You're going to drop $250+ on dinner, flowers, chocolates, and maybe a gift to prove you love someone.
Meanwhile, you have $74 in savings and $8,000 in credit card debt.
love, I guess
"But Caleb, I have to do something! It's Valentine's Day! I can't just do nothing!"
Says who!?
Hallmark?
If your love language is financial self-sabotage, you need a new language.
And I'm going to let you in on a little secret: real love doesn't require putting romance on a credit card at 24% interest.
So let's go through a little check list.
If you're making any of the MASSIVE mistakes below, you're not being romantic.
You're being stupid.
Mistake #1 You think expensive = loving
run!
Dropping $300 on one night doesn't prove you care more than someone who spent $50.
Or spent nothing and made dinner at home.
It just proves you're willing to go broke for the performance.
See, the greeting card companies and restaurants have convinced you that love is measured in dollars spent.
And if you don't hit some arbitrary spending threshold, you're a bad partner.
That's not love. That's marketing.
Your partner doesn't need $200 worth of roses that'll be dead in 5 days. They need a partner who's not financially drowning and stressed about money 24/7.
So stop equating your worth with your spending, buttercup, and start showing love in ways that don't destroy your bank account.
And if you keep reading, I'll show you how to actually build the financial foundation that lets you enjoy life without the guilt.
Mistake #2 You're competing with Instagram
for the 'gram
I get it, you wanna post that perfect Valentine's dinner photo.
But I got news for ya.
Those people at the fancy restaurant? Half of them are broke too!
They're just better at looking wealthy than you are.
You're comparing your real financial situation to everyone else's highlight reel.
Meanwhile, you're both charging everything to credit cards and panicking about how to pay rent next month.
See, when you spend money to impress other people (or the internet), you're not being romantic.
You're being insecure.
And expensive.
Now, this isn't all tough love.
I WANT you to celebrate your relationship and have meaningful experiences.
But it needs to be within your actual budget, not your imaginary Instagram budget.
So no more $180 steakhouse dinners you can't afford just for the photo, k pumpkin?
Mistake #3 You haven't even talked about money
you avoiding the money talk
One of the best ways to destroy a relationship is to hide your financial reality from each other.
Just imagine spending $300 on Valentine's Day while secretly sitting on $15K in debt your partner doesn't even know about.
If you can't have honest conversations about money, adding roses and champagne won't fix it.
And while romantic gestures feel easier than vulnerable conversations...
They're nowhere nearly as important as financial transparency and partnership.
I recommend getting on the same page financially before you spend another dollar trying to prove something.
I know talking about money feels awkward, but with the right approach it's absolutely achievable.
"Okay Caleb, I get it. But what am I supposed to do? Just skip Valentine's Day entirely?"
I gotchu pookie.
You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars or skip it completely.
You need a plan that lets you celebrate without sabotaging your future.
Which is exactly why I created Master Your Money.
It's the system that helps you budget for the things you love (including romance) without going broke in the process.
