It's the little things that count

December 15, 2006 9:06 AM

What are some creative romantic ideas done on the cheap?

You know how there are countless books like 1001 Ways to Wow Your Woman Everyday with Little Cash or some such?

I'm looking for those ideas: things, maybe stuff that could be done daily, that could potentially mean a lot for my wife.

Like, I know about leaving a post it note with a sappy message somewhere she'll see it, or write a note in lipstick on the mirror.

I used to be better about this when we first started dating, but it's definitely waned since our engagement and recent marriage, so I just wanted to query the hive mind, and see if anyone has any good input for these types of things.

Book recommendations would work as well.

posted by mrhaydel to human relations (15 comments total)

BOOM
posted by nineRED at 9:09 AM on December 15, 2006

Come home from work an hour early, at least once a week, every week, and make a point of being ridiculously helpful around the house. Be sensitive to what’s driving her crazy and do those tasks for her: wash the dishes after every meal, or make her tea in a travel mug for her drive to work.

Is your wife your priority? Make it so. Do your best to forgo selfish impulse and offer what she needs from you. She’ll notice and be immensely appreciative, and as both of us well know, that benefits you, too.

Act on each of your “meaning to’s” every week: been meaning to wash the car? Do it for her.

Make a mix CD. With songs that won’t annoy her. Let it spin for a year and those songs will sink into the lexicon of your relationship and soon you’ll hear The Postal Service and it’ll mean something nicer than music.

And hold hands, too.
posted by Milkman Dan at 9:19 AM on December 15, 2006

Do you have a GPS unit or have you access to one? If so, you could do a geocache. Do a multi part one so that you have to go all over and find little love notes that lead to other love notes. It's like a scavenger hunt for techies.

Otherwise, something that might be nice would be to take care of chores for her without being asked, like folding the laundry or packing her lunch or something. And in doing so, it might be nice to leave a little note in with her underoos or attached to her sandwich. :)
posted by santojulieta at 9:21 AM on December 15, 2006

Go down on her at least twice a week. Seriously.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:21 AM on December 15, 2006 [6 favorites]

In what I refer to as my "Benny and Joon" days, I would constantly make flowers for ladies out of all manner of ephemera. Chicks dug it; the easiest was to sneak off at a fast-food place for 5 minutes and grab a handful of straws and those little paper catsup cups. I'd flatten the cups pierce them with the straws (still in paper wrappers) and then twist them into roses. I'd also tear little strips of paper on the straw as "leaves".

Similarly, any kind of crafty thing is like diamonds to a woman. If she likes a particular flavor of Jelly Belly, you could do something similar to this. (kind of self link).

You could also make her a necklace, which is pretty easy, and bead shops abound nowadays.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 9:23 AM on December 15, 2006

Wow, you are so sweet. Just the fact that you are putting time, energy & thought into trying to find more ways to make your wife happy would probably knock her socks off. 8-)

On a day that's stressful for her, run her a warm bubble bath, light some candles in the bathroom, and pour her a glass of wine, and let her unwind.
posted by tastybrains at 9:58 AM on December 15, 2006

write a love letter
posted by mmascolino at 10:12 AM on December 15, 2006

Write a love letter, maybe with endearingly awful/impressive doodles or with a nice bookmark/picture/etc. enclosed. Then mail the letter to your address with just her name on it.

Go on a walk around the neighborhood or to a local park. It's nice to have some time with green, leafy things away from the computer screen once in awhile. People-watching is fun, too.

Or get a book of NYTimes Crossword Puzzles and try to hash 'em out together.
posted by landedjentry at 10:22 AM on December 15, 2006

One thing my husband does that costs just about no money and makes me warm and gooey inside is to bring me tea in bed when I'm waking up in the morning. (Well, by "morning" I mean "noon" - I work the late shift quite frequently.)

Even if you don't go for the whole "breakfast in bed," a nice warm caffinated beverage in bed is an excellent way to start the day.

As is a nice warm cup of cocoa upon returning home.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 10:29 AM on December 15, 2006

My husband leaves me a note every morning that he leaves the house before I wake up. I really love it (and have a box of years of little notes). It's just something short and sweet, sometimes a reminder of something we'll be doing later, other times it just says "I love you".

Another romantic thing that could be daily is sitting down to a nice dinner together. If one of us gets home before the other, we try to have dinner ready as soon as our spouse walks through the door.
posted by Margalo Epps at 11:02 AM on December 15, 2006

Read up on how to give backrubs or footrubs, and the practice on her frequently.
Here's the best romantic-note-writing idea I ever had; it was responded to quite well.
I cut out a whole mess of paper hearts. On each one, I wrote a different reason why I loved him ("...because you're sweet," "...because you pretend to like my cooking when I mess up," blah blah). I hid the little hearts everywhere: in the medicine cabinet, in his socks, in his car. I saved one and put it in a card that said "I love you..."
It took him months to find them all, and he was pleased every time.
posted by Help, I can't stop talking! at 11:19 AM on December 15, 2006 [3 favorites]

The ones that always work for me don't really require any money at all and it doesn't need to be anything particularly romantic. It just feels wonderful to feel that you're with someone caring and appreciative:

- tell her you love her regularly
- ask & take time to listen to how her day was
- compliment her on how she looks or on anything clever she says
- tell her you missed her
- sms/text her during the day just to say you're thinking about her
- if there's any particular subject she's interested about (environment, pottery, whatever) and you come across a piece of related news, send it, print it or cut it for her
- have breakfast together at home if you usually don't
- when saying goodbye in the morning before going to work don't make it a rush thing; take time to hug and kiss
- tell her whenever you praise her to other people
- do for her little tasks she hates: i loved it when i got my car tank filled up and i didnt have to do it myself
posted by claudiadias at 2:06 PM on December 15, 2006 [3 favorites]

Cut out comic strips, fill in the bubbles with correction fluid and fill it in the speech bubbles with something romantic and mushy.
posted by perpetualstroll at 4:17 PM on December 15, 2006

Start keeping an eye out for hearts like the ones in
these posters.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:23 PM on December 15, 2006

My husband makes me breakfast: pancakes or waffles a couple of times a week, and packs them up for me to take to work. Mmmm...

Ask her out on a 'date'...even if it involves staying home and playing games, it's still a little more special.

And the number one most romantic thing about my husband: He's always saying how much fun he had with me hiking that day, or what a good weekend he had with me, or that he really enjoyed cuddling on the couch and watching TV that evening. Seriously. Even if we did nothing exciting, it makes me feel special and loved to HEAR how much he enjoys being with me.
posted by sLevi at 7:26 PM on December 16, 2006