Valentine’s Day is upon us and we are all thinking of ways to show our spouse love and appreciation. We’re in a frenzy of trying to buy chocolates, flowers, making arrangements to go out, etc., all in the name of wanting to spend time together to reconnect during the hectic days we call life.

But what about after Valentine’s Day? What happens to the love and appreciation we felt on February 14? What happens on February 15 or June 21? I want to talk about some ways that you can show your spouse love and appreciation during the whole year that isn’t fancy, time consuming, or costly. I’m working on this in my own life and thought I would share what I’m trying to do with you so that our spouses can feel loved and appreciated all year long!

Write a love letter. The art of letter writing is dying out as it is being overtaken with text, Facebook, Twitter, and Word. But take out a few minutes to write a letter of love or appreciation. My husband was leaving for the Reserves weekend and the night before, he shared his heart with me. I know that it’s hard for him to share sometimes and I wrote him a little letter telling him that I appreciated him opening up to me. I took the time to notice that he was involving me in his life and I thanked him for that opportunity. I stuck it in his bag so that during the weekend he would find it.

Encourage your spouse. This comes very hard for me because I don’t think about this all the time. But try to make a point to encourage your spouse. I don’t mean to go overboard (even though you can!), but it can be simple like, “Thank you for taking out the trash. I know you’re trying to help me take care of the house and I appreciate it.” Let your spouse know that you’re thankful for the mundane things as well as the big things. If he’s good at finances, let him know and encourage him to continue to do so in the future!

Buy your spouse something just because. One time I was grocery shopping and I remembered my husband saying that he wished we had ice cream in the freezer. So I brought him ice cream! I let him know that I did and added that I remember him saying how he would have liked some and brought it! Of course, stay within budget. This can be a sweet gesture showing your spouse that you’re thinking about him throughout the day.

Send sweet texts. I fail at this, but you can use technology at its best when you send sweet texts to your spouse. I don’t do this a lot because my husband doesn’t text very often. That is why I’m working on verbalizing it and writing it down (since I am a writer and all). 

Spend time with one another. I know this is on everyone list, but make some time out to just spend one on one time together. I struggle with this because when Nathan comes home, we eat and then watch Netflix. Sometime though, I do ask to cuddle because I love sweet cuddles. But even doing something in silence can be a way of spending time together (yes, Netflix can be a way to do that, even though it’s not the most romantic thing to do). Try to do something different every month like go hiking, visit the zoo, try a new restaurant, take dance classes, drink coffee, do something geeky (like play pokemon), or play a brand new board game. These are fun activities you can do anywhere! 

Say how much you appreciate your spouse to his/her face. It’s easy to write down, “Thank you for doing such-and-such.” But it’s hard to say it. At least it is for me. I am trying to get more verbal about saying how much I appreciate Nathan in the moment. If he does something and I appreciate it, I try to say so. I am not the best at this, and that is why I’m writing it down so that I can hold myself accountable to doing this more. Like I said earlier, even if it’s the mundane, everyday things that you might expect him to do, still thank him for it. Nathan feeds the dogs every morning and goes to work (I never have to worry about him not going to work, which is a blessing). I should tell Nathan how appreciative I am of this. It’s the small things that keeps us going, right? Why not tell our spouses how thankful we are for the small things that they do?

Please share how you show your spouse love throughout the year. Everyone is so vastly different and hearing what works for one person gives others a different perspective on how they can do that for their spouses! I am looking forward to your responses!