Valentine's Day is the ultimate Hallmark holiday. Kids have to bring in cards for all their classmates. Men are coerced into treating their ladies to the ultimate romantic day or night. Even the fabulous single ladies of the world (holla!) are jumping on the Valentine's Day train and making sure to treat their friends and show them some love, too. Now, I must admit that I am a bit cynical when it comes to the commercialized feel of the holiday. But on the flipside, I'm all about celebrating love for both friends and significant others all the time.

So why not use Valentine's Day as a way to kickstart a whole year of love? Here's how you can do it.

Date night jar

For all those nights when you can't decide what to do. This idea is great for either friends or romantic partners and can be done in so many ways. Keep it simple with folded notecards in an old coffee tin. Or use colorful popsicle sticks in a mason jar. Make it unique or personal to you and your gift receiver.

Scrapbook or photo album

There's nothing better for reliving memories than going through a highlight reel of all your best moments captured in photos. It's a great way to remember all the good times. Save some space for new memories and add to it as you go to make it a gift you can keep enjoying.

Lazy hack: get on a photo-printing site, pick your favorite photos, and have them printed in a book for you. Upgrade: Get out your scrapbook paper, stickers, and glitter to make a fun scrapbook complete with captions and add-ons to capture the fun of the moment.

Membership or subscription

What does your special person love? Chances are, there's a subscription box for it.

Wine, foreign candies, ethnic foods, socks, makeup, and more. Each time a new box arrives, it's a reminder of how much you care. Or pay for a music or video streaming service. Perfect for romantic music with no commercial interruptions, or cozy weekends of Netflix and chill. All the options make this a good idea for nearly any budget.

Coupon book

While this may seem like the kind of cheesy thing that you make for your mom in elementary school, it's also a great idea to remind you to do little nice things for your partner or friend all through the year. When life gets busy, they can cash in a "30-minute listening session" to get your full attention. Or maybe a night without having to do the dishes. And the coupons might get you to do some chores without anyone asking or be a better friend, so it's a win-win! And it's another low-budget idea that's easy to carry out for all the people you love.

And gifts or not, don't forget to tell the people in your life that you love and appreciate them every day, not just Valentine's Day.
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