Don’t have your Nedbank ID yet?
Nedbank ID single sign-on gives you full digital access to Nedbank’s banking and lifestyle products and services on the Money app or Online Banking.
Log in
Log in to Online Banking or another one of our secured services.
Bank how and when you choose to, with the low fees or extra benefits you want.
Shop online or instore and earn rewards for it, with up to 55 days interest-free credit.
Buy foreign banknotes, transfer funds or shop globally with a travel card.
Great interest rates, with great flexibility and access to your money when you need it.
Personalised interest rates for affordable loans from R2,000 to R300,000.
Loan up to 100% of the property value or up to 105% if you are a first-time home buyer.
Choose a plan for yourself, family or build your own cover to suit your needs.
Get cover for your car, building, house contents, valuables and more.
Cover your bond, credit card, overdraft, loan and car repayments.
Choose a plan for yourself, family or build your own cover to suit your needs.
Take the right steps to achieve your financial goals with expert financial planning.
Plan for everything you own and owe, so your estate is in order when you’re gone.
Accounts
-
Everyday banking Safety, convenience and rewards
-
Youth banking For under 16s, or under 25s
-
Accounts -
Digital wallet Your phone is your bank account
-
Private Wealth The globally integrated account
-
Goal saving Easy access to interest earned
Credit cards
Digital banking
Switch to Nedbank
Fraud awareness
Forex
Rewards
Accounts
-
On demand Money available at any time
-
In 24 hours Cash in your hand the next day
-
In 32 days Funds ready within a month
-
End of term Investments left until maturity
Investment services
Share trading
Personal loans
Home loans
Student loans
Overdrafts
Vehicle finance
Solar finance
Life cover
Funeral cover
Short term insurance
Credit Life
Travel insurance
Is your business covered?
Secure Investments
Financial planning
Estate, wills & trust services
Nedbank Private Wealth
Speak to a financial adviser
Blog
Talk to us
Find us
- Login & Register
- Online Banking
- Online Share Trading
- NetBank Business
- NedFleet
- Nedbank Greenbacks
- Nedgroup Investments
- Nedbank ID
- Bank
- Accounts
- Credit cards
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Rewards
- Explore Bank
- Accounts
- Everyday banking
- Youth banking
- Accounts
- Digital wallet
- Private Wealth
- Goal saving
- See all accounts
- Get help choosing
- Family Banking
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- FAQ
- How-to guides
- Everyday banking
- MiGoals Premium
- MiGoals Plus
- MiGoals
- Discontinued accounts
- Youth banking
- Nedbank4Me
- Digital wallet
- MobiMoney
- Private Wealth
- Private Wealth Bundle
- Goal saving
- MyPocket
- American Express
- Amex Gold
- Amex Platinum
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Send and receive
- Rewards
- Save & Invest
- Accounts
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Explore Save & Invest
- On demand
- Club
- Money Market
- Stokvel
- In 24 hours
- JustInvest
- PlatinumInvest
- Tax-free Savings
- MoneyTrader
- EasyAccess Fixed Deposit
- PrimeSelect
- In 32 days
- Electronic 32Day Notice
- 32Day Notice
- End of term
- Tax-free Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Optimum Plus
- Platinum Fixed Deposit
- Fixed Deposit
- OptimumPlus
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Borrow
- Personal loans
- Home loans
- Student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Explore Borrow
- Personal loans
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Explore loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Home loans
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Explore home loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Track application
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Student loans
- Explore student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Insure
- Life cover
- Funeral cover
- Short term insurance
- Credit Life
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Explore Insure
- Life cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover life
- Funeral cover
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Credit Life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Get a call back
- Explore credit life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Plan
- Financial planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Explore Plan
- Financial planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Learn
- Blog
- Explore Learn
- Blog
- Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
- Explore Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
7 unbreakable Valentine’s Day rules
7 unbreakable Valentine’s Day rules
Staff writer
Posted 04/02/2022 Updated 30/01/2023 5 mins
Some light-hearted advice on making better money choices this year… from Nedbank, with love.
Look, we’re money experts, and that’s why we’re the only people you should trust for solid advice about planning the perfect Valentine’s Day. Well, maybe actuaries, as well.
It’s all about risk analysis, isn’t it? Capital outlay versus projected return on investment; overheads and turnover; interest and appreciation…
It’s a basic condition of the market that you and your beloved observe this special day, so it’s best to accept that from the start. Even if you both wholeheartedly reject all excuses for consumerism: by 13 February, you’d better be crafting a romantic marula-twigs-and-berries hat or something, if you know what’s good for you.
And so, having appointed ourselves romance experts who take love as seriously as we take your money, we present to you Nedbank’s 7 unbreakable Valentine’s Day rules that will help you make better money choices, and make the day a stress-free success. Cross our hearts…
1. Book a romantic restaurant – weeks later, for your birthday
Any seasoned waiter will tell you (you have only to ask, although he’ll probably tell you to stop seasoning him first, but we digress) that there are 2 days of the year on which you shouldn’t take a loved one out for a special meal: your mother on Mother’s Day, and your significant other on Valentine’s Day.
They are usually the industry’s 2 busiest days, so restaurants will cram in as many tables and sittings as possible, leading to rushed meals, rushed cooking, rushed service, and a much higher chance of disaster striking and ruining your night out. So it’s not the best way to spend your time, or your money. By all means, support your local resturants by enjoying romantic meals there often, but maybe not when every other couple is there as well.
Your ‘eternal gratitude and devotion’ are nice, but they’re hard to show off to friends
But food is famously the music of love – or at least, the overture – so a romantic meal is still on the cards. Just cook it together, in your love-nest. Find a lovers’ menu online that matches your skills as a kitchen team, and you don’t even have to schlep to the shops to buy the ingredients. You can order them all in the online stores on the Avo SuperShop, pay via your preferred method, and have them delivered to your door.
2. ‘Don’t get me anything’ is a trap!
You will exchange gifts. We don’t make the rules; we’re just laying them out for you. Accept the rule that gifts are expected, whatever anyone says when they’re being all cool beforehand. Don’t fall for that. There will be tears before bedtime.
It doesn’t matter whether you buy something inexpensive with sentimental value, an extravagant statement about the size of your love, or hand-make a gift because you’re a marula-twigs-and-berries kinda couple. What matters is that the gift is real and visible. Your ‘eternal gratitude and devotion’ are nice, but they’re hard to show off to friends.
The gifts you exchange should reflect how you relate as a couple, but also depend on the depth of your relationship. Is it new, just getting serious, well established and comfortable, or at the life-long soulmates stage?
3. Don’t jump the gun
New love is wild and exciting, making you want to show it to the world with big extravagant gestures when you buy a Valentine’s Day gift.
Don’t.
If Valentine’s Day is your first date (no pressure) or even your fourth or fifth, a beautiful flower arrangement (from a florist on Avo, not the garage), exotic drinks or luxury nibbles are all acceptable.
Save the serious relationship discussions for a time when there’s no social pressure
St Valentine’s Day isn’t the only time of year you’ll exchange gifts if this turns out to be the start of a life-long love. So, relax – you’ll have the time, and the opportunities, to get each other more meaningful gifts as your relationship grows more intimate.
4. Dispose of the proposal
Valentine’s Day is different after you’ve been together long enough to be considered a couple. It may even be the date you discuss going to the next level and making a long-term commitment, however you define that.
But it’s still not the time to pull out a ring and make a grand public proposal, especially if you’ve ignored our advice on making better money choices and gone out to dinner. There are too many downsides for the potential upside to be worth the risk.
If the object of your affection is pressured into saying ‘Yes’ when they actually mean ‘No’ through fear of public embarrassment, you’re looking at trouble down the line. If you’re turned down flat, everyone else in the restaurant has to live through the cringe fest, and both of you will have a phobia about Valentine’s Day for the rest of your lives.
Save the serious relationship discussions for a time when there’s no social pressure, and you can be utterly honest with each other. (That said, if you do need to buy jewellery, you can find it on Avo too …)
5. Don’t let familiarity breed contempt
When you’ve been married or living together for a while, it’s easy to get cynical about Valentine’s Day. How does buying someone a very expensive gift just because of a random social tradition prove that you love them?
That’s when you need to stop listening to the music of bitter divorcees and remember that it’s the thought that counts. Receiving a gift makes you feel loved, but the effort you put into finding the perfect gift – not necessarily the most expensive or desired gift, but the one that your partner will receive with surprise and joy – is one way to remind yourself why you love them.
All love begins with the self, after all.
A tailored gift like this demonstrates how well you know your partner, and the search doesn’t need to be physical legwork, either. If your circumstances don’t allow you time to spend at the mall, shopping apps like Avo give you the chance to browse gifts in any category, according to unique preferences, and have them delivered.
6. Experiences and memories last longer than stuff
Once you’ve been together long enough to know that you’re soulmates, your Valentine’s Day priorities will probably change again. When a relationship hits the 30-, 40- or 50-year mark, it’s the anniversary presents that get expensive. Valentine’s Day gifts can be more about spending quality time together and enjoying different experiences.
Your perfect adventure might be a couple’s day at a spa, a course in scuba diving, a sunrise hot-air balloon ascent, a mountain-bike trail ride, a winelands tour … whatever you would both enjoy as a couple. Travel, trips and unique experiences are also on the Avo menu, so planning a Valentine’s Day surprise is a digital cakewalk.
7. Love yourself
If you’re single and you’ve read this far, gosh, you’re a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?
Kidding! Singletons deserve a lot of recognition on Valentine’s Day, as you bravely press on with your lives through a blizzard of happy-couple propaganda on every single media channel. We’re frankly surprised that more of you don’t snap and start ‘accidentally’ knocking over the luxury choccie displays in the supermarket with your trolleys, so well done, you!
But since you have no-one policing your behaviour, on Valentine’s Day feel free to spoil yourself – all love begins with the self, after all. Whatever you consider self-pampering, whether it’s aromatherapy, a massage, indulgent eats and drinks or a solo adventure of your own, you’ll find all those offers, vouchers, discounts and more on Avo.
And you won’t have to share.