Brits are expected to squander at least £880 million celebrating Valentine’s Day – and most of the money will be spent by men. In fact, according to a recent survey carried out on 5,000 adults, men will spend a gob-smacking £611 million on Valentine gift ideas on their other halves.
What’s more, two thirds of the men quizzed will spend about £40 on presents – just over £4 more than they spent last year, while women tend to keep to around the £20 mark, which is almost £2 less than last year. It seems the guys want to impress their ladies.
But just for the record, you don’t have to splurge on Valentines Day gifts for your sweetheart to make the day of love the best they’ve ever had. Romance is in the eye of the beholder and thoughtfulness always outshines money when it comes to true love.
Whether you lack creativity, money, or both, here are some Valentines gift ideas to make February 14th sizzle…
Make your own scrapbook. Fill it with all the emails you and your partner exchanged at school, university, work or wherever it was. Or perhaps with all your wedding mementos, poems… you get the picture. At the end of the day, all that matters is it’s from you, filled with loving memories of your time together. They’ll love it.
Make a gift basket. You can get wicker baskets inexpensively; pound shops and markets are good places to start. Fill it with your partner’s favourite Valentines Day gift ideas such as sweets, chocolate, wine, beer, arts and crafts, beauty products, sports stuff, you name it. Then, as a nice finishing touch, have it delivered to their workplace on February 14th.
Decorate your boudoir to set the mood. We’re talking streamers, hanging lanterns, hanging hearts, fairy lights, candles, rose petals… the works. Weave the lights around the bed to create your own private wonderland. Now who wouldn’t be chuffed with that?
Dine in. Instead of going to a swanky restaurant, don your chef hat and cook dinner yourself – or if you really can’t face it, get a friend or relative roped in. Go for something libido-lifting – maybe oysters, figs, dark chocolate, fish, sweet basil, things like that. You don’t have to be a cooking connoisseur to impress. Just take the time to show your loved one how much you care. Even if you get in a takeaway and pretend you made it, that’s guaranteed to raise a smile or two. You can ‘fess up later. Smiley face.
Give a massage.A couple’s massage is probably one of the best Valentine s Day gifts you could give. But forget paying a professional to touch the one you love. It can be done in the comfort of your own home. Grab a bottle of nice-smelling massage oil, place a clean sheet over the bed, dim the lights or better yet, light some candles and flick on some relaxing music. Next, invite them to their very own spa. Crack your knuckles and get stuck in. They’ll thank you for it, trust me.
Make a card. Hallmark doesn’t know your darling like you do, right? So make a card yourself. Write your own poem for them inside. Valentine s Day gift ideas like these will hit the mark, especially if you write them a soppy poem, even just, “I love you, always” will fit the bill.
