The Perfect Valentines Gift

Kelli B. Grant at Smart Money has some great tips for saving money on your Valentines roses:

She says "wait much beyond the start of February to order, and you can expect to pay a premium...As the holiday approaches, [the floral industry] may offer sales on arrangements that haven't sold well, and pump up prices on those popular bouquets with dwindling supply."

Valentines is on a Sunday this year, and "delivery on Friday or earlier in the week will be far cheaper because it allows florists to spread out the work" so consider a weekday for the delivery of flowers to your love.

"Arrangements in a shorter vase or bowl let florists start out with stems of shorter lengths, and so cost less" so go ahead and be generous with number and not stem-length.

Avoid premium colours - go with pink, white or yellow roses - or limit the number of roses in the bunch and add lilies and carnations. Red tulips are also less expensive than the popular roses.

A romantic and inexpensive option is a single long stemmed rose, leaving budget over for dinner at a swanky restaurant or something sparkly.