Hey there! If you’re reading this, the day before Valentine’s Day,  take in a deep breath and rest assured that you are in the right place! We’ve all been there… It’s the day before a special event, and your crazy busy life has set you back a bit and those extremely awesome luxurious gifts you were planning to buy are now either completely out of stock, or you just don’t have time to wait for them… or worse…. it was an online purchase, and you need them NOW!!! If this is you, keep reading.

Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Some of these ideas have actually saved our booties before with a friend or spouse, or they’ve just been a handy way to gift without going to the ends of the earth to show our love. At the end of the day, gifting shouldn’t be about a $$ amount or how long it took you to find it. Gifting is all about the thought, and that means giving someone something that you know they will love and appreciate.

Make Your Own Basket

This is one of my favorite ways to personalize gifts for friends and loved ones! Baskets are super easy when you have a theme, and they can be really aesthetic if you keep to 1 color scheme. For Valentine’s Day, I’d go with a pink and/or red vibe. And guys… if you are making a basket for your girl, she is going to completely melt at the idea of you taking the time to put this together!!! Likewise girls… guys will never admit it… but they eat this stuff up! The key is filling it with things THEY like!

• Step 1: Get your basket. (You can get these literally anywhere… If you’re on a budget the dollar store is your best bet!)
• Step 2: Set your theme. (I’m gonna help you here… I’d really recommend sticking to the traditional Valentine’s Day colors haha)
• Step 3: Fill your Basket. Line the bottom with a little tissue paper or the squiggly packing confetti. Then add in some of their favorites. Ideas: candies and chocolate, a candle, coffee gift card, a super cute stuffed animal, a cute shirt or dress, (maybe a tie or socks for a guy), coffee/tea mugs, gift card to their favorite place, a good book or game if they’re a gamer. Your options are truly endless here.
• Step 4: Add the personal touch. Buy a card… Trust me on this one. Buy a card, and write more than “Love, name”. If you are going to go through the effort of making a basket, you should buy a card, write a few sentences on how you care about the person, and sign with X’s and O’s.

The Gift Card Bundle

I don’t usually recommend gift cards for gifts. It’s can feel a little impersonal and unintentional, but the gift card bundle can make it a lot of fun. This is super fun if you are gifting it to someone who enjoys shopping. They will feel like you’ve created the perfect avenue for their own personal shopping spree! An idea on how to actually make this happen and look awesome is to:

• Step 1: Get said gift cards. Again, get the ones they want. You can usually go to your local Walmart or drugstore and get all the gift cards you want here. Some suggestions: Starbucks or Tim Hortons, Indigo or Barnes and Noble, Target if you’re in the U.S., Panera or another restaurant THEY love, Victoria’s Secret (mainly just suggesting this to the married crowd haha), Bath & Body Works or Lush, & if they have a gift card to one of their favorite clothing stores, maybe throw that into the mix.
• Step 2: Get a mini photo album. You know the little albums for the credit card sized photos? Pick one of those up, and slide the gift cards into a different page for a fun way to reveal their gift.
• Step 2: Another Option. Get a really cute card holder or mini wallet and fill it up with gift cards.
• Step 3: Get the flowers and the card. Again, ya’ll just don’t know what a handwritten card does for a girl ❤

Shopping Spree

This is risky business 1. because it might hurt your wallet a little 2. they are definitely going to know that you “forgot” or “didn’t have time” to get them a gift. But… let’s be honest… If you forgot to get your wife or girlfriend a valentine’s day gift, you kinda asked for it lol

Options/Ideas:

• Take the girl to Target. Stay by her side. Have so much fun watching her indulge and enjoy looking at every single cute thing her heart desires. Let her know what you’re working with, and just be with her in the moment.
• Visit her favorite boutique. **cough… September & Company** Get a gift certificate ahead of time. You can usually do this online or even call ahead to let them know she will be picking it up when she arrives, and again just be in the moment with her. Take her a little shopping spree and make it fun!!

The “No Gift” Gift

A lot of couples actually err on the side of not doing traditional gifts on Valentine’s Day, and I think that’s super cool! Instead of buying things, they try to share experiences or just hang out and spend time with each other. Here are some ideas if you and your special someone have decided to go the “No Gift” route.

• Desserts First. You know those cute little cupcake shops that have popped up pretty much everywhere? It’s the perfect spot for a cute, inexpensive date where you can just relax, enjoy delicious treats, sip on some coffee or tea, and spend quality time together.
• VIP Movie & Dinner. These are like the ultimate luxuries, in my opinion, lol. If your town has a VIP movie theatre, I’d definitely recommend trying this out. It’s a movie theatre where you sit in nice comfy reclining chairs, order your dinner to your seat, and enjoy dinner with your movie!!! It’s SO great and an awesome way to share a relaxing experience together.
• Spa Day. Instead of your girl feeling like she needs to go paint her nails red and get all done up for a dinner date, take her to the spa so that someone else can do that for her 🙂 and if you like to spa, make a date out of it! There are really cool ways to make this fun, especially if you live near a hot spring or something like that. The Hubs and I may even try one the sensory-deprivation tanks on our Valentine’s Day Wknd fun!
• Spontaneous Road Trip. These are super fun, and they’re not always as expensive as people assume. If you make it a day trip, you’re not even paying for overnight accommodations! Find a place nearby that you two would love to explore, and just go for it. Suprise them by packing a bag for the two of you, and just rolling up to pick them up!

A Weekend Getaway

This is what the Hubs and I do every year for Valentine’s Day. Since we don’t have much of an opportunity for dinners or dates on the day of Valentine’s Day, it works out a little better, and we literally look forward to this every year. We take the wknd after Valentine’s Day and make our getaway to Montreal. Since it’s only 4ish hours away, it’s easy to do.

If you are stuck and haven’t gotten her a gift yet, consider planning a weekend getaway for the two of you! This is super spontaneous and honestly so much fun. With Airbnb, you can easily find places to stay for reasonable prices pretty much anywhere! You can either plan the whole trip out with reservations and activities pre-booked. Or, just go for it, and plan it as you go along!

Most Importantly…

Remember that Valentine’s Day isn’t about the gift you give. It’s about the love you have for that person and how you can best express it. You don’t have to buy into the over-priced ginormous teddy bear fad to make your significant other happy. If you are just intentional and thoughtful, keeping their needs and wants a priority, then you are going to have the best day ever! Hope you enjoyed these ideas, and if you have any more, please drop them in the comments below!

– the Wife