Valentines Day on a budget

Cupid's arrow can't fix this fickle economy, but don't bottle up your feelings and wait for happier days. We asked people inside and outside the newspaper to offer ideas for expressing love inexpensively this Valentine's Day. Here are the sweetest ones:

Gladys Correa of Virginia Beach swears by this and says her children and grandchildren now do it, too: Buy a cute bag at a dollar store. Inside, on the bottom, write the word "love" and decorate the bag with ribbons. You've just made a bag of love, and you can increase the affection by filling it with kisses. (The candy kind.)

Is your sweetie charity-minded? Lisa Jones, spokeswoman for Norfolk-based Operation Smile, wants you to know that you can log on to www.abreva.com (the cold-sore medicine), click on "Kiss insurance" and give a free, virtual kiss. Each "kiss" will earn Operation Smile $1 - and maybe earn you a real smooch in return.

E.J. Powell of Norfolk admits this is a little cheesy, but what's V-Day without some schmaltz? Line up a fan, a picture of a home, a glass of water, a piece of toast and a mirror. Then deliver this message: Air. Shelter. Sustenance. You. It's all I need.

Heart-shaped pizzas are a popular suggestion this year, judging by our e-mails. Roll out a bit of store-bought dough, cut it with kitchen scissors, top it with your favorites and, voil?! Dinner, dearest.

Declare your love in Albanian or Zulu. Nancy Webb Miller of Chesapeake points out this Web site, which says it's maintained by a linguistics aficionado in Great Britain: www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/iloveyou.htm.

We love ... spending $10 or less for a very cute gift. Bob Carberry, a manager in The Pilot's circulation department, says his girlfriend turned him on to this blog, http://blog.cmariestationery.com/2007/02/valentines-gifts-under-10.html.

Cicely Jones, a Virginia Beach resident who works in The Pilot's real estate advertising department, thinks it's romantic to purchase artificial roses, spray them with perfume (spray them first so the ink doesn't run later on), detach the petals from the stem and write a few words on each about why you like/love the other person. The petals can be placed in a vase or small box for a long-term keepsake. Oh, and Cicely is a 5-foot-8 Scorpio who likes long walks on the beach.

Pink paper doilies adorned with handwritten greetings? Yup, we've got 'em from Sara Ballenger of Norfolk, who swears by dollar stores for her treats. Virginian-Pilot feature writer Roberta Vowell adds this: If you can't think of anything brilliant to say on a homemade card, crib romantic words from the best at www.lovepoemsandquotes.com.

Roberta, somewhat of an expert on cheap and free, also offers these ideas:

Cut roses wilt in a week. A rosebush will last for years, and it costs less than a pair of cappuccinos. Tack a note on with something about love growing, and arrange to plant it yourself.

Any Valentine cards left from the pack your kid handed out at school? Snap 'em up and slip them to your colleagues. Perhaps it's eccentric, but who can resist a card from Hannah Montana or Harry Potter?

Steal your honey's car, then take it to a car wash and bring it back sparkling clean inside and out. He/she gets to cruise in a fresh ride, and you get to watch him/her try to figure out how it happened.

And last but not least, take her on a hike. Hampton Roads always seems to have that occasional winter day that reaches 70 degrees or so. Ryan healy, a Daily Break page designer, says there is nothing more romantic than a soft, warm breeze caressing you and your love while taking in the sunset in a natural setting.