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Valentine’s Day On A Budget: Trader Joe’s Edition

Aly Yam Student Contributor, Boston University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

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February is the season of love. Whether you’re celebrating with your close friends or a special someone, it can be hard to figure out an activity to do together. 

If you’re looking for a chill night in, here’s a fun cooking date to relish in that quality time. And what better way to do that than browsing Trader Joe’s for some low-priced, quality goods! 

Appetizer

To start the night, pop a quick appetizer in the oven or air fryer while you’re cooking your entrée. Trader Joe’s is known for its variety of quick and easy meals, so you can choose from items such as their deep-fried Onion Flowers, Mini Mushroom Tartelettes, or Feta Cheese & Caramelized Onion Pastry Bites

Now, it’s time to prepare the rest of the meal!

Entrée

For your main meal, try cooking up an Italian dish with some Trader Joe’s Ricotta Cuoricini Ravioli or Italian Artisan Heart-Shaped Pasta. Both are great options for a Valentine’s Day-themed night, and you can pair them with a pasta sauce of your choice. With Alfredo, vodka sauce, or a simple shredded cheese topping, these pastas are surely a cheap and hearty fan favorite. 

Drink

Some of my favorite beverages from Trader Joe’s are from the French Market Sparkling Lemonade collection. You can choose between regular lemonade, pink lemonade, berry lemonade, or limeade. A liter bottle costs $3.99, so it’s definitely worth purchasing for a date or a little get-together dinner!

Dessert

To close out the dinner, you can’t go wrong with some dessert. There are so many different options to choose from. For Valentine’s Day, there’s a For the Love of Chocolate Mousse Cake, Raspberry Mousse Cakes, Sugar Cookie Dough Hearts, and lots of candy. The options are endless, and the night is young!

After preparing and enjoying your meal, consider doing a craft or watching a cute romantic comedy!

I definitely value the time I spend with my favorite people and cannot wait to do mini-activities like this together.

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Aly Yam is a member of the Marketing team at Her Campus Boston University. She creates graphics for the Her Campus socials and is interning to be the secretary in the fall.

Yam is a sophomore at Boston University, majoring in Journalism and Public Relations. She is also a writer for BU's Fashion & Retail Association, and COM ambassador, and an office assistant at the COM undergraduate affairs office. Back at home, she has worked in retail at stores like Tillys and Rowan.

In her free time, Yam enjoys going to concerts, collecting vinyls, and strives to work in communications in the fashion industry.