Hey everyone!

I'll keep it brief, I've been with my Boyfriend since June, and on a personality level and regarding life style goals we are great, super compatible! I really trust him and we have a really healthy relationship in general. This is my first actual relationship, where as this is not his first, so he definitely has more experience than I do.

When we first started dating he was courting me hard, always going on dates, buying me big bouquets of flowers, etc. which was perfect because I've come to realise I'm someone that loves to be spoiled and shown off, so much so that more recently as I've gotten busier, and his hours have decreased at work due to COVID, we have less time and less spare income to have fun with, so as a result we haven't been going out, he hasn't been surprising me, etc.

Now the issue is ABSOLUTELY not in how much money he's spending on me, etc. I'd like to make that really clear. My job doesn't pay amazingly so I understand what its like to be tight for money and I don't expect him to drop money on me that he doesn't have.

The issue is, however, in the fact I feel like effort on his end has almost entirely dropped. We're now in the routine where after I finish work and finish the gym I'll go to his and we'll go to sleep, maybe watch a movie, maybe have sex, but that's really the extent of it. On weekends we're not really going out and doing anything either.

His love language is quality time, so I always ensure we're spending time together so he is feeling loved and appreciated, I go out of my way to do things around the house, always listen to him and encourage him and I just feel like I'm getting nothing back in a way that makes me feel loved, and its really starting to impact how I feel.

I know a conversation is due, but I have no idea how to have that conversation without coming off as shallow or ungrateful. I just miss how I felt at the start of our relationship when he was always surprising me and reminding he cared or was thinking of me. It's not like he needs to make grand gestures, just planning something every now and then or going out of his way to do something for me to surprise me, I feel so routine and its really bothering me.

Any advice would be amazing as I have no idea how to approach this! tia ladies x