How To Plan A Great Valentine’s Day and Give Gifts On A Budget

For many men, hearing the words “Valentine’s Day” strikes fear in the heart. Valentine’s Day is now synonymous with buying lots of presents, ordering flowers, or making dinner reservations. It can bring a grown man’s blood pressure to a boil. Almost as bad as birthdays with respect to spending money, Valentine’s Day is one holiday that you cannot miss hearing about and potentially participating in because of the commercial hype all over the world about it.

One legend has it that Valentine’s Day originated to commemorate the anniversary of the death of St. Valentine, a Roman clergyman who was executed on Feb. 14, about 270 A.D., for secretly marrying couples in defiance of the emperor. According to another, the holiday began as a Roman fertility festival. Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther Howland, a native of Massachusetts, began to sell the nation’s first mass-produced valentine cards.

The valentine industry itself is a multibillion dollar one and continues to grow as more people want a larger emphasis placed on Valentine’s Day. According to Hallmark & the Retail Industry Leaders Association, 180 million of Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion (excluding packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges).

So the real question arises: How do you save money on this particular holiday? There are many ways of saving money while pleasing your partner with a suitable gift.

First of all you might want to stay away from the typical chocolates and flowers routine. Not only is it old, but the flowers and chocolates are highly overpriced leading up to and during this holiday season. Go for something a little unusual and refreshing as well as personal. Women appreciate a little creativity and making something yourself will not only give the gift a personal touch but also make it memorable. It would definitely be something that you cannot find in a store in duplicated copies.

If you are planning to give her flowers, you can go for something a little cheaper during this season than traditional roses. Carnations are a good choice and a whole bunch of carnations has a bigger impact than a single rose. Color coordinate your gift and if you can, make the bouquet yourself and a card drawn specially by you. All of these techniques will help you save a lot on Valentine’s Day.

Another idea could be to plan a romantic adventure or fun packed game for her. You could try a little scavenger hunt that would make giving the gift a whole lot more interesting. All it needs is a few pieces of paper, envelopes, and photos to get you going. Make up clues and place them in strategic places leading up to the main prize. You could also add romantic hints in the clues as well or make photo clues.

Instead of just buying her a gift, you could also plan out a picnic for the two of you. Eating lunch out in a park or even at the beach is a lot cheaper than going to an expensive restaurant on this holiday. It is also a lot more original that the other option.

So, plan your Valentine’s Day to make it inexpensive as well as a special one for your partner. And, you might just be able to save some money while you are at it.