This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure statement here.
We’ve got just over a week left until Valentine’s Day and if you’re like me, you’re not worrying about what to get your husband, you’re worried about what to give your kids to hand out to their classmates.
When you have multiple children who will be handing out classroom valentines, the expenses can add up quickly. Here are some tips to keep you from stressing over your classroom Valentine’s Day spending:
1. Be Selective (If You Can)
My first tip for keeping your classroom Valentine’s Day budget in check is to be selective, if you can. Our children attend morning daycare as well as school, and both places participate in exchanging treats. Our daycare has a policy that allows only the children who bring valentines to get them back. There are 40 children in classroom, which would mean 80 valentines from us. So, because our children won’t be at the daycare in the afternoon, we agreed to eliminate this expense.
2. Don’t Go Above and Beyond
Last year, at my daughter’s request, I made about 15 batches of homemade gummy treats for my kids to hand out. They were awesome, but extremely time consuming and ultimately under-appreciated. I’m 100% the mom who thinks she’s going to whip up homemade chocolates for 120 kids every year even though it’s completely unnecessary. Why? Because my Pinterest feed tells me this is what I should do. I promise you this – You won’t go down in history as the worst parent of all time if you don’t DIY your kids’ valentines.
3. Explore the Dollar Store
The easiest and cheapest way to get the classroom treats done is to explore the Valentine’s Day selection at the dollar store. Pencils, notebooks, stickers, candy, etc. all come in multi-packs and will allow you to create fun treats for pennies. Be cautious of so called “dollar stores” that charge upwards of $3 an item – it will add up fast. Dollar Tree is my favourite for small holiday treats because everything really is $1 (or $1.25 here in Canada).
4. Amazon is Your Friend
If you’re insistent on handing out a little more than dollar store treats, Amazon is full of goodies. I recently published a post containing 25 inexpensive non-candy, no DIY Valentine’s Day treats and most of them can be found on Amazon! My kids have chosen these emoji keychains (US link here) to hand out. A little more expensive than the dollar store, but in total I’ll be spending under $30 CAD for almost 50 kids.
5. A Simple Card is Enough
In the grand scheme of things, the classroom valentine exchange only lasts for 10 minutes on one day every year. Don’t stress or spend more than you need to. Pinterest and social media as a whole has created this idea in our heads that we need to do so much for this little holiday. In reality, a simple valentine card (homemade or store bought) is enough.
How do you stay frugal during Valentine’s Day?
