Quick and Simple Valentine’s Day Gifts Can Mean a Lot!
If you have put off buying that Valentine’s Day gift, don’t fret; it’s not Valentine’s Day yet! There’s still time for us procrastinators to come up with a meaningful gift without having to spend a fortune or come up with something elaborate.
I have compiled some last minute Valentine’s Day ideas and quick Valentine’s gifts that won’t break the bank, but that your sweetheart will surely appreciate. After all, it’s really the thought that counts, and even simple Valentine’s Day gifts can mean the world to those you love!
20 Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Ideas & Simple Gifts They’ll Love
1. Surprise Love Notes
Grab a package of heart-shaped Post-it notes from the grocery store, write down things you love about him or her and scatter them throughout the house. They will love it! (Need some ideas? Check this post from Lana at With A Touch Of Luxe.)
2. Bake a Cake (or Brownies, or Cookies!)
If you like to bake, this is a fun, frugal Valentine’s Day gift idea. If Valentine’s Day falls on a week day, surprise him or her at work by dropping off a plate of their favorite goodies and a note. They’ll surely be the envy of co-workers! Bonus points for making them heart-shaped!
3. Giant Candy Bar Card
One of my favorite Valentine’s Day gift ideas for him is to put together a big card (made with poster board or foam core board) with candy bars attached and cute candy bar sayings. These are so much fun to do! The only hard part is resisting the urge to eat the candy!
4. Make a Pinterest Board
Looking for out of the box Valentine’s Day gift ideas? Look no further than a bespoke Pinterest board! Fill it with images, videos, and websites that speak to your significant other’s interests or that will make them smile.
5. Candy Bouquet
This is a quick Valentine’s Day gift bouquet I made for my husband last year. I was definitely in a “last minute” situation, but luckily I tend to thrive under pressure. :-) He loved it!
Related: Valentine’s Day Sour Cream Cookies
6. Make a Valentine With Household Items
Turn everyday items into a gift with a well-placed pun and a few simple supplies.
- “I donut know what I would do without you!” – donut
- “I love you a latte!” – Starbucks bottled drink
- “I get a charge out of you!” – AA batteries
- “You are the highlight of my life!” – highlighter pen
- “I am stuck on you!” – glue or stickers
- “You are the icing on my cake!” – cupcake
- “I’m bananas for you!” – banana or banana bread
7. Have a Netflix Night
Turn on Netflix, queue up When Harry Met Sally (or your rom-com of choice), and enjoy a night snuggled up together on the couch. My Rom-Com Checklist could come in handy here!
8. Valentine’s Day Crossword Puzzle
Go to Education.com and create a free customized crossword that incorporates words and clues from your relationship. For example: 3 Down: What you hate to take out. Answer: Garbage.
9. Make a Romantic Playlist (or Borrow Mine!)
Make a romantic playlist of your favorite love songs as a thoughtful throwback to the mixtapes we used to make “back in the day.” It’s a gift that will last well beyond Valentine’s Day and doesn’t cost a cent to make. (Feel free to use my Valentine’s Day Playlist instead — your secret is safe with me!)
10. Opening Day Tickets
Baseball season is just around the corner, so why not surprise the sports fan in your life with tickets to opening day? Put the tickets in a Valentine’s Day card, or pair it with a t-shirt or hat.
11. Frame It Up!
Here’s one of my favorite quick Valentine’s gifts: download a free printable (there are lots and lots to be found on Pinterest) and put it in a frame. I love this particular quote! :-)
More Ideas You'll Love
12. Take the Day Off From Parenting
Plan ahead to have the kids stay with Grandma or another relative overnight on Valentine’s Day (or around then — it doesn’t hurt to be flexible!) This will give you both some “alone time” to focus on each other, and to sleep in!
13. Heartfelt Romantic Breakfast
Wake up extra early and start Valentine’s Day off special with a batch of heart-shaped pancakes! Just pour the batter in the frying pan in a free-form heart shape and serve with strawberries and whipped cream. This would definitely show your loved one how much you care. You could also make heart on his smoothie with strawberry juice or even bake some heart-shaped donuts and go crazy with sprinkles!
14. Play Tourist in Your Home Town
Plan some touristy activities that you and your honey have never gotten around to doing, and don’t be embarrassed to take a zillion corny couples pictures.
15. A Winter Picnic
Take a picnic blanket (or even a sheet) and set up a romantic picnic in your living room. Feature food from your favorite deli or gourmet shop, and maybe a fancy beverage. You could also make your picnic an outing, like parking your car at a scenic overlook.
16. Spread the Love
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love, so consider branching out from romance into charity and friendship. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, send flowers to nursing home residents, or contact a local women’s shelters to ask how you can best show love to those who live and work there. Little things can make all the difference for people who are in need of a little extra love.
17. Do the Chores They Dislike
Is there a chore that your partner typically does? Is there something he/she has been meaning to do, but hasn’t found the time to do it? For Valentine’s Day, do something that will make your significant other’s life easier. Organize the garage. Take over laundry duties for a week/month. You get the idea.
18. A Dozen Roses + a Dozen Dates
Turn the traditional “a dozen roses” into something extra special. Think of 12 date ideas that suit the both of you, write those down in a card, and gift the card along with a dozen roses. Good Housekeeping has 130 Creative Date Night Ideas that can help you brainstorm.
Want to score extra Valentine points? Have them delivered at work. It will make your beloved’s co-workers sigh at your thoughtfulness and leave your sweetheart smiling.
19. The Gift of Pure Relaxation
If you’ve waited until the very last minute for a gift, a gift card for a massage is a fast option that doesn’t require you to wait for delivery! If you really want to kick up the romance factor, make it a gift certificate for a couple’s massage. Most spas these days offer gift cards or gift certificates!
20. Go Beyond the Chocolates
Chocolate-covered strawberries are my absolute favorite! If you have never tried these, you are missing out. My husband always buys me a dozen for Valentine’s Day. They are divine!
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More Sweet Ideas For Valentine’s Day
- In the mood for romance, or a sweet treat you can share with the fam? Here are some other Valentine’s Day ideas to consider:
- 6 Romantic Valentine’s Day Mocktails Your Sweetheart Will Love
- Valentine’s Day Dinner For The Whole Family
- A Romantic Valentine’s Dessert For Two
What’s the best Valentine’s gift you’ve ever received?
A baby BOY!!!! My son will turn 22 this Valentine’s day and I will never forget the day he was born. My husband said it was the best gift I could have ever given him….but I felt the same way. The nurses were so funny – they kept saying, “Won’t you be able to have the neatest birthday parties for him with it being on Valentine’s Day?” Ha!! But no – we’ve never had a Valentine themed party but it has made Valentine’s day a lot more fun for our family!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When we were first married and lived out of state from our families. I came home to the wonderful smell of homemade apple pie. He found a winning recipe in the paper and called my Mom to “walk” him through the process of making the dough, cutting the apples. He is now the apple pie maker in our family. So thoughtful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best Valentine’s Day gift I’ve ever received was a gold locket from my dad when I was a young girl. It had my first initial on it, and I was so very proud of it when I wore it to school. Years later, I still have it for sentimental reasons.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.In almost 40 years together, my husband has used most of his bag of tricks for romance! But a few years ago, he outdid himself! Our youngest son had just left for college and was at The Citadel about an hour and a half away. I was really down in the dumps because I missed him so much. My husband came in from work and simply said, “I didn’t get you anything so let’s run get something quick for dinner”. Grudgingly I agreed. He had made reservations at a great seafood restaurant about 10 minutes from our son’s school and we had dinner with our son! I couldn’t believe he did this! I cried through half the meal! Bob is not a very romantic thinking man but he does come up with some doozies some time. He told me on the way home that he was missing Casey as much as I was! I was amazed that he went to all the planning to get Casey permission to leave campus, make reservations and the whole bag of tricks! Doesn’t sound romantic to have dinner with the kids but Bob knew how much I was missing our son! It was the best Valentine’s Day ever!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Last year for Valentine’s, my husband and daughter were invited to “Miss Kitty’s Cafe”. Hearts were the theme. I put on my best southern accent (think Flo from the old TV show “Alice”) and pretended to be Miss Kitty serving them their favorite foods all while in character. We enjoyed lots of laughs and they still talk about it. I think Miss Kitty may make another appearance this year! Great memories!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best gift I have received was a journal made by boyfriend at the time. He decorated the inside and then wrote several journal entries to me over the course of two weeks. Then he gave it to me to be my own journal. It was extra sweet because he spent so much time on decorating and writing but also because every time I journalled I could see his notes to me! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just love, it’s all I ever wanted.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best Valentine’s gift I have ever received was #1 my husbands unconditional love! He is not one to be romantic- it makes him nervous (?) however he shows it through how he loves me. To pinpoint the best gift was a tennis bracelet that he put around the dog as a collar and had him bring it to me!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.surprise Edible Arrangement bouquet. yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best Valentine gift I ever received was a pretty chain and diamond star shaped pendant.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The year after we got our little dachshund, my husband and our son bought a big box of Valentine chocolates for me (which I didn’t really need because I’m always watching what I eat….it was more for them, lol!) They left it wrapped, on the dining room table. While they were gone, the dog got ON THE TABLE, chewed through the wrapping, and ate about half of the box. Very bad for a little dog. We called the vet, and the vet said to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. Well, I don’t do throwing up. At. All. So, after we gave the dog the hydrogen peroxide, my husband took the dog outside, IN THE SNOW, and held the poor thing while he returned the chocolate to the earth. I’ve told my husband that it was one of the most loving things he’s ever done for me! I was just so grateful that I didn’t have to deal with a throwing up dog….on Valentine’s Day, or any day!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love the diversity of the list.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think the best gifts are the ones that have a lot of thought (and sometimes sacrifice) put into them–these are the kind of gifts that really only mean something to the couple. The gifts that other folks just “don’t get”. I could list some of the gifts– but most would say–what? you call that a gift?
Most importantly–enjoy your loved ones.
I’m an easy valentine, and I just LOVE getting roses. My husband delivers every year, and I love getting the fresh flowers to keep on my counter for the week!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My guy spends the entire week of Valentine’s week making meals and cleaning the house. He does not give me a heads up on what the meal will be, he goes to the store every day on his way home from work and picks up something he has spent the day thinking about and planning. So far this week, lobster and shrimp, he picked up from Red Lobster; Tbone steak smothered in mushrooms and veggies and today? I don’t know, but I’ve started looking forward to what he will do next. He also does this during my birthday, every day for that week. I love it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My best Valentine gift I have received was T-I-M-E
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My best gift was my son’s kindergarden school project of his handprints in pink and red in the shape of a bouquet, they drew green lines down, and “made” a vase at the bottom, then they laminated it. I still have it on my fridge (son is a junior now, and doesn’t understand why I keep it there, LOL)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for all you do Jillee!!
My best Valentine’s gift I ever received was my engagement ring. Hard to beat that year. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.my valentine made paper flowers and left them in my car. I kept them there for a year. It didn’t cost a thing, and was the best gift.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Nice page and great ideas… My favorite Valentines gift comes every year.. I wake up and in my personal bathroom sink I find an exotic plant and a box of divine chocolates and a beautiful card from my husband///////Happiness is…..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.the best one so far was the gift of his time for the entire day/evening. hubby is often on the road and very busy, so giving me an entire day was wonderful.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best Valentine gift i ever got was a jewelry shopping spree from my wonderful husband who knows we don’t have the same taste ;0)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite Valentine’s memory was when my husband bought me flowers and delivered them himself at work. It was a huge surprise!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The best gift I have ever given someone was chocolate covered strawberries. They are a cinch for me to make. I make them for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My dad gave me a card one year that he had purchased himself. He’s not much of a “go out and buy something for my kids” kind of guy. My mom’s always been the one that purchases the stuff and puts his name on it. Now, he often has input on what our gifts will be, but not much beyond that. One year, without prompting, he went to the pharmacy and bought all of us cards. He took the time to find a card that meant something to him for each of us and he signed them and everything. That was really special coming from the guy that doesn’t normally have the time to participate in card or gift giving.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have a Valentine story – was sad that I didn’t – never got a gift of any kind – but then I read all the comments and enjoyed so much hearing all the wonderful stories. Thanks everyone for sharing and cheering me up.
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