A typical Valentine’s Day is usually spent on either or all of the following: romantic dinner, movie, beach or pool, vacation/ out of town trip, stuffed toys, chocolates, card, flowers, expensive and/ or romantic Valentine gift like jewelry, watch, etc. Not that these are bad ideas. These are considered “classic” in the realm of the love month and you can never go wrong with these stuff.

But if you’re on a budget and can’t possibly afford any or all of the above, or most importantly, if you want to be different and in fact stand out in showing your loved ones how much you care for him/ her/ them, here are some simple yet awesome (thus “streetwise”) suggestions to make your Valentine’s Day this year the most special and memorable ever.

Dine out or cook at home. Perhaps what is Valentine’s Day without a romantic dinner out either in a posh restaurant or in a small but intimate diner or cafe? Treating your partner out on a dinner date is one of the most common ways of expressing how much you value them.

But then again, what could be more intimate and special than laboring on the food itself, cooking and serving it right at the comfort and coziness of your own home? Whip up some juicy steak, a healthy vegetable salad, that should-be-ever-present sweet dessert, a romantic wine, and you have the perfect Valentine meal. Set the mood in your home and/ or dining area by decorating the table with a lovely table cloth, fresh rose petals, and of course dim, romantic candles, and you’ll have all the time and privacy you want, spending Valentine’s Day simply but memorably.

Write a song. What could be more unique and romantic than writing your loved one a song? Instead of buying the usual, albeit expensive, and overly-commercialized Valentine gifts, compose an original song for the love of your life, sing it to him/ her (never mind if you don’t have a beautiful voice to back it up. your effort and originality more than makes up for it) and rest assured he/ she will fall in love with you all over again, more than ever.

Romantic walk. Who doesn’t want a romantic getaway on Valentine’s Day? A trip to Paris or even just the nearby town always sparks more excitement to any relationship. But if you’re a little tied financially, a romantic walk down the beach, park or anywhere quiet can always substitute for a vacation. Because as long as you’re with the most important person in your life, even the simplest thing turns into the most special, romantic moment.

Give love. The true meaning of love is giving. To make your Valentine’s day this year more meaningful, try giving love instead to people who most need it, that is, the less fortunate ones. Join or organize a charity, donate old clothes, shoes, books, feed them, or simply spend a little time with them, and you’ll experience the true essence of, not only Valentine’s Day, but love itself.

After all the brouhaha of Valentine’s Day, nothing could be more special and memorable than spending time, being with your loved ones. Watching a movie or even just TV, talking, eating together whatever or wherever it may be, or simply being with your partner, family or friends, would be the best Valentine’s Day celebration. After all, what is the true essence of Valentine’s Day but love, not expensive or commercial expressions of it, but the simple, genuine act of sharing your time with them to truly show them how much you care.

Fitness Equipment and Travel/ Outdoor Gear. Since one of the most popular New Year’s resolution is to lose weight (that you gained over the holidays. haha!) and stay fit, this is the best time to shop for fitness equipment. Chances are gyms and fitness shops offer the best deals during this month to ride in on that famous goal. However, try to hold on to your old travelling gear until March or August, as well as to your hiking apparel and other outdoor equipment which don’t go on big sales until May or June.

Beddings, Linen, and Furniture. November offers the best deals on furniture. But some manufacturers release new styles and retailers will begin clearing out old and bulky inventory in January and February. Sears, Amazon and Home Depot are just some of the stores offering great deals on furniture this month. When it comes to beddings and linen, such stores as Walmart, SmartBargains and Overstock offer a “White Sale” on these items.

Winter Apparel. While after-Christmas sales offer big discounts on winter clothing, January offers even bigger discounts, sometimes up to 80% off on certain items. North Face, Express, Aeropostale, Levi’s, and Banana Republic, just to name a few, offer coupons and other amazing sales during this time.

Electronics. If you’re planning on buying the iPad2, try waiting out until late February when Apple is supposedly to announce the new iPad3.  Shopping on a laptop at this time isn’t such a good idea since the best deals were probably gone last month during the Christmas season. However, dual core “desktop replacements” are seen to be on a rising trend, with prices cut down to a super low of $300-350. Toshiba, Dell and HP are seen as the best choices in brands. A unit with a Sandy Bridge Pentium processor or AMD A Series APU is seen as the best money saver. When it comes to HDTVs, particular brands like Sony, Samsung and Panasonic offer irresistible deals. Expect 3% off on certain 55″ 3D TVs.

Vacation and Hotel Packages. If you’re planning on going on a vacation this month, you’re in luck. Airfare and hotel prices are on great deals in January, even offering the lowest rates ever. Whether you’re going to Cancun, Buenos Aires, or even Egypt, Europe and Australia, you’re most likely to have the best vacation ever with the amazing discounts you will get.

Christmas Items. So Christmas just finished. So what? In fact, now is the best time to start stocking up on holiday items again since stores will slash off prices on these goods to make way for new ones.

Made up your mind now on what to splurge on this month? Go out and take advantage of these ridiculous sales before the month ends. Enjoy!

While most of our New Year resolutions revolve around dieting and exercising more, traveling, spending more time with family, etc., achieving financial security and other money matters may be at the bottom of the list, not so much because it’s the least of one’s priorities when it comes to New Year resolutions, but more because financial issues are the most difficult to attain, New Year or otherwise. So to greet 2012 with a better financial status that will hopefully carry on the whole year and the next and the years to come, here are a few New Year resolution ideas for more financial stability and freedom for 2012 and beyond:

1. Save more money. How many times have we told ourselves this only to end up spending more than we can afford? This 2012, make a more conscious effort to really save money. To give you more determination and motivation to do so, think about that dream house, car or vacation of yours. You don’t have to save so much that your everyday needs and expenses are sacrificed in return. Just save whatever extra, no matter how little, you have and as long as you do it everyday or least constantly, you’ll be surprised at the amount of money you have accumulated at the end of the month, several months, or at year-end. Before you know it, you can afford to buy that one thing you have always set your eyes on.

2. Pay off your debt. I bet you no one would want to start the new year with a debt/ debts hanging off their heads. As the new year signals a fresh start and better life, so do we want to spend the new year debt-free to have more financial freedom and mobility especially when we have vacations, shopping, and other important expenses planned for the new year. Pay off all of your debts before planning your budget for the new year and you’ll breath a sigh of relief worthy of all the financial pinching you may have to sacrifice at the start of the year.

3. Be more frugal. As the saying goes, “If I can afford it, why pinch?” But believe it or not, even the financially well-off people find ways and try to be more careful with their money as much as they can. We’ll never know when a financial emergency comes up and if we don’t have enough money saved for such situations, we may find ourselves bankrupted even at the beginning of 2012.

4. Financial mobility/ stability. In the end, this is everyone’s ultimate goal, whether it’s for New Year’s resolution or not. Though it’s harder to achieve in reality than in concept, we can ultimately achieve financial freedom through small but consistent steps in managing our money matters. The steps above can help us attain this ultimate financial goal along with our own personal strategies and determination to achieve financial freedom.

5. Be specific. Whether it be financial goals or otherwise, always be specific with what you want to achieve. Vague goals will just give you an excuse to delay or even forget your resolutions altogether. For example, instead of saying you want to have a six-pack, aim instead to go to the gym two-three times a week and maintain it. Instead of just saying you want to save money, target on how much exactly you can afford to put in the bank from your monthly salary. This way, setting more specific and realistic goals will help you more in achieving your financial New Year resolutions for 2012 .

Good luck and keep it up!

Yes, the holidays are a time to eat, drink and be merry. But that doesn’t mean it’s the holiday from working out. In fact, the more we need to exercise during this time because of the expected additional food consumption during Christmas parties and other yuletide gatherings. So, instead of feeling guilty after the holidays are over, wouldn’t you enjoy your Christmas vacation more, guilt-free by working out during the whole time?

Here are a few workout tips during the holiday season that will make you enjoy the spirit of Christmas with your family and friends minus the guilt:

“Holiday Penance” This doesn’t mean that you won’t eat at all.  But since Christmas is the time of the year when food just seems to be overflowing and there’s no end to it, make a more conscious effort to watch your food intake and eat just enough to satisfy your cravings without feeling any guilt after. Take a piece of every dish on the table if you want, but just enough to sate your drooling and not anything more.

“Celebrity Goal” Whenever you want to take another piece of that ham roll or munch on another Christmas cookie, think of that celebrity or famous personality you’re dying to have the body of and you might lose your appetite altogether. You deserve to eat and enjoy the holiday banquet, but stay focused on your health and fitness goals to keep you on the track.

“Challenge Workout” If you don’t have any exercise goal of any kind, now is a great time to start. Challenge yourself to keep fit during the Christmas season and maintain it even after the holiday bingeing is over and you will realize how great it feel, both physically and emotionally, to be physically fit.

“Video Game Workout” Call this the “lazy man’s exercise,” but when it’s too cold or snowy outside or you’re just too lazy to workout during the holidays (or not), make use of your couch potato lifestyle and move to your Wii or Kinect game and burn those extra calories off. Moreover, you can get your family or friends into the game and make it a fun, healthy family affair altogether.

“Sneaky Family Time Workout” Like in the workout mentioned above, this one’s similar but even more physically motivating and satisfying. Get your whole family or friends to a game of football, soccer or basketball, and even without them knowing it, you have all melted those excess holiday fats off while enjoying a deserving, happy family time together on Christmas all at the same time. Now who could ask for anything more?

So if you think Christmas and workout are an unthinkable pair, think again and start burning those holiday calories off and enjoy the yuletide season with your family and friends full but healthy!

But then again, Christmas should be a time of joy, not of financial woes. So when we are able to spend Christmas without burning our wallets or exploding our credit card bills, nothing could be merrier than that.

Here are a few tips on how you can save on your spending this Christmas, if not costing you nothing at all. With a little spark of creativity and budget-savvy skills, you can definitely enjoy the holidays like the way it should be, with family and friends, not stressing over spending and bills.

1. Regift. Probably the oldest trick in the book when it comes to saving money on gifts on any occasion. It may raise eyebrows on some people, but let’s face it, some gifts given to us may not be that useful and would suit other people better. Just make sure they are still unused and in perfect condition. Wrap them nicely and you have a brand new gift without costing you anything!

2. Give the Gift of Service. In these times when everyone seems to be materialistic and everything seems to be commercialized, nothing spells genuine love more than offering your service, especially to those who truly need it. Take care of your old and alone neighbor. Babysit for your friend’s kid. Offer to help shoveling the snow in your neighborhood. Do a make-over for your office mate who has a date for the night. Simple but truly heartwarming things that will end up being more memorable than any material things.

3. Be creative. Get your creative juices going to create not only spend-thrifty but also truly one-of-a-kind gifts that your family or friends will surely appreciate and treasure. Paint on a plain shirt, make a pillow from scrap cloth around your house, decorate rocks to become adorable paperweights, make a scrapbook from old photos, and anything creative you can think of, you can be sure that more than thinking about saving this Christmas, you have given even something more special: love through the thought and effort you have made on your gifts.

4. Time is Love. Nothing defines love more than sharing your time to those you care about. More than material things, show your love this Christmas by volunteering in local soup kitchens, nursing homes, food banks, home for the aged, and other institutions that greatly need help. Or simply cook or bring a meal to a family. Not only are you bringing them joy, you may realize you’re also giving yourself the best Christmas gift ever.

5. Baked Goodies. There is no rule that says you should give something material this season. Pack a bag of cookies, bars, cupcakes or mini cakes in attractive and festive decorations and your family and friends will have a treat they will never forget. They usually cost less than the usual Christmas presents, and best of all, the tummy will have a nice, Christmas treat.

6. “White Elephant” Gift Exchange. Instead of the traditional gift exchange, trade your old stuff with your family or friends and get “new” gifts without spending a penny. Trade in your old books, clothes, toys, shoes, and anything else you can find in your drawer and swap it with anything you get your eye on. You get something new, you even get to clean your closet! Talk about hitting two birds in one stone.

Whatever gift you give this holiday season, however you want to spend it, all the material things in the world can never exchange nor surpass the true essence of Christmas: spending it with your family in love and joy celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus.

Merry Christmas, everyone!