flowers

How to Make Your Expensive Cut Flowers Last Longer

Fresh flowers can add beautiful colors and fragrances to any room. They can also brighten your mood, add humidity to the air, and reduce stress levels. However, buying cut flowers every week can get expensive. Try these tips to save money by making fresh flowers last longer.

Longest-Lasting Flowers to Buy

Zinnias

One of the easiest ways to save money is to buy flowers that naturally last longer. Zinnias, orchids, and chrysanthemums can last three to four weeks. Carnations can make it two to three weeks in a vase. Lilies, alstroemerias, delphiniums, and freesias can last two weeks. On the other hand, fresh peonies, gladioli, and sunflowers can last one to two weeks.

You can cut your flower expenses in half or more by buying varieties that last longer. For example, if you buy a bouquet of 12 roses every week for $30, it may last about seven days. Your monthly expenses would be $120. However, getting 12 chrysanthemums for $30 that last four weeks could save you $90 per month.

Make Your Flowers Last Longer

Tulips

You can make your flowers last longer by following a few simple steps. First, when you bring the flowers home, cut about an inch off the stems at an angle, so they can continue to absorb water. Second, make sure you clean the vase before putting cut flowers in it and change the water every day. This helps reduce bacteria and keeps the plants fresh longer.

Keep your flowers away from heat sources and direct sunlight. Also, avoid putting them near ceiling fans, air conditioning units, or vents because the circulating air can make the flowers lose water faster. Finally, avoid putting your flowers next to ripe fruits, which release chemicals into the air that can shorten a plant's lifespan.

Use Flower Food Packets

Make sure to use the flower food packet from your florist by adding it to the water every time you change it. Mix the packet according to the instructions from your florist. These packets contain sugar, citric acid, and bleach. The sugar feeds the plants while the citric acid maintains the pH of the water and the bleach kills bacteria.

Put Flowers in the Fridge

Roses

Consider keeping your flowers in the fridge at night to preserve them better. Then, take them out in the morning to enjoy them. The cooler temperatures inside a refrigerator help flowers stay fresh longer. Using this method may help you keep a bouquet for up 10 days.

Try Adding Soda

There are many home remedies for keeping flowers fresh, but adding a small amount of soda to the water actually seems to work. Try adding 1/4 of a cup of soda to your vase to keep a bouquet fresh for 10 days. The reason this method works is that soda has a lot of sugar, which flowers can absorb as food.

Following these tips can help you save money by making your flowers last longer. If you're used to buying a bouquet every week of the month, getting long-lasting flowers and taking care of them can reduce your expenses by half or more.

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Five tips on saving money for Valentine’s Day

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Valentine's Day is the pinnacle of romantic holidays — today's the day you get to show all the love you have for your significant other in the form of gifts or experiences. It's a bit materialistic yes, but everyone loves feeling special and being showered with presents! However, if your budget's a bit tight, it can be hard to show your partner you appreciate them. So, we've compiled a list of five tips you can use to ensure that you have an amazing Valentine's Day without spending that holiday money.

1. Make sure you buy flowers the right way

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Don't get cheated and buy your flowers online for delivery — even if they're ensured fresh and come with discounts, shipping trucks don't come with refrigerators. So if you order from a company with a warehouse far away from you, they might be wilted by the time your SO sees them.

Instead, get your flowers from grocery stores or the florist — both will keep their flowers cold until pick up time and some florists would even deliver in a chilled van. Be sure to ask for flowers that haven't quite open yet — that way they'll bloom in the hands of your SO and will keep for days.

2. Don't skimp where it doesn't count

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A definite no-no is buying flowers from the side of the road — even though they're the cheapest, they definitely won't last more than a day. These flowers also won't come with flower food nor replacements if they turn out to be spoiled.

Regarding dinner, don't order cheaper foods just because you need to save money — worrying about money every step of the date will definitely spoil your night.

3. Eat at home

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Come to think of it, spend your special night at home instead of a kitschy Valentine's Day restaurant. Even if it doesn't seem that special, eating at that dining table you never use or in front of the fireplace, or even in bed will give it that special feel.

Light some candles, throw around a handful of rose petals and put on some Frank Sinatra — your SO will definitely give you brownie points for your thoughtful DIY.

4. Order smart

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If you're bent on going out for dinner, you can totally pull that off too — one tip is to go for the cheapest champagne or Prosecco. No one can really tell the difference between expensive and cheap champagnes so there's really no use ordering the one that's going to break bank.

If the night is going to end in romance, be sure to order light. Not only will it stop bloating, but lighter dishes will also be less expensive — choose fish over steak, or sorbet over chocolate mousse.

5. Do your research with jewelry

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Look online for the jeweler with the best prices, but never buy online — it's much better to go in store to make sure that ring or necklace looks the way it's supposed to. Also be sure to check its certificates — this is to make sure the piece will last for a long time, not something you should obsess over.

Now that you're equipped with all these tips, enjoy your day of romance with your SO — and don't forget that this holiday is for love first and foremost. Even though you're encouraged to splurge a bit, losing sight of the spirit of Valentine's Day will definitely screw you over.

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