Every year advertisers attempt to convince consumers that the only way to prove their love is to spend an exorbitant amount of money on February 14. Yet most women would agree that real romance comes from the heart and not the wallet. To that end, Money Management International (MMI) offers 15 ways to say "I love you" that cost less than $15.

1. Make your loved one a macaroni necklace and present it in a jewelry box. Enclose a note that says, "When I am with you, I feel like a kid again." Then head out together to do something little kids do for fun – rollerskating, bike riding, swinging as high as you can on the swing set, go to the zoo, etc.

2. Head down to your local hardware store and have a key made with your initials engraved in it, then present the "key to your heart" to your loved one.

3. Make a list of 101 reasons you love him/her and have it framed.

4. Collect/make a special photo album of your most cherished times together with notes on each page as to why that moment was important to you.

5. Have a mousepad made with a picture of you and your loved one.

6. Create a scavenger hunt for your loved one that requires him/her to stop at special places the two of you have in common.

7. Leave a trail of post-it notes directing your loved one throughout the house to find little treasures (chocolate kisses, single flowers, etc.) with a short expression of love on each one ("Your kisses are as sweet," or "Throughout the years our love has blossomed and unfolded like the most delicate flower") leading them to a home-cooked dinner.

8. Create a homemade coupon book for gifts such as one free uninterrupted afternoon of golf/football or one evening away from the kids. 

9. Splurge on food at the grocery store instead of a restaurant. Buy fresh lobster or something that you would not normally buy, and cook it together. Have the dinner consist of foods that are all either red or white.

10. Make a handmade card using pictures of you and your significant other and find quotes about love online at www.toinspire.com.

11. Have just a glass of champagne or dessert at a fancy restaurant or hotel.

12. Write a poem (or if you are grammatically challenged, find an existing one) and print it out on nice paper. You can then mail it to your loved one at work. Or if you have a frame with outdated pictures, you can use it to frame your poem and wrap it as a gift.

13. Tour a free local art exhibit and then have a picnic under the stars.

14. Purchase a box of children's valentines and hide them all around the house starting a week before Valentine's Day. 

15. Learn to say "I love you" in several languages.

MMI also reminds you that you don't have to go into debt to prove your love. "It is important to keep your head when shopping for your heart," says Rudy Cavazos, director of corporate and media relations for MMI. "Periodic expenses are the adversary of good financial planning. Valentine's Day is a perfect example of an event that typically is not budgeted for."

Cavazos advises consumers to use cash whenever possible. If a credit card must be used for Valentine's Day expenses, don't charge anything that cannot be paid off in three months or less.