Cheap, romantic gift ideas

Dear Reader,

A thoughtful and meaningful gift need not break the bank, and will likely be appreciated more than a pricey, yet impersonal, present. Some suggestions follow, but the real key here will be to think about your boyfriend's taste, interests, and personality. Also, consider the ways you enjoy spending time with him. Do you like to be alone together? Do you like to have an activity to share, or simply talk for hours? Do you both love a certain kind of food or music? To help get you started, here are some possibilities:

• A love poem penned by you
• A playlist of his favorite songs, or tunes that you listened to together
• A framed photo of the two of you
• A basket/box/bag full of things that remind you of him and your relationship (e.g., food, pictures, books, stuffed animals, sex toys, etc.)
• A day of things he loves to do
• A surprise train/bus/car day-trip to somewhere he's never been, but wants to go
• An evening of sensual relaxation: a homemade candlelight dinner, soft music, and a massage (from you)
• A sunset, beach blanket, and a bottle of wine, sparkling cider, water, whatever
• A themed video/movie night with his favorite films, or genre of films
• A short video starring you and featuring romantic scenes, memorable places you've visited together, and lots of deep thoughts by you
• An envelope of coupons he can redeem for any of the above, or other, ideas
• Or, some combination of some of the above

Fellow readers — have any other ideas? Share them in the reader responses!

Happy anniversary!