View Full Version : Valentines Day
dado potato
2-6-12, 7:59pm
Last year the typical American family spent $116.21 on Valentines Day merchandise and festivities.
About 1 in 4 Americans do not celebrate the holiday at all.
53% of American women say they would dump their boyfriend if he didn't get them anything for Valentines Day.
73% of Valentines Day flowers are bought by men. Guys presumably were the intended target of the Teleflora ad during the Super Bowl broadcast. In case you missed it, there was a rather well-groomed woman ("Victoria's Secret" model, Adriana Lima) slipping into her high heels and divulging (in her Brazilian accent): "Guys, Valentine's Day is not all that complicated. Give and you shall receive."
<Edited to correct my false memories of the commercial. I found it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWrJgFjxlS0
I would make a terrible courtroom witness. I initially remembered her accent as Alsatian. I fear I would not recognize a Brazilian if one sat on my lap!>
Mass manipulation and marketing. I must confess that i do enjoy when DH buys me flowers but we protest at the prices charged for Valentine's Day so he usually buys them a week ahead or a day after and usually carnations not roses.
Lately carnations are lasting 3 weeks which is wonderful.
My husband once bought me roses when we were engaged. They were pretty but I asked him never to do that again. We just do cards for Vday- I especially like the handmade ones he's done when he realized the holiday was the next day and he wouldn't have time to get to a store. Those are the precious ones.
Zach's K of C group does a Valentine's dinner that we will attend. I think that will be nice. Valentine's Day is about two weeks before our anniversary, so we usually do something in early March for that instead.
I spent $2.50 on supplies for DD's classroom valentines. Our family always makes handmade valentines for each other. I'm swapping childcare with a friend so that we'll both will have frugal date nights this weekend. DH and I will probably eat out; most of the places we go, a dinner for the two of us is between $20-30 after tip, sometimes with a coupon. We arranged to have flowers sent to DH's mother because she really appreciates them; we don't do it often. I waited for a deal - that was $27.
So we won't spend anywhere near $100 but I can see how it could easily add up, especially if the cost of a babysitter for a date night is included in there.
What do babysitters cost nowadays?
I'm hosting a non profit fundraiser that evening called Share the Love for Community. Donated wine & crudites, and a gathering of area folks to talk about their communities & the mission of our org. Should be very enjoyable! Hoping to raise a couple of thousand dollars.
We've never been into Valentine's Day but our anniversary is the 17th (in no way tied to being close to V day, that was just always my DH's stock answer to the "so when are you ever going to get married?" question, his reply was always "Feb 17th on a ski slope, don't know what year." When we got engaged I realized Feb 17 fell on a Saturday so that is the day we went with (no ski slope was involved in the wedding though).
What do babysitters cost nowadays?
It depends on who you get but it can easily be $10 an hour.
Before we were married my husband got me a card, roses and perfume now it's cards from the dollar store and church Sweetheart Dinner. Including cards and gas to and from church probably <$5.00. We forgot Sweetest Day (we've traditionally gone out for dinner on Sweetest Day) last fall so maybe I'll surprise him this year with a card, a rose and cologne.
It just doesn't seem like a special day when everyone else is forcibly and predictably celebrating it too!
My boyfriend once got me some chocolates and a card in which he'd written a really sweet message. I've never gotten him anything and I urge him not to get me anything else! If he wants to write me nice messages, he can do that any time of year! Not that he would...
Before we were married my husband got me a card, roses and perfume now it's cards from the dollar store and church Sweetheart Dinner. Including cards and gas to and from church probably <$5.00. We forgot Sweetest Day (we've traditionally gone out for dinner on Sweetest Day) last fall so maybe I'll surprise him this year with a card, a rose and cologne.
This is new to me. What is this day?
I always like receiving flowers but long stemmed roses are stupidly expensive. DH would not spend money on that or on some piece from a mall jewelry store.
Sweetheart roses are just as pretty and are affordable, but it doesn't have to be roses. I still love early tulips, pots of violets or daffodils, or a pink hydrangea, even though I grow that stuff myself. There is really is only 1 flower I can't stand, and that's alstromeria. The greenhouses have these garden flowers long before I do and they signify spring.
goldensmom
2-7-12, 10:48am
This is new to me. What is this day?
I thought Sweetest Day was like Valentines Day all over until I looked it up and found it is mainly celebrated in the Great Lakes/NE region of the US. Reference <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetest_Day>.
Before I was married we used to do a spoof version of 'Sweetest Day' retitled 'Old Maid's Day'...all in good fun.
We are doing something fun with the kids this year. We're stealing a tradition from a high school friend of mine and giving a few of the girls' friends a visit from The Love Bug. Their moms will be in on it, but not the kids. We'll put up some paper hearts on their door and leave a plate of Valentine's Day treats for them and note in cut-out letters, ransom note style, telling them they've been hit by the Love Bug.
We're adding our own twist and making a Love Bug ornament to hang on the door. It will be made of a large carboard heart painted red and small pink hearts for dots like a lady bug. We'll wire up some LED eyes to light up. We already have pink LEDs on hand.
That's a lot of money to pay a sitter.
When I was a kid, I'd be paid 25 cents an hour!
I just remembered a Valentines Day 'treat' that is becoming a local tradition. People are hiring a men's or women's barbershop quartet to serenade their sweetheart at their place of employment. Usually everyone gathers around to listen so it is a treat for the whole office.
I have asked DH to get me a gift or card or flowers when I least expect it in lieu of holidays and birthday.......................................... .......still waiting....................................
We haven't been out on a date for Valentine's Day in years, but now DH always gets me a small box of chocolates from a local shop. They are wonderful, so I don't complain. :)
The first year we dated (he was my first ever valentine!) he delivered flowers to my work. The second year he left me "I love you" on pink hearts everywhere and we took my parents out for dinner. This year we are exchanging love letters which I will frame and put on our bedroom wall :)
Our tradition for several years was a Valentine's Day (or on the nearest weekend) hike in the desert near where we lived, with a lovely picnic out in the open air.
Now that we live in Minnesota, that tradition has been discontinued and we usually go to a restaurant!
we usually ignore it, but i got a bee in my bonnet about it this year and printed out some silly valentines (http://www.starwars.com/play/online-activities/print-and-play/valentines_cards/)online, and i plan on surprising my husband with them.
we pay $10/hr for a teenager (14-17), and $15 for an au pair (off duty). Trade with moms, and have some young 'churchy' friends who allow us to "sliding scale' for them.
In total sweetness, the churchy kids who are our current sitters asked us to "donate" to our other churchy kids who moved to help found a church in another town, because those kids haven't found jobs yet, and these kids do have jobs. So, we put th emoney into the other kid's accounts. We paid $10/hr -- which came to $50 when we were done.
happystuff
2-11-12, 10:24am
We usually don't do much of anything, as our anniversary falls right at this same time (yesterday, actually!). I don't get flowers for my anniversary, as they are SOOOOO expensive this time of year, but that's okay. I usually get a beautiful bouquet of freshly picked wild flowers on Mother's Day and I love it! Now that the kids are older, they no longer do the Valentine's Day card-thing in school. It's just going to be nice and quiet.
Sorry about sounding negative - I just don't like being told at the last minute I HAVE to do something by my kids' schools.
I think Valentine's Day is one more example of wasteful, excessive, pointless consumerism and hype, that contributes to the stress and busyness of modern life. When I picked up my 4th grade boy from school, it is snowing like crazy, and he says "We have to go to CVS mom, the teacher says I have to bring valentines for everyone in my class". I just get so aggravated at schools. This is a private Christian school, and not Catholic, so they are not celebrating St. Valentine. I explained to him that no, he did not have to bring in valentines, and if the teacher said something to him, tell her to talk with me. He thought he had to go buy the commercial valentines and then candy too. I explained to him about frivolous excuses to pressure people into spending money for no good reason. I get pretty annoyed at times with these schools, and how they are teaching our children the skewed and dysfunctional pointless and excessive materialism. My son admitted he thinks Valentine's Day is dumb. I told him he could choose what to do. At first, he wasn't going to do them at all, but now he is making homemade ones from construction paper. He has also decided to ask his dad to bring home some candy from the grocery store for the Valentine's. I think I may write a letter to the school, encouraging them to simplify things. They go crazy for every single holiday, sending home bags of really junky plastic trinkets and candy. There are like 10 - 12 class parties a year, for every holiday imaginable, with a committee of 4-5 parents per party, with crafts, games, food, etc, etc. I guess at age 50 I feel as though I am past all of this, and it just complicates life, and is teaching the kids values of materialistic excess.
fidgiegirl
2-13-12, 8:11pm
I'm hosting a non profit fundraiser that evening called Share the Love for Community. Donated wine & crudites, and a gathering of area folks to talk about their communities & the mission of our org. Should be very enjoyable! Hoping to raise a couple of thousand dollars.
Love this!
fidgiegirl
2-13-12, 8:12pm
DH got me a card and I got him nothing :(
Hallmark is pretty good at making people feel crappy . . . when they don't buy stuff!
Wildflower
2-14-12, 4:13am
That's a lot of money to pay a sitter.
When I was a kid, I'd be paid 25 cents an hour!
Inflation.... LOL
My husband already knows I neither want nor expect anything on this -- or any -- "Hallmark Holiday," where the greeting card cabals reign. We often choose the most unromantic thing we can think of to do on this day. Monster truck rally, a museum lecture on slime molds, etc., in protest. Though one year I did make pancakes in the shape of a heart. Took him a while to notice.
rosarugosa
2-14-12, 8:11pm
A museum lecture on slime molds sounds perfect - we're the couple who went to a special museum exhibit on frogs for our 25th wedding anniversary! :)
DH and I exchanged our undying love for each other just like every other day. He often says rather proudly that "every day is Valentine's Day at our house." Oh, and we exchanged acorns, so take THAT Hallmark!
We've never been into Valentine's Day but our anniversary is the 17th (in no way tied to being close to V day, that was just always my DH's stock answer to the "so when are you ever going to get married?" question, his reply was always "Feb 17th on a ski slope, don't know what year." When we got engaged I realized Feb 17 fell on a Saturday so that is the day we went with (no ski slope was involved in the wedding though).
Cute story, Float On.
A museum lecture on slime molds sounds perfect - we're the couple who went to a special museum exhibit on frogs for our 25th wedding anniversary! :)
DH and I exchanged our undying love for each other just like every other day. He often says rather proudly that "every day is Valentine's Day at our house." Oh, and we exchanged acorns, so take THAT Hallmark!
LOL!
And so true. Every day is Valentine's Day at our house.
We had a most romantic evening, watching televised basketball and drinking beer :)
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