• Holidays: St. Valentine's Day: Valentine’s Day Luxury for Less

Valentine’s Day Luxury for Less
(ARA) – Valentine’s Day inspires some of the most expensive and luxurious gifts. But in an economic downturn, what do you do when you have champagne taste, but a beer budget?

Luxurious doesn’t necessarily mean expensive and with some creativity you can give lavish gifts on a limited budget. Some of the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts are jewelry, gourmet food and personal indulgences and all of them can fit into a small budget.

A Valentine Toast to Love:
Many couples pop the cork on a celebratory bottle of champagne, but a bottle of the real French spirit can run you a costly $40 to $120 or more. Instead, look for domestic sparkling whites or an Italian Prosecco, an inexpensive, crisp sparkling white wine.

Gourmet Valentine Chocolates:
A heart-shaped box filled with chocolate is almost cliche. When it comes to chocolate, it’s quality, not quantity, that counts. A small box of gourmet chocolates in trendy flavors like curry, cardamom, black pepper, red wine and goat cheese will make much more of an impact than a big box of boring generic chocolates with mystery filling. If you’d like to try something different, try a small tin of caramels with sea salt.

Valentine Jewelry:
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but a piece of classic and stunning pearl jewelry for Valentine’s Day is an affordable, unexpected and appreciated surprise. Freshwater pearl earrings or bracelets give a high-end look for a budget price and you can celebrate the colors of the holiday with a gorgeous pink or lavender cultured freshwater pearl necklace. PearlParadise.com offers freshwater pearl earrings starting at just $19. Make a unique statement and show her she’s the only one in your life with the symbolic and exotic Tahitian pearl pendant from PearlParadise.com.

Valentine Dinner for Two:
A romantic dinner for two at a restaurant can easily break the bank. But a candlelit gourmet dinner for two at home comes in at much less and also scores points for thoughtfulness. You can break out the cook book and make recipes from scratch or log on to any number of Web sites and have a three or four course feast delivered to your door.

The Valentine Gift of Time:
Time is the ultimate luxury and giving the gift of your undivided attention for an entire weekend, running a relaxing bubble bath or giving a foot massage is the best and most heartfelt gift of all.

Whatever you’re shopping for this Valentine’s Day, don’t wait until the last minute. Shopping ahead can save big money. Look for sales at your favorite stores and surf around for great deals online. PearlParadise.com, for example, offers pearls up to 80 percent off retail price. Remember, putting some thought into your gift and thinking ahead truly shows you care.

Courtesy of ARAcontent