Let’s face it: College students don’t have particularly plentiful funds. No one’s got the cash to drop on valentines no matter how much they are loved. That’s why we’ve devised this fool proof plan guaranteed to keep both your date and wallet satisfied.

Are you simply looking to avoid being alone on Valentine’s Day? Eager to deflect those pitying glances thrown your way as you eat heart-shaped cookies alone at Presti’s? Well, you can have your adorable baked goods and eat them, too.

Use our Valentine’s Day guide and evade all the lovey-dovey-funny business. Feeling freaky and love-sick? Do not fret. You still can woo your sweetheart with this tasteful template for Valentine’s Day success.

Setting the Stage:
1. Start your date off right with flowers. (Given the weather and steep florist prices, you’ll have to simply hope that guy on the corner of Adelbert and Euclid is selling his flowers out of a bucket today…)

2. University Circle is a gem; don’t let it go unappreciated. Take the North Loop around to soak up the sights. The toasty little greenies are perfect for some Cleveland sightseeing side by side. (If you are feeling confident, this would be a good time to slip a mittened hand around your date’s. This sends a cute message without any sweaty palms exposing your nerves.)

3. Hit up the Cleveland Museum of Art. It’s free and your date will be impressed and confused by such a classy turn of events.

4. Reflect on the time you’ve had at beautiful and picturesque Wade Lagoon. But seriously: if it’s dark, don’t linger too long because getting pick-pocketed or harassed just isn’t romantic. And you’ll need your Case ID for dinner…

Dinna Time:
5. Your tummies are rumbling (due to the butterflies in your stomach or because you couldn’t find anywhere giving out free pizza during community hour today) and it is time to take the evening to the next level.

6. Lucky for you lovebirds, Bon Appétit’s got a four-course meal for two on the menu in Leutner. It only costs two meal swipes per person! Nevertheless, if you want a change of scenery, escape to one of the finer establishments near campus that conveniently take CaseCash: Mi Pueblo, Aladdin’s, La Pizzeria and Chutney Rolls are all slightly more romantic getaways.

7. After a meal infused with lovely conversation (or if you need a new distraction because dinner was painfully awkward and each of you desperately needs an ice cream fix), stroll over to Mitchell’s where your dessert will also be charged to that handy CaseOneCard. Order a milkshake to share and only use one straw—it’s both a flirty and an economical move. We advise getting chocolate since the aphrodisiac properties will help to keep love in the air.

Your Turn at Cupid:
We hope that we’ve given you the tools set this date’s tone to the perfect shade of romance. It’s up to you where you take the evening—or where the evening takes you…