A young woman woke up one Valentine’s Day and told her husband about a dream she’d just had. “I dreamed that you gave me a necklace for Valentine’s Day.” she said. “ What do you think it means?” “You’ll know tonight,” he said. That evening, the husband came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, the woman opened it. Inside was a book entitled “The Meaning of Dreams.”

If you’ve ever had a disappointing Valentine’s Day, try making sure it doesn’t happen again by taking to heart these three creative and inexpensive ideas:

• Rent a movie

Not just any movie, rent the first – or one of the first – movies you ever saw as a couple. Another romantic idea is to download a few episodes of a TV show you used to watch together when you were falling in love. Dim the lights, hold hands, and think about what life was like before the only movies you watched had a G rating and a talking animal.