Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding Recipe.

3. Involve the kids

And if the kids are around, let them decorate the room with paper hearts or deliver the Ultimate Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding on a tray. Let them see how much their parents love each other.

4. Love like it's 1999

Write your partner a love letter like you are 13 years old again: What you’ve noticed about how fabulous they are; their best qualities; how lucky you are to be sharing your life with them. The Hallmark cards where you just scrawl your name at the bottom are LAZY!

Freebie Alert! To make it easier, I have created a template to write the love letter. You can download it by clicking he button below.

"Money can feed the body. Love will feed the soul" Toni Payne

Remember when Valentines Day came around at school and you did not have an admirer? How horrible that felt? Well if you are lucky enough to have a partner on Valentine’s Day, that is really priceless.

My husband Endre and I are heading towards our 21st wedding anniversary this year. We are not sentimental people and we are certainly not into grand romantic gestures, but on Valentines Day we usually mark the moment in small ways. We are both serious chocolate lovers, and his idea of a treat is a Lindt dark chocolate ball melting slowly into his morning coffee. That doesn't cost a lot, but it's a fun Valentines ritual.