By the Numbers
Frugally In love – Valentine’s Day Gifts That Won’t Break the Bank
By Tom Copeland
Are you ready to spend less on gifts this Valentine’s Day? You’re not alone; according to IBISWorld, a leading publisher of industry research, consumers are expected to spend nearly 5% less than they did last year. But just because other lovers will fork over about $28.6 billion dollars in the days and weeks leading up to February 14th doesn’t mean you have to.
And just because you want to spend less money this time around Cupid’s block doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the quality and thoughtfulness of your gifts. In fact, think of yourself as “frugally in love”, dismissing the tradition of pricy, unaffordable luxury goods in favor of gifts that are creative, fun, and most importantly, relay the message of the holiday: love. Here are some great gift ideas if you need to stick to a strict budget this year.
1. Get a spa gift card from Spafinder.com. Spafinder is a bustling marketplace that brings together thousands of participating local spas, buyers, and discounts and deals that tie it all together. You can ship, print, or email the gift cards at just about any price level, and in many cases, you can find gift cards to spas that regularly run $40, $50, or $65 specials.
2. Dine out for lunch instead of dinner. Take your darling to their favorite lunch spot or hit their favorite restaurant during an early bird special. Or, take the time and effort to cook a spectacular dinner at home. Even after hiring a babysitter for a few hours, you’ll probably still save money by eliminating steep dinner, wine, desert, and tip tab of a tradition Valentine’s dinner at a local restaurant.
3. Make a love basket. The idea here is to skip the dozen roses, candy boxes, and card trifecta (which together can pretty easily exceed a $50 alone), and instead put some thought and time into one dazzling gift basket filled and decorated with flowers, individually wrapped candy bars or packages, a handwritten love note, and a $10 gift card to a favorite coffee, tea, or donut shop, for example.
4. Latex Happy Valentine’s Day balloons can be picked up at any grocery store for a few dollars and are a sweet surprise or addition to your other gifts. There’s a bonus, too: balloons double as an effective child distraction device.
5. Affordable, quality wine can be found online and elsewhere. Renowned wine expert Gary Vaynerchuk hand picks the featured wines on the site Tastingroom.com, and for just $20 you can order a set of (6) 50ml taster bottles of wines in all varieties. Looking for some affordable bubbly? Kiplinger recommends 2006 Mont Marcal Cava Brut Reserva from Spain, priced at about $15, found in your local supermarket.
6. Cook a healthy and bountiful breakfast in bed.
7. Make a donation in your partner’s name to their favorite charity or cause. Everyone is passionate about something, so figure out what that passion is and make your donation of money, time or effort. If you’re not sure if that passion exists or not, just ask. At a Secret Santa party last year, I offered to make a $25 donation to a charity in the giftee’s name, and to my surprise, my gift was stolen twice before it settled on a happy winner who requested the donation be made to a local animal shelter.
8. Find something fun and interesting to do in our town. A great resource is PBpulse.com, a local nightlife and events guide published by the Palm Beach Post. Find something interesting that’s going on and offer to take your partner. Current and local concerts, musicals, plays, and much more can all be found there. Also check out “Press Releases” and the “Calendar” page on AroundWellington.com.
9. Spend the day together! While this may not be a plausible option for many people, spending the entire day with your loved one, doing whatever it is they want to do, is the most generous and thoughtful gift you can give this Valentine’s Day.
So don’t be bogged down by stellar prices on jewelry, handbags, suits, clothes, watches, or other traditional Valentine’s Day gifts you can’t afford this year. The message of Valentine’s Day is to show someone special that you love and care for them. You can show your affection and appreciation without spending a lot of money, so start getting creative and fall frugally in love!
Tom Copeland is the founder of Bullworthy.com, a Web development and content management firm in West Palm Beach. Find him at http://www.bullworthy.com.