It’s Valentine’s week, and if you’re scrambling to make last-minute plans, or you’re feeling the pressure of being single on Valentine’s Day, you’re not alone.
The good news is: Valentine’s is on a Friday night of a long holiday weekend, so you can celebrate the holiday on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and even on Presidents’ Day on Monday, where many can enjoy a day off of work.
Read: 5 Tips to Land a Date by Valentine’s Day
Plus, online dating usage tends to spike on Valentine’s Day, seriously. So don’t go MIA on February 14th if you haven’t snagged a date by the 13th.
According to Coffee Meets Bagel, signups on Valentine’s Day are higher than on Dating Sunday! Last year, CMB saw a 63% spike in new user signups on Valentine’s Day, with the most activity between 2am and 3am!
Plus, a new study from Pew Research reports that 57% of singles say they have had an overall positive experience meeting online using dating sites and apps. It’s time to grab your mobile phone, open a dating app, search, swipe, and remember that a confident person will ask someone out for Valentine’s Day, and accepting a Valentine’s date is a terrific idea.
With four days to celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, here are some creative options that won’t break the bank and will keep you from hiding under the covers this week. From finding a last-minute date, to gift-giving, here’s my Valentine’s Survival Guide, as shared on ABC News.
Valentine’s Spending to Top $27 Billion
If you’re wondering what to get someone you’ve just started dating, you don’t need to go over the top. In fact, if you do, you might send someone running for the hills.
While WalletHub reports that 2020 spending for Valentine’s Day will be around 27 billion dollars, with 2.4 billion dollars being spent on candy, only 8% will be spending over $100 on romantic gifts.
The Valentine’s Spending Survey showed that 86% believe love is more important than money. Only 8% of women thought Valentine’s gifts were worth going into credit card debt for, so it’s the thought that counts. I recommend bringing a hand-signed card, some roses or tulips from the grocery store, or a Starbuck’s gift card with hearts, and don’t forget to say, “I love you” to your partner if you’re feeling the love.
Best Valentine’s Gifts for Women
Stumped on what to get her for Valentine’s Day?
Esquire came up with a list including flowers, a tea tasting assortment set for $60, to a Rent the Runway gift card for $50, so she can pick out a gorgeous outfit for date night, to the over-the-top big splurge of the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer for $399, because she secretly wants it, and it’s out of her budget.
Best Valentine’s Gifts for Men
It’s a myth to think that Valentine’s Day is just a day to celebrate women. Sure, men love the Super Bowl more than Valentine’s Day, but bringing a guy a gift shows that both of you know the importance of celebrating romance, regardless of your relationship stage.
New York Magazine suggests buying gifts on Amazon, and if you’ve got a Prime membership, you’ll still have time to order a gift to arrive on time. Some include soap on a rope for $28, to a wireless phone charger stand for $22, or a shiatsu back neck massager for $50.
Gifts for Every Relationship Stage
Whether it’s a first date or you’ve been coupled up for a decade or more, there’s a lot of confusion on what types of gifts to bring a date, if anything.
We tackled the various relationship stages from newly dating to going steady, getting serious to falling totally-in-love in this article.
Celebrate Galentine’s Day on Feb. 13
Cosmo’s got you covered for Galentine’s Day on Thursday, February 13th, where 75% of single women will be celebrating Galentine’s Day.
Grab a group of your BFF’s, wear a sexy red or pink outfit, and head over to a happy hour to celebrate the gift of female friendships. It’s not only empowering, but your group might capture the eye of a single guy or two, and there’s nothing wrong with accepting a last-minute Valentine’s date.
If you’d rather embrace your single status, buy yourself a red cashmere sweater, or a bouquet of red tulips, because you don’t need to settle for just any date on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Dining Ideas
I’m a sucker for anything that’s heart-shaped, or says LOVE.
Every year during Valentine’s week, Fresh Brothers Pizza serves a limited-time heart-shaped pizza, which you can pre-order. You can create your own with your favorite toppings, or choose from one of their signature pizzas to wow your sweetie. Plus, get a FREE Valentine’s Day pizza cutter with every Heart-Shaped Pizza order, while supplies last.
I have to confess, I ordered a large heart shaped chocolate chip cookie for my Valentine, so we can nibble on desert together, and they can be customized!
It’s a perfect way to stay in and stream some of the Oscar-nominated or winning films, while you nibble on this romantic delight.
Gift certificates for his-and-her massages are romantic, as well as tickets to a sporting event, concert, or play for you to attend together, so you can plan a future date.
Gen Z is Avoiding Valentine’s Day
A new study from EduBirdie shows 70% of Gen Z aren’t feeling the love this Valentine’s Day. 15% of Gen-Z surveyed shared that they don’t acknowledge the 14th of February as a holiday, with many blaming ghosting for their lack of interest.
In fact, Gen Z singles are avoiding the day entirely, with 75% of single women who will celebrate Galentine’s Day, or even getting together on Valentine’s Day to go to the movies, take a yoga class together, and just celebrate the friends that you love.
Google Your Relationship Questions
Love is something we all desire, but it can be all-so-confusing. For many years, the top search term on Google was, “What is love?”
Analaysts at CenturyLinkQuote searched Google to view the latest relationship questions, and found that breakup questions and confusion questions of when to respond to texts from someone you’ve got a crush on are dominating the search engine giant. Other search terms include: How to get a date, to Am I in love?
If you live in New York, the most popular term was how to break up, and if you live in Alaska, the most popular searched question was How to Kiss?
This handy map shows the top relationship questions all around the country.
Don’t Let Age Get in the Way of Love
Online dating isn’t just for Gen X, Y, or Z. On Kiplinger, I explained the growing market of singles 50+ who are using dating apps. Age is only a number, and if you’re active and are looking for companionship, then you need to have a digital dating strategy.
Whether you celebrate Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s weekend, or Singles Awareness Day on February 15th, love is all around but starts with loving yourself. Reach out to a friend or family member and send them a Valentine’s Day card just like you did in grade school.
Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam.
Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert. She was an early adopter of the Internet, and has been coaching singles on finding love online for 25 years.
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Julie Spira is America's Top Online Dating Expert. She's an award-winning dating coach who's been helping singles find love online for 25+ years. Follow @JulieSpira on IG.
