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Are you in love? Are you living on a budget? The two statements aren’t mutually exclusive, and it’s easy to unearth several ways to combine these two facets of your life. Yes, you can save some money while keeping the spark in your relationship. Here are four romantic ways to save money this year.

Cook A Romantic Meal

Here’s the thing about going out to eat: it’s more of a first date situation. Once you’re in a loving relationship, staying inside becomes a more intimate experience for several reasons. Meanwhile, dinner for two in a restaurant is never cheap. According to Morgan Stanley research, the cheapest meal at a national chain is Red Robin, where a couple will pay $12.17 each on average. Out of the 22 restaurants they examined, the middle price was $20.10 per person.

When you’re in a partnership, you learn that you’d rather have that $40 for better uses. Drop the habit of eating out. Instead, share the kitchen by making cheap meals for two. It’s a much more satisfying and frugal strategy. Plus, nothing beats home cooking. You can sign up for a meal subscription service and have wonderful and unique meals delivered right to you door each week. Combine that with discounts like a Hellofresh coupon code and you'll get great food at a great price.

Carpool

One of the challenging aspects of a relationship is balancing your home and work life. You want to spend more time with your significant other, but you don’t want your job performance to slip. Carpooling is a wonderful way to add a better balance. You’ll gain at least an extra half hour of togetherness each day. You’ll also learn more about one another’s work routines, as drive time is when people enter work mode. Best of all, you’ll save money on gas as well as wear and tear on one of your vehicles.

Swaddle Your Love

Who knows more about romance than John Mayer? The balladeer’s most popular song, "Your Body Is a Wonderland," celebrates the notion of "swimming in a deep sea of blankets."  The best part of this romantic suggestion is that it’s energy-efficient. During the winter months, don’t turn up the heat on your HVAC unit. Instead, pile up a load of blankets and dive under them with your sweetie. You’ll have a ton of fun trying to find each other underneath the covers.

To a larger point, you’ll want to take care of your HVAC unit to save money during the changing seasons. As winter turns to spring, service your unit to guarantee that all savings you gained from the blanket-cuddling don’t go to waste on unnecessary repairs.

Stop Hoarding

Great couples bring out the best in one another. When you start planning to move in together, you each have a wonderful opportunity to discuss storage habits. Have some fun debating who gets to keep what, never losing sight of the fact that both of you will have less storage space. Playfully talk one another out of any hoarding habits that will take up too much room in a joint residence.

Now that you’re in a loving relationship, you have plenty of opportunities to have a great time for little money. Think about the suggestions above and how they can lead to more romantic nights with your beloved.

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