When first thinking of Valentine’s Day, our minds often go to images of flowers, chocolates or fancy dinners. So in many ways, Valentine’s Day is great for those in floral, restaurant, chocolate and giant teddy bear businesses. And don’t get us wrong, those types of Valentine’s gifts are nice to give your significant other, but this Valentine’s Day, we want to remind everyone that truly showing affection to your partner doesn’t have to be expensive.

Rarely are healthy relationships based on the materials you give each other, so why is it that on the day meant for couples to show each other love, gifts are a big portion of the celebration? Part of it is our American consumerism mindset. Mass-produced Valentine’s cards became prominent in the 1840s, and the day became a major consumer holiday. The average person spends $512 on Valentine’s Day.

Love and happiness in your relationship shouldn’t be based on what gifts you get each other. Rather, it should be based on being a better person because of them, being able to compromise, making sacrifices for each other, celebrating each person’s individual success and supporting each other through tough times. As cliché as it sounds, true love and signs of affection don’t have a price tag but take time, effort and willingness to work together.

Instead of spending money on a Valentine’s gift, spend some time finding a unique and inexpensive gift to make your significant other truly feel special. Maybe that means going for a walk where you had your first date, making your partner their favorite meal or writing out reasons why you love them.

Research recommends that couples keep it interesting and get out of their normal routine, according to the American Psychological Association (APA), and that doesn’t have to mean busting your wallet.

Moreover, why not spend some time talking about your relationship and discussing what you can continue to improve on?

One of the key indicators of a healthy relationship is how a couple communicates with each other.

“Researchers have found that communication style is more important than commitment levels, personality traits or stressful life events in predicting whether happily married couples will go on to divorce,” according to the APA.

Knowing this is true, why not spend the day meant to be wrapped around love talking about how to strengthen your love?

If you didn’t make dinner reservations for tonight or you forgot a gift, don’t fret. Instead, focus on the inexpensive gifts — in terms of money — that can add value to your relationship.