Love Your Budget with Early Valentine’s Day Shopping

Fresh off a 4% increase in spending during the holiday season, Valentine’s Day spending is looking bigger than ever. Consumers are keeping those wallets open! However, you don’t need to spend a fortune to shower your loved ones with gifts if you know where and WHEN to shop. Show your wallet some love this Valentine’s Day season with these tips:

Get everything set early!

Why wait until the last minute to shop for your favorite Valentine when you could stretch your buying power more by shopping in January instead. When February rolls around, stores tend to raise their prices to “lower” them for the sales. You can especially get a GREAT deal on flowers through major flower retailers like ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers, FTD, and Teleflora. If you buy now you lock in the lower price for your Valentine’s Day delivery. If you do have to wait until February to buy flowers, then go with rose-less bouquets. Roses are at the highest price this time of year than any other time. The exception to this is if you’re an Amazon Prime Member where you can usually buy fresh roses at Whole Foods for a steal!

Online shopping

While online shopping may not appear to be the most romantic way to shop, it can be a way to romance your budget. Check out the dedicated online Valentine’s storefronts on Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

Save on experiences and restaurants

This time of the year Groupon.com has hundreds of ways to say “I love you”. Consider trying a new restaurant or seeing a live event – all at a discount. On top of their already low offers, you can also get extra amounts off with their promo codes.

Speaking of V-day dinner, perhaps you may also consider watching your grocery store flyers for romantic main courses that you can prepare at home. Just make sure to set the mood if you do eat at home. Candles, decor, and ingredients will likely be far less expensive than a fancy restaurant. Word of advice: talk with your partner before opting out of a restaurant experience for the holiday.

Shopping for jewelry? Know before you go!

Jewelry shopping can be just as complicated as buying a car depending on how much you plan on spending. Fix your budget ahead of time, and don’t budge from it! Do your research on price, size, color, and location before you leave the house. Check out major department stores like Macy's and Kohl's, or jewelry stores like Kay Jewelers and Zales.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to break your wallet. For added online savings, download browser extensions like Honey or Amazon Assistant to give you even deeper discounts that your wallet will truly love.

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