Raul Ojeda

Santa Rosa resident Jasmine Rosas buys herself a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is fast-approaching. With so much love in the air you may ask yourself, “Why am I still single?” But honestly: it’s not that bad.

Every year I hear the same complaints from friends. They complain about how stressful Valentine’s Day is and how, in the end, they didn’t have fun.

But every Valentine’s Day while they were suffering through boring dates, I would be sitting at home eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and doing nothing, except enjoying the single life.

Over the years I learned that there are more benefits to being alone than having a date on Valentines Day:

Saving money:

First and foremost, Valentine’s Day is just an over-glorified day for couples. You buy an overpriced box of chocolates for your partner ($15), maybe buy roses ($25), you might even buy a stuffed animal ($15) and then go out to a nice dinner ($75-$100). This one day will cost you over $130. Instead of counting the dollar bills you’ll be handing the waiter for the overpriced food and $10 drink, count the six $20 bills you’ll be saving in your bank account.  

Stress:

This day easily gets out of control, having to coordinate outfits, dinner reservations and making everything perfect puts unnecessary pressure on those participating. Valentines Day puts a lot of emotional stress on those involved. The pressure of wanting to look and feel perfect is too draining for many to handle.

Save yourself the stress. Instead, sit at home with some Chinese take-out.

Beauty Standards:

The demand to dress up on Valentine’s Day is unrealistic. Men have their extreme workouts and “bulking” to build their arms. Meanwhile women are going to spas, getting facials and dieting harder than the women who participate in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

Without having the stress on this day, you are free to eat whatever you’d like to prior to this day.

Valentine’s Day is a justification for people to go out one day and spoil their significant other with a box of chocolates, some roses and a stuffed animal. In reality, these are the things we should be doing for the people we love throughout the year.

Spoiling your partner doesn’t have to break the bank. Just because the world says you have to buy more things for your partner one day a year shouldn’t mean you go broke in the process . Throughout the year you should be making your partner feel special and sweep them off their feet. See something you think they’d like? Buy it. Feel like going out to dinner somewhere good and affordable? Take them out to Olive Garden.

Enjoying time with your partner should feel natural and intuitive, not forced. One shouldn’t feel obligated to go broke on a single day because it’s an ingrained tradition.