Celebrating Valentine’s Day can be confusing depending on if you’re newly dating, or have a February 14th tradition with your steady squeeze.

While ignoring Valentine’s Day will put you in the dog house if you’re in a relationship, the financial and emotional pressure of ignoring the most romantic day of the year doesn’t need to cause so much stress that you’d rather ‘Netflix and Chill’ at home all by yourself.

In fact, a survey from the National Retail Federations shows that about $143.56 was spent on Valentine’s Day last year per person, and $2 billion was spent on flowers alone! Men also tend to spend twice as much as women do on Valentine’s Day, with $4.7 billion being spent on jewelry!

So what do you get that new crush who asked you to be his or her Valentine?

New Relationship Gifts

I’m a believer of keeping it simple when it comes to going on a date with someone you’ve just met. What do you do if it’s just your second or third date, or if you’ve been dating for about one month?

Start the day by sending a Happy Valentine’s Day text or cute meme from Giphy in a text message to show you’re thinking of them.

via GIPHY

When it comes to gift giving, you can never go wrong with bringing chocolate, flowers, coupon books, and gift cards.

To stand out and not over-do it, remember to pick up a card, and pen a hand written message, grab a bunch of red tulips to show you’re not smothering your date, and stay away from jewelry and lingerie.

If you’ve waited until the last minute, most grocery stores have terrific floral departments, where you can easily pick up a single rose and a box of candy

Dating for 3 – 6 Months

Couples who have already defined the relationship, but aren’t at the stage of committing for the long haul need to have a conversation with their partner on what Valentine’s Day means to them, and schedule the day/evening accordingly.

I spoke with a single guy who started to complain to his dates about how much he hates Valentine’s Day, and thinks gift giving and romantic gestures should be celebrated on birthdays and Christmas only. I was a bit stunned, and asked him if he liked football. He said he loved watching football. I then asked him if he watched the Super Bowl, and he said he wouldn’t miss it for anything and went to a great annual Super Bowl party.

RELATED: Why Valentine’s Day for Women is Like the Super Bowl for Men

I then brought up my analogy of how Valentine’s Day for women is like the Super Bowl for men. It’s THAT important. He understood, but again said it was a Hallmark holiday and not for him. I asked him if he fell in love with someone, would he celebrate Valentine’s with his partner?” He said no. It wasn’t for him.

I get it. Valentine’s Day can be expensive, but if in the first few months with someone you’re interested in isn’t being honored, you just might not make it to the summer.

At this point in the relationship, sending flowers to women in advance to be delivered before Valentine’s Day is a great idea.

If you have dinner plans, bring a gift or a token of your relationship, such as a framed photo of the two of you from a recent getaway, or a sterling silver key chain, which shows your date that they have the key to your heart.

If you want to give a gift with an experience, give him a gift card for a massage, a shave, or tickets to see his favorite sporting team when they’re in town.

For the woman in your life, add in a gift card for a facial, mani-pedi, or a ten-pack of movie tickets, so you can continue to plan movie dates together

Long Distance Relationships

Being away from your SO on Valentine’s Day can make even the most romantic couples feel lonely. Use technology as your best friend, and set up a Facetime or Skype date, where both of you are dressed up as if you were together IRL, have a glass of bubbly, and order dinner from your date’s favorite restaurant to nibble on during your video date.

It’s a great idea to send a card and care package in advance if you’re not living in the same city, state, or country. One year, my long-distance boyfriend sent me gift cards to Sephora to get a makeover , The Dry Bar for a blowout, before he arrived in town with his dozen hand selected long-stemmed roses. It was thoughtful and showed that he planned in advance, and I enjoyed getting ready for our romantic date.

Dating for 6 – 12 Months

By now, you probably have a toothbrush or even a key at each other’s place. If you haven’t exchanged keys, putting yours in a card on Valentine’s Day shows a level of commitment to the relationship.

At this point, depending on your budget, you could order a sterling engraved money clip or cuff links for him, and a sterling heart for her. It shows the sentiment, and ramps it up on the most romantic day of the year.

Since Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday this year, and right before the long President’s holiday weekend, you can plan a trip away, or celebrate Valentine’s all weekend long, when the restaurants aren’t as booked up.

The folks at Pinhole Press came up with this fun Infographic, if you’re stumped on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She’s the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert, and as an early adopter of the Internet, has been coaching singles on finding love online for over two decades.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Twitter and Instagram

Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and it’s both an exciting time for couples and romantics, but can also be a stressful time for singles and those who are newly dating, and haven’t defined their relationship status.

On Spectrum News 1, I joined Afternoon Beat host Kelvin Washington to talk about some ways to speed up your search, and find a Valentine’s date online.

1. Update Your Profile – Mention You Like Valentine’s Day

If you’re a hopeful romantic and love Valentine’s Day, it’s not time to put your head under the covers.

If you log on and update your profile, be bold and say, “I’m an incurable romantic, and love Valentine’s Day. It sends a message that you’d be open to meeting someone on or before Valentine’s Day.

I also recommended wearing something red for the season. After all, red is the color of love, and research backs up that profiles where women wear red do get more views.

2. Check Who Has Viewed Your Profile

If you’d like to send a message that will have a greater chance of getting a reply, on the Match app, you can see who has viewed your profile. If they’ve checked you out, but didn’t have time to write to you, it’s a good chance that your digital nudge just might turn into a date.

3. Be Online During Rush Hour

Depending on where you live, chances are being stuck in traffic during morning or afternoon drive is pretty unpleasant.

For online dating and mobile dating apps, being logged on during “Rush Hour,” is a traffic jam you’ll want to be in leading up to Valentine’s Day.

So when is Rush Hour, and how can you stand out even more?

Rush hour is the busiest on Sunday evenings, and according to OkCupid, their Rush Hour starts as early as 2pm on Sundays. I’ve found Monday nights, or just about any night when you’re home from work to find the most active users.

If you want to stand out more during Rush Hour, for less than the price of a cup of coffee, you can sign up for OkCupid’s Boost, which will give you 30 minutes of time to appear more frequently for $1.99, Match’s Boost, where you’ll be seen by three times more for $2.99 for a one-hour period, Tinder’s Boost, where you can “skip the line” and show up as a top profile for 30 minutes for $3.99, and Bumble’s new Spotlight feature, which costs two coins, or about $3.00.

4. Log On More Frequently

After you’ve tweaked your profile, viewed your matches and those who have already viewed your profile, sent out a few messages, it’s time to keep your app open for a while.

The reason I suggest not logging out, is because profiles with the most activity tend to be favored by the mysterious and magical dating algorithms, and you simply will show up more often to potential dates.

5. Take Your Relationship From Online to Offline

Chatting and texting can be fun, but it’s time to meet IRL (in real life), so suggest meeting for coffee, swapping digits and having a conversation.

It’s time to avoid becoming just a digital pen pal to someone you’ll never meet.

Life is too short to have an empty date card, when there are so many easy ways to find a quality date online.

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam on Valentine’s Day.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She was an early adopter of the Internet and has been coaching singles on finding love online for over two decades.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Instagram

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The number of singles dating over 50 is growing at a rapid rate, with new members joining online dating apps in record numbers. An OurTime Singles Over 50 Survey showed that 72% of singles over 50 say they’re open to finding love in the future., but almost half of all singles 50+ went on a date in the past five years.

On the Today Show, I shared how singles can create an Irresistible Profile, by posting my worst dating profile and comparing it with my best dating profile with Maria Shriver.

Watch the video below for highlights

The three tips we shared include:

Tip 1: A Photo is Worth 1000 words.

BAD PROFILE: As you can see in my ineffective profile below, I’ve included photos with a group of people, which is confusing to a potential date, and a selfie wearing dark glasses, which shows there could be something I”m hiding, instead of looking into the eyes of the man of my dreams.

Ditch the Bikini Photos if You’re Looking for a Serious Relationship

There is so much wrong with wearing a bathing suit in your dating profile. A selfie wearing a bikini top is a mistake, as it’s just viewed as a bra or lingerie with different material.

Plus, are there bedroom eyes behind those shades? It sends a message that a hookup is a possibility, which is not the intention.

Post Photos of Activities You Love

GOOD PROFILE: If you post photos of the activities you like doing, and caption them, it gives a formal hint to your date of possible places to take you. In this case, music is a big part of my life, and I caption it by asking someone to request a song.

For the dates who fear meeting a golf widow, posting a golf photo shows I’d like to go to the driving range with a date, or perhaps take a lesson when my date is playing a round of golf

Tip #2: Focus on the Positive

As shared on the Today Show, I compared a bad profile filled with so much negativity and an exhausting wish list. It would send someone running for the hills. How many men are really 6’+ tall? Perhaps 10-15%.

Instead, I shared one that’s realistic and easy for someone to feel like they can step up to the plate, by opening a door and having an intellectual conversation.

Tip #3 Keep Your Wish List Short and Sweet

Maria decided to keep her list simple, and desired someone who’s kind, fun, smart, funny, and smart, and we uploaded a photo of her showing her award-winning smile.

Click here to watch the full segment

It’s peak season for online dating, so if you need your hand held, contact us to find out how Irresistible coaching will help you find your dream date.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She was an early adopter of the Internet, and has been called “The Pioneer of Online Dating” by Cosmo. Julie coaches singles from Millennials to Baby Boomers on finding love in the digital age.

Follow @JulieSpira on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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RELATED: WHY IS MY BOYFRIEND ON TINDER?

On Global News, I shared the signs of cheating, from following a hot model you don’t know on Instagram, to texting and private messaging your ex after hours, and to saving your relationship!

Watch this video below, and click here for the full article

RELATED: 5 TEXTING TIPS TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She’s the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert, and as an early adopter Internet dating, has been coaching singles on finding love online with her Irresistible Profiles for over two decades.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

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