Whether you like it or not, it’s coming. We call it February 14th, but to much of the coupled-off world, it’s Valentine’s Day. (Cue the groans.) From the diamond ring commercials to the romantic movie marathons taking over your daily programming, this year, forget about defending being single and spend the day doing something positive for yourself. Here are 22 fun activities to do if you’re single on Valentine’s Day that are way better than overpaying for a dozen roses anyway.
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1. Drink Wine
Buy a nice bottle of wine (or sign up for a wine subscription box) and enjoy every drop of it. Go back to the cheap stuff tomorrow.
2. Plan a Virtual Cooking Night
Send a Zoom link to a pal or two and all cook the same dinner together. Meal delivery kits like Blue Apron or Home Chef make it easy for everyone to follow along the same recipe and get all the ingredients beforehand.
3. Get Rid of Old Junk
Marie Kondo your house or apartment while blasting Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” on repeat. Ignore your married neighbors’ repeated requests to turn it down. In fact, turn it up.
4. Dance More
Do the same, but with TLC’s “No Scrubs,” Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Miss Independent.”
5. Take a Virtual Museum Tour
Take a break from Netflix for the night and head to one of these online museums, like Paris’ Musée D’Orsay or Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, all thanks to Google’s Arts and Culture platform.
6. Plan a Dream Vacation
Whether it’s 1000 thread count sheets in a fabulous hotel, pristine tropical waters or snowy peaks—vacations are the stuff of dreams. (Erm, especially right now.) Take a one-night escape from the stress of the present by planning a travel adventure. How about one of these winter getaways or 25 life-changing trips to get you started?
7. Take a Stroll Around the Neighborhood
Begin to notice a theme and decide to get out of the house for a bit. Sure it’s a little chilly out, but that’s just an excuse to finally break out your new winter boots and Amazon coat.
8. Go Down a TikTok Shopping Rabbit Hole
When you’re done devouring PureWow’s TikTok, take a look at some of our favorite hashtags like #amazonfinds #targetmusthaves and #beautyfinds, for unusual products. Not on the app? No problem. Check out these viral TikTok beauty products or these random, but useful items we found on TikTok.
9. Start an Evening of Self Care
Don’t shave your legs (because, duh), but do put on fluffy slippers, cozy sweatpants and apply all the skincare products you bought during quarantine.
10. SIGN UP FOR A SUBSCRIPTION BOX
Use the money you would’ve spent on a gift for your nonexistent S.O. to treat yourself to a subscription box you’ve been eyeing.
11. Cue the Rom Com Movie Marathon
Hate-watch no fewer than seven romantic comedies. Halfway through reciting When Harry Met Sally line for line, accept that it’s not really hate-watching if you still tear up at the New Year’s Eve scene.
12. Catch up on sleep.
Oh my God, sleeeeeep.
13. Rank Celebrity Crushes
Watch all the Oscar-nominated movies and rank them by attractiveness of their stars.
14. Babysit for a Family Member
Score major karma points by offering to babysit your nephew while mom and dad go out for their first romantic dinner alone in 23 months.
15. Bake a Dessert and Then Drop Off Extras to Your Neighbors
We won’t judge if you want to keep all 24 cookies for yourself, but if you’d rather minimal leftovers, drop off sweets to your next door neighbors as an act of kindness. Try baking one of these Valentine’s Day cookie recipes or these Oreo-stuffed brownies.
16. Volunteer Somewhere You’re Passionate About
Offer your time to a local animal shelter and realize that a dog would make the best boyfriend.
17. REDECORATE YOUR Place
Need a change of scenery? Make it happen without even changing locations. Let’s be honest, we’re all spending so much time in our homes right now that some of the cracks are showing (in the decor, that is). Whether it’s the living room or the bathroom, give your space a refresh and then show it off on the next family Zoom call.
18. Tour a National Park
While you probably wish you could be out exploring the depths of the Grand Canyon, Alaska’s stunning glaciers or any of the country’s other 60 national parks, for now you’ll have to satisfy our wanderlust virtually. Here, you can virtually tour almost all 62 national parks from the comfort of your couch—without any crowds or pesky bugs.
19. HAVE A THEMED TAKEOUT AND MOVIE NIGHT
It doesn’t sound revolutionary, but what if you get takeout from somewhere very special (like that fancy Italian restaurant around the corner) and pair it with a fitting film (like Il Postino)? Treat yourselves to an indulgent meal from a fine dining restaurant and pick a flick that goes with the theme.
20. Host A Virtual Game Night
Miss going to trivia with your Tuesday night crew? Play with your friends over a video app like Houseparty or Google Hangouts using the trivia app QuizUp.
21. START LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE
The benefits of this one are threefold. First, learning a new language stimulates your brain in a really healthy way (it’s a type of brain gym, which you can learn more about here). Second—and somewhat superficially—it’s cool and cultured to be able to speak more than one (or two or three) language. And third, it’s the perfect excuse to reward yourself with a trip to the country whose language you’re learning once you reach a certain level of fluency. Try Rosetta Stone or Duolingo.
22. Don’t Sweat It
Basically, forget about Valentine’s Day and go about your day as you normally would. Just think of all the half-price chocolate you can buy tomorrow.
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