Valentine’s Day is recognized and celebrated by approximately 54 percent of Americans.  According to the National Retail Federation U.S. Consumers will spend nearly 19.6 billion on Valentine’s Day ($143.56 per person) on gifts, candy, cards, an evening out, flowers and jewelry.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day full of love and a day to celebrate that someone special in your life. However, the relationship strain associated with household chores may leave many couples glaring at each other rather than staring into each other’s eyes lovingly. While you should probably still get flowers and chocolates, a break from having to clean the house can have many positive outcomes on your love life. A break from the household chores could make an excellent Valentine’s Day gift for any couple.

Many people come home from work and immediately start cooking dinner, doing laundry, paying bills, etc. At some point, you may have realized that you don’t always delegate the attention you should to your significant other. In fact, Harvard Business School has referenced a study of new divorces that found 30% of respondents “cited ‘disagreements about housework’ as their number one reason for divorce.” Additional research indicated that agreement over household chores was the third most important factor in a successful marriage.

Bring Back the Sunshine with Housekeeping Help

Here’s the good news: That same HBS working paper hypothesizes that couples who spend money on time-saving purchases — such as cleaning services — are happier and share more quality time together. And guess what? The results of their studies so far show that is indeed the case! Time-saving purchases like housekeeping services are proving to increase both the satisfaction in the couples studied while also allowing them to spend more quality time with each other.

So while it may not seem like one of the most romantic Valentine’s Day gifts for couples, a healthy dose of housekeeping help could lead to lots of love and happiness. In addition, we’re willing to bet your partner might appreciate the gesture even more if you explained the logic behind your gift. All in all, it’s a win-win!

Once the cleaning is done, you could do an abundance of things. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day at HOME with friends and loved ones:

If you’re in a relationship:

  • Camp out on the living room floor. Set up the air mattress, roast marshmallows in the fireplace and have a picnic dinner on the floor. (If you have kids, they will love this). Incorporate a movie night together with Netflix or a Redbox rental.
  • Make lists together: Write down your lifelong bucket list and think big, as if money were no option. Make a list of wants in your dream home and draw a blueprint of what it looks like. Write a gratitude list together.

If you’re single:

  • Invite friends over to make dinner together. Choose a menu and purchase the ingredients ahead of time then have fun cooking and eating together. Afterwards, have a game night playing cards or board games.
  • Turn your living room into the dance room. Move all the furniture out of the way, make a playlist and dance the night away. Do you know someone with a Karaoke machine? Take turns singing your favorites or if not, what about a lip sync battle?

If you’re home with kids:

  • Lay out an Ice Cream Bar for dessert after dinner. After each person makes their sundaes, top them off with red hearts, chocolate kisses, and valentine’s day inspired sprinkles.
  • Make your own Cards or love notes for your family members. Have each family member write down something they love about each person participating and read them out loud.