Ways to Show You Care in a Long Distance Relationship
Long distance relationships are HARD.
There can be the issue of a time difference, not getting a lot of time off of work to visit each other, and of course- funds! Sometimes it feels hard to connect when you’re hundreds or THOUSANDS of miles away, but hopefully these tips will help! They definitely got my boyfriend and I through when we were doing long distance (Oregon to Florida- 3049 miles to be exact) for a year of our relationship. I’ll be writing another blog post about date ideas for long distance, but this one will focus on creative ways to show you care!
Random deliveries are absolutely the BEST!
Whether it be flowers, food, or milkshakes, there are a bunch of ways to have items delivered, at a not-so-high cost! Services like Uber Eats, Instacart, Postmates, DoorDash, etc. allow you to send things at a minimum fee. If you’re trying to save a bit, it might be cheaper to have flowers delivered from a service like Instacart (having them pick the flowers up at a grocery store), rather than a florist who does something similar. If you know your significant other has a long day ahead, or a big meeting they’re nervous about- send them dinner! The services listed above can make it seem like you’re there as their number one fan, coming in clutch with dinner when they least expect it. Want to earn brownie points with the friends? Have a surprise delivery when they’re having people over! Boys over with the Sunday game going? Wings delivered- check! Girls night? Milkshakes for everyone will bring the girls to your front yard, banging on your door demanding you give them a list of any of your bachelor friends.
Go Notebook on ‘em and send handwritten letters.
When my boyfriend and I were long distance, we would send letters ALL the time. Who doesn’t love getting (and sending) snail mail? I loved finding cute cards on each of my Trader Joe’s trips, and I also loved getting crafty with it and drawing my own sometimes! Postcards from where you’re living are also a cute and quick way to send some love their way.
**Pro-tip** Spray your perfume on cologne on the mail before you send it. SO extra, but they’ll be flooded with memories when they smell your signature scent, I promise!
Speaking of cologne- send a small sample size to them!
Ok. Yes. This is also extra AF, but don’t knock it until you try it! A lot of perfume and cologne companies will sell small little sample or travel size bottles of their scent- and it TOTALLY will make you feel as if the person is there when you smell it. Don’t know why Ben felt inclined to do it during our stint of long distance, but it was one of my favorite things he sent!
Schedule (and sponsor) something for them!
Whether it be a nail appointment, a car wash, a salon visit, whatever you know will make them feel special! A lot of the time if you call around, you’ll be able to find a place near their location that will allow you to pay over the phone if you explain what you’re doing. Sometimes it’s in the way of a giftcard that’s ready for them when they get there, credit on the account, etc.
Venmo little “Treat Yoself”s!
A quick little $5 “Get coffee on me, love you babe” will go a LONG way.
Be extra about them on your Instagram story.
CRINGE AM I RIGHT? Who even does MCM or WCW anymore?? I am not advocating doing this EVERY week, but sometimes with long distance relationships the insecurities start to come out. Make your significant other feel like the queen/king they are by showing them off on your social media! They’ll feel special that you were thinking about them, and they’ll love that you’re confident enough about them to share to your social media following.
Go full on Mom-of-a-College-Freshman and send care packages!
Gather goodies from around town that make you think of them! The dollar store can definitely be your friend with this one because there’s always cute little “filler” goodies you can throw in to overwhelm them upon opening. There’s no way I could afford to STUFF that package with expensive items, but I could definitely throw in a few relatively expensive items (expensive for my post-college budget was some boujee socks), some mid-range, and then a bunch of little dollar store goodies to put it over the top.
The best thing about these is when they’re a surprise and random! Not just for a special occasion, but on a normal Wednesday.
I understand a lot of these require money, but there’s some that are low cost, and you can tailor most to whatever your budget is! When we were long distance, money was TIGHT. We were both in our first jobs out of college, not rolling in dough, and most of the money we were making we were trying to save so we could ACTUALLY visit each other. We justified these purchases though by remembering that we weren’t going on traditional date nights (so we were saving money there), and these little splurges always meant so much to the other person, it was fun doing it for us.
Coming soon will be date ideas for long distance relationships, get excited!
Comment below and let me know your favorite ways to show your significant other you’re thinking about them!
