Ah, romance! Where would we be without it? Unfortunately, romance can easily be forgotten when careers, families, and the necessities of daily life become our primary focus. But romance is important for every couple, whether you’ve been together for 30 days or 30 years. Making a little time for romance needs to get back on your priority list.

The good news is that there are lots of easy and inexpensive ways to get romantic without even leaving your house. It’s all about getting a little creative.

Remember: Romance is Subjective

No matter what a bunch of so-called women’s magazines tell you, not all people think the same things are romantic. Some women find the idea of a bubble bath with floating rose petals to be trite and cliché, while other women will swoon at the sight. Some women would rather eat a bucket of fried chicken than dine at a fancy French restaurant, while other women will say “Ooh, la, la” to the idea of a swanky night out. The point is, romance, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

What does this mean for you? It means that romance is based on personal interests so if you want to plan a romantic evening at home, you need to think about what you and your partner enjoy and actually consider romantic.

Let’s say you are both huge fans of sushi and old black-and-white movies. Perhaps your romantic evening entails some sushi take-out or delivery (perhaps removed from the plastic containers and re-plated), a few candles, and some old romantic movies starring Humphrey Bogart or Cary Grant. Romance is in the details. The more you can take a generic idea like “dinner and a movie” and tailor it to your individual tastes-in this example sushi and Cary Grant-the more romantic your night will be.

The Exotic Vacation at Home

For many people, the idea of being on vacation at some exotic destination is incredibly romantic. You can recreate this concept at home with a little planning and creativity. Once again, you need to choose your “inspiration location” based on a place you and your partner think is romantic, such as Morocco, Jamaica, Fiji, Italy, Paris, etc.

This type of romantic evening can be just as much fun to plan as it will be to enjoy. First pick your romantic destination. In order to make the evening really memorable, you don’t need to spend a lot of money but you do need to spend some time and creativity on what will make the night special.

After you’ve chosen what destination appeals to you, start doing some light research to discover what details you can add to your home to make you and your partner feel “transported.” The easiest way to do this is to consider your senses:

Sight

Sound – What types of music do they play in this location? Borrowing a CD from the library (or finding an online radio station) of traditional ukulele music creates the perfect background for your at-home Hawaiian luau for two.

Taste – What foods and drinks do you and your partner enjoy from this culture? You can cook or pre-purchase yummy appetizers or an entire meal based on food from your ideal romantic getaway location. If you’ve set your sights on the Caribbean, why not plan to make some tropical cocktails to help set the mood? You can even get those cute little paper umbrellas for a special touch.

Smell – This can usually be accomplished through whatever food or drink is involved in your plans, but can also be accomplished through scented candles or incense. If your romantic location inspiration is a camp-out in the woods, a pine-scented candle can help you escape the walls of your house or apartment (making some no-fire s’mores might be fun too!).

Touch – This can include the textures you use to decorate your room or even what clothes you choose to wear for your romantic evening.

Don’t forget about lighting! Using string lights, candles, or even just covering lampshades with a sheer fabric in colors like red, orange, or blue can help turn your ordinary living room into an exotic location. Just be careful of any fire hazards and do not place any fabric directly on a light bulb or leave candles unattended – blaring smoke alarms can quickly kill the mood you’ve worked so hard to create.

Don’t Buy It, Make It!

If romance is all about the little things it’s also about the effort we put into them. While there is no need to drive yourself crazy planning every miniscule detail, putting in a little extra effort to do something special can really show your partner how much you value them.

Making a present as opposed to buying one is an economical and endearing way to show your partner you care about your relationship. Something as simple as cooking a meal featuring your partner’s favorite foods, creating a CD or iPod playlist of special songs that remind you of your sweetie, or even making a card for them out of construction paper or other items around your house can be a perfectly thoughtful component to your romantic evening.

Don’t Let Pressure Ruin Your Romance

When it comes to romance killers, nothing works faster than pressure. Of course you want your romantic evening to go just as you planned, but it’s far more important to roll with the punches rather then freak out and start crying if dinner gets a little burnt or if at the end of the night you just feel like cuddling.

This also goes for the pressure you place on your partner during your romantic rendezvous. At the end of the night what really matters is that you spent time together just enjoying each other’s company as a couple. While dressing up and redecorating your living room for the evening can be fun and help get you in a romantic mood, the idea of “escaping” your daily life is so you can concentrate on each other instead. Keep your focus on that simple fact and you can create a romantic evening at home anytime.

– What colors, fabrics, and accessories do you identify with this location? For example, Morocco is all about rich jewel tones, so creating a Moroccan picnic in your living room with some colorful throw pillows and a few brightly colored sheets could be the beginning of a very romantic night.