Valentine's Day for College Students

This time of year is a popular time to throw your loved one a little extra appreciation. It’s Valentine’s Day! You’re bound to see hearts everywhere and pink and red galore. You might feel pressured to spend tons of money showing your boyfriend or girlfriend a great time. Living on a college student’s budget doesn’t really allow for that so you have to find more creative, and oftentimes more interesting, date night ideas. Don’t worry! We’ve rounded up a few of the best Valentine’s Day ideas for couples on a budget.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Take your date on a scientific exploration at the Science Spectrum Museum. They’ll certainly be surprised and impressed by your originality. Everything in the museum is meant to be explored and experimented with so this is definitely a hands on kind of date! Not only will you come out thoroughly entertained, you’ll probably learn a thing or two! In addition to the museum, you can also attend an Omnimax movie. With the enormous screen, it can feel like you’re soaring above the scene or right in the middle of the action. There are a couple of fabulous shows that you can attend this Valentine’s Day like Robots, Mysteries of the Unseen World and Wonders of the Arctic. You and your date will want to come back every week to see every single Omnimax movie! See a schedule of the movies and times here. The Science Spectrum Museum is only 10 minutes away from ULofts Apartments.

If you’d prefer something extra low-key, we recommend staying in! Ordering in some delicious food and watching some romantic or not-so-romantic movies is a fun way to spend your Valentine’s Day. Netflix has a fantastic selection of both kinds of movies depending on your feelings towards the holiday. (Pro V-Day and Anti V-Day) Order in some tasty Chipotle for dinner and enjoy each other’s company without being bothered by the company of strangers. It might not be an exciting outing but it’s still romantic and much less stressful!

For those flying solo this weekend, you might think there aren’t any fun options for you. Not only are the above options perfect for single folks too, we have one more option that we think you’ll love. Painting With A Twist is a fabulous option for couples or single people. On Saturday the 13th they’re hosting several painting options that can be done as couples and one that can be done by yourself. If you choose to do the couple’s painting, it’s a great way to bond with your loved one. If you choose the single painting, it’s a great way to meet new people while painting and drinking! You really can’t go wrong. See their schedule here and book your spot early.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a stressful holiday. You don’t have to worry about not having enough money to wow your date or about not even having a date. There are plenty of fun things to do! How do you spend Valentine’s Day?

Texas Winters: The Pros and Cons

Image courtesy of Tim Patterson - Flickr

While most of the rest of the country suffers through single digit weather and feet of snow, Texas is sitting pretty with 60 degree averages. We’re pretty lucky to have such fabulous weather here. It allows us to do things that others might not get to do during the winter months.

Pro: Our amusement parks open WAY earlier than anywhere else.

Most parks in the country shut down come October and don’t open back up until late springtime. Joyland might be closed right now but it’ll open back up in about a month at the beginning of March. You can get your fill of the Daredevil Drop, the Galaxi Coaster and the Spider for most of the year. You can find out more about ticketing information and the rides here on their website.

Con: We don’t get to have snowball fights.

We’re not that sad about this one. Who wants a face full of snow when you can have sunshine? We’ll settle for a snow cone at one of the concession stands instead.

Pro: You can eat outside basically anytime you want.

With such fabulous weather comes the opportunity to eat outdoors practically all year round. An outdoor patio at a restaurant is a gift and we don’t intend to squander it. The Lantern Tavern (5 minutes from ULofts) has a wonderful outdoor patio where you can munch on Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos, a meatball parmesan sandwich, a cheese burger pizza and more. The Roof is so close you could walk to it from ULofts Apartments. They have arguably the best view in Lubbock. Located at the top of Raider Park, you can catch a view of not only the beautiful Texas sunsets but you’ll also be able to catch Texas Tech games from the Roof!

Con: Your air conditioner works overtime.

It might be comfortable during the winter time to live in Texas but during the summer months, the weather can be absolutely unbearable. You’re sticky and sweaty by the time you get to work every morning. So you have to work your air conditioner to get back to a comfortable body temperature to even think about getting any work done. It can be a little bit of a drag.

There are ups and downs to having such mild, warm winters every year. But we like to think that the pros outweigh the cons!

What’s your favorite part about Texas winters? Tell us on Facebook and Twitter.