Low budget options to avoid over- spending on Valentine’s holiday

Written By Sarah Yobbi, For The Globe

Jaimy Gallagher owns The Pretzel Shop and offers sweet treats for low prices from $1. Trader Joe’s offers good cuisine that Anthony Yoder cooks in his apartment, and spends “roughly 20-25 bucks.”

Wanting to impress someone on Valentine’s Day can be difficult when you’re a broke college kid. However, impressing your date doesn’t have to break the bank. Nice gifts don’t always have to be diamonds or a meal from a five-star restaurant. Gifts for your significant other can be anything from food to flowers or both, for less than $30. Several places very accessible to Point Park students can supply you with all your valentine needs.

The Pretzel Shop has been up and running since 1927, so they have it down to a science how to make the best pretzels. Gallagher, 53, not only is one of the co-owners of this family owned business, she is also an incredibly creative pretzel twister. Gallagher can make all sorts of shapes out of pretzel dough.

“We can do all kinds of cool things, for Valentine’s Day we do hearts, love knots, all sorts of stuff.”

Specialty pretzels are as cheap as 80-cents apiece. Of course, depending on what is being made, prices may differ. For the average hand sized heart outline, they are $1 a piece.

The Pretzel Shop is located at 2316 E. Carson Street in the South Side of Pittsburgh. Only a 10 minute car ride from campus or a quick ride on the 48 bus will drop you off at the corner of E. Carson and 24th street. Caitlin Trocano, 26, has worked at The Pretzel Shop for several years says, “We can make dessert trays too. This would of course cater to a larger group of people. If it’s just you and your friends celebrating each other, this works for that.”

These cookie trays cost $21.40 when tax is included. Trocano mentions these cookie trays are worth the price considering they have roughly three and a half-dozen cookies as well as some other pastries, all homemade.

However, some valentines prefer something made by their date. Yoder, 21, a screenwriting major at Point Park University shops at Trader Joe’s for ingredients to make his homemade fettuccine Alfredo and garlic bread. Yoder is able to get all the ingredients he needs for dinner and dessert for any date night spent at home for under $30.  Trader Joe’s dry pasta starts at 99 cents and goes up depending of course on the kind of pasta purchased. To make the sauce Yoder uses heavy cream and butter, as well as seasoning. A pint of heavy cream ranges $2.99-$3.49, and butter is only $2.99. For the garlic bread, Yoder buys a loaf of bread, in the $3 range, and can use the remaining butter bought in the rest of his cooking. For dessert, Yoder either buys their pre-made cupcakes or cookies, or the brownie mix they offer also in the $3-$5 range.

Catherine Bowen, 80, of Mt. Lebanon has been purchasing Trader Joe’s flowers for years. Bowen continues to purchase these bouquets, “they last for a while, and people know what they mean.” Bowen continues to express her love for the stores flowers by mentioning their longevity. Bowen also goes as far to compare Trader Joe’s flowers to her local florist for a fraction of the price. The pink roses were only $10.99.

Brian Malarkey, 22, a Point Park University communications major, enjoys seeing movies with his boyfriend. However, we all know movie tickets can be pricey. Luckily, the South Side movie theater located near the Cheesecake Factory off of E. Carson Street is accessible to students. This theater offers student discounts when an ID is presented, but also has $5 ticket deals on Monday nights.

“We only spend $10 on tickets and $15 on popcorn, drinks and snacks.”

Malarkey and his boyfriend both enjoy being able to see new features, especially for half the cost of the normal price. Valentine’s Day this year falls on a Thursday, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to celebrate it on the exact date. Having a deal like this available allows those with a busy schedule to get together while also saving money. The 48 bus also reaches a stop just a few minute walk away from the movie theater.

Christian Barker, 20, an acting major, likes to base his dates around the seasons. Since Feb. 14 is during the winter season, Barker likes to take advantage of the PPG Place ice skating rink that is set up before the holidays. Tickets are only $10 a piece, which leaves an additional $10 to grab coffee or hot chocolate at one of the many coffee shops near PPG Place. Starbucks specifically, you can purchase two medium hot chocolates for around $3 a piece. Dunkin Donuts just across the way, you can purchase two medium hot chocolates for $5.03 altogether once tax is rounded up.

Kyle Kuhns, 20, a sports, arts and entertainment management major, likes to keep his date nights laid back with his girlfriend. “Honestly, at first we would go and get some fast food, come back to my place and watch a movie.”

The meal Kuhns and his girlfriend purchase costs no more than $15. Kuhns continues mentioning that he could easily have movie style popcorn at home for virtually a third of the cost. Orville Redenbacher popcorn is available at Rite-Aid for $4.69 a box. There is a Rite-Aid located just three blocks from campus.

One of the many convenience stores near campus can help anyone stock up for a night in with your Valentine. Some things one may need for a movie night include, boxes of candy, a bottle of wine, and some good old Orville Redenbacher.

EngineHouse 25, a winery located on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville has bottles of wine as cheap as $20. Of course, they get more expensive the harder they get to pronounce. The bottle of Riesling is only $20, they offer Sauvignon Blanc for $25, and many more divine selections. Although this winery isn’t exactly close to campus, it is accessible to students via the 88 bus, only a fifteen minute ride from the Wood Street Station.

Braxton McCollum, 20, an acting major, elaborates on how he and his girlfriend enjoy having a spa night together. McCollum says, “I’ll go to the store, grab a few products, I can either paint her nails or something. Sometimes we get the pore strips and we’ll eat Ben and Jerry’s together.” This is something McCollum and his girlfriend truly enjoy and it goes to show that dates differ on individual preference. Some couples are super laid back much like Braxton and his girlfriend. The pore strips that McCollum mentions are the Biore brand and are available at rite-aid for $5.45. Rite-aid also sells individual pints of ice cream for less than $5. Valentine dates don’t need to be over the top or absurdly expensive. If you can find something you both enjoy, the money spent, or not spent, does not matter.

“Since we’ve been in college we’ve resorted to giving each other rocks.” Josh Jackson, 21 a mechanical and electrical engineering major says he and girlfriend Abbie, 20, a sports, arts and entertainment management major, have resorted to finding pretty stones and gifting them to one another because of how expensive it is to buy each other gifts or to go out to dinner consistently. Usually for a date night together they will walk to the Wine and Spirits on Smithfield street and grab a bottle of vodka and have good conversation for hours on end.

“Monday through Friday it’s a different $2 draft at Genoa’s.”

Abbie enjoys being able to go out with Josh, and being able to get beer for $2 is perfect for college students over 21 on a budget. This allows Josh and Abbie to get out for a night without breaking the bank. Genoa’s is located on Market street and is only one block from Academic Hall making it extremely accessible to students. Comparing this to a place like Local located on E. Carson Street, where a margarita costs almost $10. Sometimes, it’s better to find the simple things around and take advantage of them. This is another great example of spending time with your Valentine without spending all your cash too.

Date nights do not have to break the bank, especially in college they shouldn’t. Point Park students have many options as to what they can do for a special occasion to celebrate a loved one, or even some best friends. Valentine’s Day has become a very versatile holiday, and these options are great to embrace that. The entire point of Valentine’s Day is to spend time with people you love, these ideas just give you that opportunity without the stress of spending more money than you have.