Hopefully you will have invested a good amount of fore-thought into this one as it the most popular day for romance! If you are a romantic that is. Many a lady has been left out in the cold due to her partner not bothering to 'buy into' the whole over-advertised day. Which is precisely why it is important to remember your sweetheart on this day, even if it causes you to grind your teeth in despair!
So get out your imagination and your wallet, you can't have one without the other on a day like Valentine's Day.
Of course a favorite option is flowers. But why not consider an indoor plant instead? Instead of dealing with flowers that eventually die, a plant can be nurtured for weeks and eventually reveal its wonderful blossom. Every day the stalk gets that much higher and most women enjoy nurturing something!
If Valentine's Day falls in the middle of the week, why not plan the upcoming weekend in a toasty cabin, or at a spa, or just check in to your local ritzy hotel and make full use of the facilities? Or spend the weekend at home and do not answer the phone! Put this 'weekend plan' into coupon form and present it to her at dinner, but do not tell her where you are going until you get there!
You like to play practical jokes? Then send her on a wild goose chase! Strategically place presents around the house, or in some cases, around town with a riddle that pertains to the next location of her gift. This will give you plenty of time to prepare dinner, or a bubble bath, or pick up that bottle of wine!
Spa treatments. What woman does not love being pampered?
One of my favorite gifts was a basket full of items that pertained to my personality. A pair of 'toe' socks, a candle, tickets to the theatre, a t-shirt with my personal motto in iron on letters, and a book by my favorite author.
Does she like to travel? What about a picture/history book on one of her favorite places? If she is an animal lover, maybe sponsor/adopt an endangered animal in her name?
Take her to a concert, cook her dinner or have a chef come in and do it for you both, or make her something! A clock, or paint a box for her to keep personal treasures in, or write her a song!
If she has children, why not offer to babysit so that she can go out with her friends?
The key is to try and make a difference. It is not always about the biggest box of chocolates! It is only one day out of the year but it is marked as a special one so it gives you free reign to be as expressive as you can! It does not mean that you must spend money that you do not have. If the thought and action are in the 'right' place, then the heart will be too. Whether you spend $5 or $500.
And don't forget your mothers and grandmothers too! A little Valentine wish goes a very long way with most woman.