Normally, this is the time of year when we come up with a list of really cynical and awful date ideas for Valentine's Day. After all, it can be a real bummer of a holiday for a lot of people. If you're single, it sucks for obvious reasons, and if you're in a relationship, there's this pressure to get a reservation at a nice restaurant, spend way too much money, and all so you can be in a loud, completely full restaurant. Your food takes longer than normal, you're going to splurge enough to get sticker shock at the final bill, and it may not even be that romantic of a dinner. And it's on a Friday this year, just compounding the issue.
This year, skip the fine dining and find other ways to celebrate by getting your partner something nice and thoughtful at a local business. And if you're concerned about my lack of negativity, don't worry, I'm not running a fever. I'm sure I'll be back with something sarcastic later this week. Here's some cool places to spend your money this year: