Good Stuff Happens in 1:1 Meetings: Why you need them and how to do them well
Romantic Ideas On The Cheap
1. Romance On The
Cheap
Five Easy Ways To Turn Up The Heat
With Little Or No Money
By Jodi Henley
2. Romance On The Cheap
Romance On The Cheap
Five Easy Ways To Turn Up The Heat With Little Or No Money
Do you want to enjoy romance in your relationship? Even if you have
a big bank account to spend on five star restaurants, weekend
getaways, and an active florist account, the little things are often
more effective.
Romance is about sharing – your thoughts, your feelings, your love.
It’s not about how much money you’re willing to spend.
If you once enjoyed a romance filled relationship and life has taken
over and romance is now a distant memory, you can enjoy that kind
of relationship again. If you’re short on creativity or didn’t get the
“romance gene” these ideas can help you.
Romantic gestures should be used to show your love, not only as a
means to get sex. The gestures should be sincere. If your sincerity
shows through, your sex life will definitely improve! You don’t have to
make sex the obvious goal because you’ll get there anyway.
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These little ideas should be done for your partner without expectation
of reciprocation. If you’re with the right person, they’ll pick up on what
you’re doing and get on board. At least eventually.
If your relationship has been devoid of romance, getting back into the
mindset of caring for each other with little romantic gestures will help
you take small steps to get back to the place you want to be.
Know your partner and what they like and enjoy. Romance won’t be
achieved if you spend the time and effort to do something that will be
a big turn off.
For example, if you bring a box of chocolate truffles home for your
wife when she’s struggling to lose weight, that may not be viewed in a
romantic light. If your boyfriend hates old movies, snuggling up to
watch “An Affair To Remember” won’t send him the message you
want him to get.
Here are a few ideas to get you started. You can use these ideas just
as they are. You can put your own twist on each one to fit your
relationship. This short list of ideas can help get your creative juices
flowing and help you think of new ways to infuse romance into your
relationship.
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4. Romance On The Cheap
Use Email to Express Your Thoughts
Email is a method of communication used everywhere for many
different reasons. You can use email to tell your spouse how you
feel. Send an email every day.
You could write it during the day so they get it at work. You could
write it every night so they get it first thing the next morning. You
could be less predictable and send it at random times of the day.
Write long, flowing messages that bare your soul to make them
swoon. Write short, funny one liners that will make them chuckle or
smile. Mix it up. Use your personality. You can also let your alter
ego write some of the messages. That could be interesting!
Send a sexy video to his or her work email. A funny video is also a
good option – everyone loves to laugh. Always remember that
laughter is sexy and romantic.
Email photos to your spouse. Send a vacation photo as reminders of
good times you’ve had together. Write a short message with the
photo to let your spouse know you are happy to have had those times
together.
Also consider snail mail. Write a love letter and send it in an
envelope with a heart sticker on the back. What an unexpected
treasure in a digital world!
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Eat By Candlelight
Prepare a romantic dinner at home for just the two of you. Do all the
work yourself as a special surprise for your mate. If you enjoy
cooking together, consider cooking together naked or wearing only
aprons.
Plan a sexy menu. Feed each other noodles, passion fruit, chocolate
sauce, champagne. If you choose to go for a more traditional
romantic meal, cook foods you both love. Remember, though, go
easy on the garlic!
This is the perfect setting for candlelight. Set the dining room table
with your best China and crystal. Have romantic music playing subtly
in the background. Linger over dinner. Talk and laugh and flirt.
Leave the dishes and clean up in the morning.
Candlelight also works with takeout. While your spouse pays the
pizza delivery guy, light candles and dim the lights.
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6. Romance On The Cheap
Say “I Love You”
Telling your spouse that you love them every day is important. After
a while, we often say it out of habit. We mean it, but we often forget
to say it like we mean it.
Learn to say “I love you” in different languages. Tell your spouse you
love them every day for a week in Japanese, German, Sign
Language, and Pig Latin. When you’ve cycled through all the
languages you know, start over at the beginning.
At least every day, say your partner’s name when you tell them you
love them. This has a remarkable effect. The statement will become
very personal rather than generic.
Call your partner on the phone at least once a week just to tell him or
her you love them. Text a simple “I love you” message during the
day. Leave a voicemail message when you know they won’t be able
to take the phone call.
Write notes that say “I love you” in a different place every time. In
their underwear drawer, jewelry box, on the coffee pot, in their car.
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A Scavenger Hunt
Plan a scavenger hunt for your spouse. Obviously, you’ll be waiting
at the end as the “prize.” Your imagination is your only limit on how
far you can go with this.
Place clues at each location for your spouse to know where to go
next. Plan it all out on paper first including how long it will take to go
from one location to the next. You can do this in your home, your
yard, your neighborhood, or your city.
Some ideas to get your creativity flowing are:
Use riddles as your clues and use some of the places you used
to go when you were dating as stopping points. Be at the place
where you had your first kiss and recreate that special moment.
Give your spouse a list of errands you need them to do for you.
The list will be all the different things you’ll need for a bubble
bath – Target for the bubbles, the liquor store for champagne,
the flower store for rose petals, and so on. They won’t know
what you’re planning, but they’ll probably be very intrigued as
they pick things up. Be waiting at home in a fluffy robe with one
for him or her. And by all means don’t forget the cute little
yellow rubber ducky! Even romance needs a touch of whimsy!
Right?
Ask your neighbors for help. Give your spouse a map to follow.
Each neighbor will have a clue about where he or she is
supposed to meet you for dinner. Choose a restaurant that’s
special to you or one that you’ve wanted to try as the
destination and be there waiting. It doesn’t have to an
expensive place – just somewhere that has significance.
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Don’t forget to have your cell phone handy in case your spouse
gets confused and needs some direction. Have some cryptic
responses ready that won’t give away the surprise, but still help
your spouse follow the instructions.
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Plan A Dream Vacation
There must be a place that you both have always wanted to go
together on vacation but haven’t been able to make it there yet. Not
the family type vacation, but time for the two of you to enjoy alone
together for some adult time.
Italy, France, Caribbean Islands, Brazil, Hong Kong, California Wine
Country, A Mountain Ski Lodge – these are just a few places that are
dream destinations for many. Choose a night to get a small slice of
what it would be like if you were vacationing there right then.
Plan a menu including the kind of food you’d likely have if you were
there. Listen to the music you’d expect to hear. After dinner and
dessert, look through travel brochures and books to plan the dream
vacation you’ll have one day.
Browse through the books and brochures and discuss the things
you’ll see and do in each place. The kind of hotel you’ll stay in, the
food you’ll enjoy together, the people you’ll meet, and the things you’ll
see.
Also do some research to learn a few phrases in the language of the
place you’ll be visiting if they speak a different language than you.
You can even develop a plan together for how to save money for the
trip if you want to do more than just a little dreaming. Every time you
check your vacation savings balance, that will be a romantic reminder
that will build anticipation.
Keep notes about what you’ve researched and your dream vacation.
Tack up reminders on the fridge or your bathroom mirror.
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For fun, find a photo of one of the landmarks of the place you want to
vacation. Find a photo of the two of you together and stick the photo
of you onto the vacation shot. This is cheesy but it’s fun to make a
little collage to dream about.
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No matter what the romance level is in your relationship today,
tomorrow you can start that romantic fire burning.
Turn the heat up slowly. Use these ideas to get you started, but don’t
try everything all at once – you must be able to sustain it!
If you’re interested in more relationship romance ideas and tips,
check out our website:
http://www.relationshipsandromance.com
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12. Romance On The Cheap
Want to find out how to turn even the biggest romantic
numbskull into “Prince Charming” by just pushing a few buttons
on your cell phone?
Check out this – Rachel Ray loved it! You can have your man
thinking about you all day long!
http://relationshipsandromance.com/Heat
Get romantic and intimate with your movements and contact
while you spin, step, swing and unleash powerful, energetic and
beautiful dance moves - TOGETHER!
Learn the Cha-Cha, Jive, and many other dances with Louis Van
Amstel from Dancing With The Stars!
http://relationshipsandromance.com/dance
Want to shake things up in the bedroom? Need a refresher
course to spice things back up?
In five minutes you can have any of these proven secrets working for
you even if you're shy or embarrassed.
http://relationshipsandromance.com/secrets
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