It doesn't have to break the bank

It's funny how men hate romantic movies, but they often try to recreate the sweeping romantic gestures without the matching budget. To some men, Romance must include a car (they can't afford) to drive them to a restaurant (they can't afford) to eat food (they don't like). It doesn't have to be that way. Romancing your wife or girlfriend is not the same as trying to impress the head cheerleader in high school. Your wife or girlfriend is already into you. And if you share a budget, she will not be impressed with you spending her shoe or grocery money on an evening of excess. You don't have to go overboard. You don't have to wait for your tax refund.

And here's a big one: YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR A HOLIDAY (i.e. Valentine's Day)

Romance can happen every day and at any budget. It's very simple. You might read this and say to yourself, "my wife won't accept anything less than diamonds, so I'm going to save up for the next two years and then she will be surprised." Well, actually, you might be surprised by divorce papers. You can't WAIT to be romantic or you will be WAITING to have sex (until a holiday, i.e., your birthday).

Here are some simple tips:

• Buy some colorful post-it notes. (bonus for heart-shaped) Each day, leave your wife a little note to let her know that you care. Not, "honey, can you pick up the dry-cleaning?" Try to be a little bit more loving than that. Speak from your heart. 
• Send Romantic Poems from your cellphone. They have an app for that. 
• Make dinner for her. Maybe you can't cook, try breakfast.  If you are culinary-challenged, buy dinner from her favorite place. Trust me, anything that gives her the opportunity to relax and not cook will work wonders.
• Run her a bubble-bath. (bonus for candles or rose petals) Tell her to relax with a glass of wine while you put the kids to bed. 
• On an evening where you normally go to sleep, read to her or invite her to watch an old movie you enjoyed when you first started dating. Or, if you are good at massage then break out the oils. 
• Go for a walk. A walk is an opportunity to workout your body and your day. You can reconnect while raising endorphins and burning calories.  

• Movies or Theater and  Dinner. A night on the town is just what the doctor ordered. But, you should try to plan as much as possible. It's not as much fun when she has to do all the planning. If she picks the show, you choose the restaurant. 
• Diamonds are a girl's best friend, but pearls and other jewels work too. Gold earrings might be her thing. Whatever it is, do it in a way that she won't expect. 
• Do things that you used to do. Whatever that may be. Remind her of that she is still the girl that you fell in love with. 

These are just a few things you can do and I don't think I broke the bank. Notice, there was no mention of Bentleys, helicopters or bottles of Dom Perignon. Keep it simple, stupid. Unless you hit the lottery or become a millionaire, then the sky is the limit.