The ultimate Warwick University student Valentine’s gift guide (extreme budget edition)

Because love is temporary, but a £4.35 Co-op meal deal is forever

2 hours ago

Samah Tabba | Guides

Valentine’s Day is cute in theory. In reality, you have £14.37 in your bank account, society commitments, reading to do, and a Co-op spending problem. There just isn’t time to find a cute and thoughtful personalised Etsy gift, and you don’t want to get your partner just flowers and chocolate.

So, if you’re trying to be romantic on a budget (aka you’re just broke), here’s your ultimate campus-approved Valentine’s gift guide.

A library floor three booking

Some people book candlelit dinners. You book a two hour slot on Floor three during peak assessment season.

Print out a tiny fake “reservation” card:

Two tables in the back (separated by the grey dividers)

Location: Floor three extension

Dress code: Hoodies and sweats

Nothing says commitment like silently revising next to each other and occasionally sliding over a highlighter.

A jar filled with “reasons I’d do the queue at Nero for you”

That’s it. That’s the gift.

Because if you’ve ever waited 10 minutes at 12.50pm behind a seminar rush, you know that’s real love.

A Smack queue jump ticket

A Smack queue jump is undoubtedly Warwick’s most sought-after item on a Tuesday at 6pm. If you get this, whether it be by WhatsApp group chat or Fixr, you are handing your partner a golden ticket.

Go to the RCT wellbeing petting zoo

It’s free, cute, wholesome, and you get to show your partner how good you are with animals. Hold a bunny, pet a llama, and of course, feed a donkey.

A £1 bag of oats to feed the ducks with DuckSoc

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Forget roses. Buy a charity bag of oats from Duck Soc and go on a wholesome duck-feeding date in Jephson Gardens.

It’s wholesome, outdoorsy, financially responsible, and cute.

And if the relationship fails? At least you supported a good cause.

A £4.35 Co-op meal deal picnic

Nothing says devotion like a £4.35 meal deal eaten on a slightly damp bench behind Bluebell.

Upgrade it:

Get them a good sandwich (not just egg mayo).
Splash out on a triple chocolate brownie.
Choose a drink that isn’t just the cheapest option.

Bonus points if you say, “I saw this and thought of you” while handing them a pack of Co-op Chardonnay Salt and Vinegar crisps.

Is it Paris? No. Is it Warwick-core? Absolutely.

A romantic bus ride on the 11

Pay for their £3 bus ticket. Go through Kenilworth, Leamington Spa, and loop back to campus.

Sit at the back, complain about rent, reading, and seminar tutors, and watch as you pass the same buildings six times.

A Warwick student cinema date

Go on a Monday. Get a discounted Benugo pizza for dinner. Catch the 9.30pm showing, but get their ticket for free after collecting four stamps on your WSC loyalty card. For snacks, pop by Co-op beforehand and buy something with your weekly Co-op card vouchers. How romantic x

A moonlit stroll to Gibbet Hill (and Beryl Bike on the way back)

Nothing says romance like voluntarily walking uphill in the dark.

Take them on a dramatic evening trek to Gibbet Hill. Complain about the incline together. Stop halfway to “admire the view” (read: catch your breath). When you finally reach the top, act as if you’ve completed the hardest feat ever.

Bonus points if you:

Sit on the bench and have a mildly existential conversation.
Say “we should do this more often”, knowing full well you won’t.
Hold their hand on the way there because you’re scared of what’s going to pop out of the trees.

And when the cold inevitably hits? Unlock a Beryl bike and heroically cycle back down like you’re in a low-budget rom-com.

Is it practical? No. Is it windy? Yes. Will you almost lose control on the downhill? Potentially.

That’s Warwick romance at its peak.

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