12 Best Ways to Show Love (Cheap, Different, Romantic & Healthy)

If you want your relationship to remain satisfying for the long haul, it’s important to make sure you’re not missing opportunities to show love. The more you choose to show your partner love, the more you will feel it. It’s common to focus on what your partner is doing for you (instead of taking an internal look at yourself), but it’s healthier to consider the type of partner you want to be and act from this place.

It also helps to get educated on how your partner receives and feels love, so you can ensure you’re communicating your love in ways that register with your partner. You can learn more about the five ways we express and receive love and better understand your love language (and your partner’s) by reading “The Five Love Languages” by Dr. Gary Chapman and taking the quiz here.

Here’s my list of 12 ways to show love in your relationship. Use it as a guide while also honing in on what you know about your partner and considering what makes your partner feel loved.

Showing love doesn’t have to involve spending lots of money and going overboard. In fact, acting from a loving place doesn’t have to cost a penny. Below are three inexpensive ways to express love in your relationship.

1. Lend a Helping Hand

Acts of Service is one of the Five Love Languages and includes doing things for your partner as signals of love. These acts may include anything and everything from taking out the garbage, walking the dog, emptying the dishwasher, cooking dinner, folding laundry, or running errands.

2. Flirt

Think back to the beginning of your relationship. Remember how fun and exciting flirting felt? Remember how you used to convey your interest through flirtatious communication and banter?

Remember how much fun flirting used to be when you first started dating, and try to bring the playfulness back into your relationship.

Bring back this dimension of your relationship by participating in flirty, playful, and seductive behavior and communication.

3. Listen & Remember

While remembering anniversaries and birthdays may be obvious, are you attentive to the minor everyday details, happenings, and highlights of your partner’s life? Show support by remembering your partner’s important school or work milestones and events and asking how they went.

Plus, listen for important aspects of your partner’s life, and ask follow-up questions to make your partner feel special and loved. Let your memory and attention to detail represent your love.

Love comes in many forms and can be expressed in a multitude of ways. If you’re looking for out-of-the-box or creative ways to show love, check out these three ideas below.

4. Offer Skills & Acts of Kindness

Show your love by offering a skill, talent, or area of expertise for free. Help your partner prepare a tax return if accounting is your thing, cook a gourmet meal if cooking speaks to you, or train your partner how to run if you’re a marathon champ. Give a private yoga session if you’re a yoga teacher, or fix your partner’s phone or computer if technology comes easily for you, etc.

5. Create a Special Playlist

Burning CDs may be a bit outdated, but who doesn’t love a thoughtful playlist of their favorite songs that reminds them of their partner?

Making a special playlist on Spotify or iTunes is a sweet way to show that you pay attention to what your partner says and does.

Make a fun mix that fits with your partner’s workout regimen, put together a relaxing playlist for your partner to listen to after a long work day, or create the perfect music blend for your next road trip.

6. Spend Time Together

Life seems to be more fast-paced than ever before, and constant access to technology can interfere with truly being present and available to connect. Quality Time is another one of the Five Love Languages and refers to giving your partner your undivided attention and time.

Love and romance go hand in hand, so don’t be afraid to bring out your romantic side and warm your partner’s heart with these three ideas.

7. Give Surprise Gifts

The Love Language Receiving Gifts speaks to partners feeling loved through gift-giving. Show your love through thoughtful, spontaneous, and creative gift-giving.

8. Plan a Getaway

Traveling and exploring new or favorite destinations together are great ways to stay connected and expand your relationship.

Traveling can help you learn more about each other on a deeper level.

Break out of a rut, let go of everyday stresses, and bring some adventure to your relationship by planning a vacation.

9. Speak With Love

Words of Affirmation is another Love Language centered around communicating love, care, affection, and affirmation with words and language. This may include writing your partner love notes, poetry, or loving texts as well as using verbal communication to express loving feelings.

Long-lasting romantic relationships and marriages include important ingredients, such as trust, honesty, effective communication, and conflict resolution skills. How you show and express love is just as important and provides the glue. Here are three healthy ways to communicate love.

10. Ask Questions to Foster Intimacy & Understanding

Ask about your partner’s life and really listen (instead of complaining about having to listen over and over again). Pay attention, put down your phone, and take an active interest in better understanding your partner. I’m a huge fan of this list of questions.

11. Engage in Physical Affection

Physical Touch is the final Love Language involving showing love through appropriate touch and cuddling.

Physically touching your partner is perhaps the easiest way to show them that you really care.

Use nonverbal acts to demonstrate love and keep chemistry alive. Don’t be afraid to simply hold your partner or keep a loving embrace going a bit longer.

12. Say Thank You

Expressing gratitude to your partner is essential. Gratitude helps ensure that you’re not taking your partner for granted and are recognizing the positive impact your partner has on you and your life. Show your gratitude through daily gratitude rituals or thank you notes and simply saying thank you for all of the little things your partner does for you (and your pets, kids, family or home).

There are endless ways to say I love you through your actions and thoughtful gestures. Don’t walk around thinking your partner feels your love and therefore you don’t have to take the time to show it. Instead, put in continuous effort to show your love and appreciation and brighten up your partner’s day while remembering we receive love in different forms.