- Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts for Her - Stephanie Berghaeuser
She said she doesn’t want anything for Valentine’s Day but he has a sneaking suspicion that might not be true. As the day goes on, he has begun to wonder if not buying her anything for Valentine’s Day was the right decision. What is a husband to do?
A quick stop on the way home from work or making an excuse to get out of the house to run a fast errand is the easiest solution. Use these ideas for last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts that only require going to one store.
Valentine’s Day Gifts for Her
The dollar store is a great place to pick up the basic elements of a Valentine’s Day gift for women. The emphasis here should be to pick the highest quality available. For example, skip the stuffed animals with crooked eyes or fake roses with a chocolate in the top and go straight for the glassware vases. Choose a metal tin or a decorative canister over a ceramic figurine with a poor paint job.
Purchase the things that the dollar store does best, like balloons, containers and wrapping paper. Many stores offer helium balloons for $1 each. For a lot less money than other places, husbands can bring home a large balloon bouquet. Pick her favorite candy from the candy aisle, empty it into a nice container, pick a matching gift bag and add a package of tissue paper. He now has an inexpensive valentine for his wife for about $10.
Last Minute Gifts for Wives
It is late in the evening or it is too late to order Valentine’s Day flowers for her. Heading to the grocery store may be the best place to score a great bouquet of roses or a gift for her. With Valentine’s Day on Sunday in 2010, flower deliveries will cost extra.
Grocery stores are a great place for last-minute valentines because there are many options. If the flower department’s choices look good, grab an arrangement, a vase and a box of her favorite candy. If they don’t, a husband can call his wife and tell her he is bringing home dinner. This is an especially important and thoughtful detail in case she has her own special dinner planned for him.
Grocery stores now offer many cooked meals, and he can choose one that they both like to bring home. If he suspects she would prefer a home-cooked meal, he can pick up what he needs for spaghetti and frozen garlic bread or get a rotisserie chicken, bagged salad and some fresh dressing for grilled chicken on salad. Some grocery stores sell household items so if possible bring home some candles to light the meal.
Flower Gifts for Women
Don’t overlook the local florist when doing some last-minute Valentine’s Day shopping, although it is best to call ahead to see if the store is open if Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday. Not only will florists have many alternatives for bouquets, they will likely sell candles, gifts and other accessories to jazz up the flowers.
Florists offer several alternatives to high-priced, long-stem roses, according to the Feb. 1, 2010, SmartMoney article, “Valentine’s Day War of the Roses,” by Kelli B. Grant. Options for Valentine's Day flowers include shorter-stemmed roses, roses of different colors and flowers that are in season. John Dole, a professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., told SmartMoney good options include tulips, Oriental lilies and carnations.
Husbands who need last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for their wives don’t have to run all over town to get high-quality gifts. One-stop shopping options include the dollar store, grocery store and local florist. All three stores carry cards as well as gifts for her. If the Valentine’s Day cards are picked over, choose a blank card and write a love letter or try the "love" or "thinking of you" card sections.
Genna Cockerham - Genna Cockerham has been writing online since November 2008. She served as Marriage Feature Writer from December 2008 to February ...
