Our love ain't cheap.

Valentine's Day! Sigh.  A day of marketing genius.  It's difficult to remember (or to even care) about the origin of this holiday amid all the roses, heart shaped chocolates and red wrapping, but St. Valentine's Day did start out as a religious holiday.  It appears that Valentine was a common name for Christian martyrs and  two in particular are honored on the 14th of February:  Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni.  St. Valentine's Day was established as a special day by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD (way before Hallmark), yet the day first became associated with romance when Chaucer wrote the poem Parlement of Foules in 1382.  Translated into modern English he wrote :

For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate

Awwww.....Chaucer wrote this poem to honour the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, who eventually married when they were each 15 years old !

In 1969 Pope Paul VI, perhaps disheartened by the way the holiday had morphed into what we see today, deleted it from the Roman calendar of saints holidays, although still allowing for its religious observance. (We know what you're thinking...what religious observance???)

Anyhow, as we all know, today Valentine's Day is a day in which people express their love for each other by offering flowers, sweets, cards, and hopefully something sparkling.  This gift exchange used to be reserved for lovers, but the great marketing geniuses of the world realized that not everyone has a lover.  No worries, because they also realized that most everyone has a parent, a sister, a child, a cousin, a friend, a classmate, a teacher, a boss, a mailman, a dry cleaner.  And if you don't...don't worry...you still have yourself ! That's right ladies and gents, there are now Valentine's Day cards and gifts designed for everyone on your Facebook friend list. 

It's no wonder then that a lot of cash gets spent on this day, with some reports stating that on average, a person will spend about 170$ on gifts.  Men typically spend more than women, probably because they have more to make up for, but the difference really ain't that big.  So, before you go and open your wallets, we thought it would be a good idea to question some of the more common Valentine's Day offerings.

1. Roses, generally long stemmed and red, and a small fortune.  Interesting symbol to represent and celebrate what one hopes to be a long and healthy relationship don't you think? Dying flowers (that's right...their fate was sealed the moment they were cut) which will wither and dry out and that have the potential to draw blood with one of their thorns. Nice.  How about a potted plant instead?  Cheaper, and it will last longer...like your love...awwww....

2. Valentine Chocolate.  Sweet, smooth, rich, fattening, and, unfortunately, easily obtained at a drugstore (yuck).  This latter fact makes cheap chocolate the perfect "Oh no I forgot today is Valentine's day, and I have exactly 5 minutes to go shopping" gift - so obvious.  To complicate matters even more, chocolate of any quality should not be given to those who are diabetic, trying to lose weight, simply watching their weight, breastfeeding, lactose-intolerent, bulemic, or to chocolate dis-likers. Should also not be given to anyone who has children (they will eat all the chocolate). 

3. Valentine's Day Cards.  They are written by people who get paid a lot of money ("a lot" being a relative term, seeing as how we are writing this blog for nothing), who are able to eloquently, beautifully, and sappily express exactly what you yourself are feeling.  Unless you are a modern day Chaucer, chances are you won't feel that you can add anymore to what is already in the card you so thoughfully chose.  So, to the heartfelt printed prose, you add simply ...your name (and if you are feeling inspired, maybe an "I love you").  The recipient of this card will likely wonder why they aren't in a relationship with the actual person who wrote the card, but they'll say that they love it, and stick it in the recycling bin within a week.  Instead, try making your own card  (you know, like you did when you were a kid).  Make up a poem (words that rhyme with love : glove, shove, dove, above), and it will be remembered forever - even if it really sucks.

There are so many lovely, inexpensive ways to celebrate Valentine's Day. Making a romantic supper, going for a walk holding hands, renting the movie you saw on your first date, decorating the house with red balloons...the list is long. So, use your imagination, save a few bucks, and remember to spread the feeling to the rest of the year.

Happy Valentine's Day
xoxo
The Tightwads

Up, up.... and we stay

It's about to get more expensive to live in the city of Montreal. This was the lead-in last week to a story posted on ctvmontreal.ca about the budget hikes which will be implemented across the island of Montreal in 2011.  Nice.  Property taxes are increasing (a substantial 4.8% in our borough), in part due to large property value assessment increases, and we will be introduced to a new vehicle registration tax.  Sweet.
So what is a nice nuclear family to do?  We considered marching to city hall and giving someone heck.  We thought of starting a petition stating that we, the undersigned citizens, were against said tax increases and as a result, would not pay up.  We contemplated moving.  Although we may still follow through on our first two ideas, this nuclear family is not naive; we know that unless we wake to a state of anarchy, our taxes will increase.  Taxes are going up, cost of living is going up, and yet we stay, because there really is no better city in which to live - besides, it's not like the rest of the world is basking in financial stability.  So, instead of commiserating over things we cannot change, we've decided to focus on the things that we can. 
And that brings us to this, the beginning of our tight lifestyle.  We have spent years spending freely and thoughtlessly, secure in the knowledge that we both have job security and good, stable incomes.  As a result, we often wonder: "but...where did the money go?" (Frugal Fred would like to point out that this question is easily answered by taking a peek into the shoe closet - causing Economia Nia to kick him in the shins with her designer heels).  Seriously though, it is easy to say that we will spend less money by shopping less, or shopping less extravagantly, but the real challenge is to save daily, to cut costs in ways that are less obvious. Changes that can positively impact any household, regardless of income or spending patterns. We  will spend this first week closely tracking our spending habits, without making any changes to our typical routine.  Then we have some "experiments" that we're going to try out - and we'll both give you our perceptions of how they worked out (or didn't). So, come along and follow us...who knows, maybe cheap can be cool.
xoxo
Economia Nia and Frugal Freddie
a.k.a. The Tightwads