When you have been with someone for a long time, Valentine’s Day seems to become of less importance. Ok, well it does for me. We have a lovely marriage that I am grateful for everyday and not just on February 14th. Now, I have to hint that I want a card. I love giving cards, and it means so much to me when someone takes the time to send one to me too. When I had to write my thank you cards from my wedding, I was very creative and happy to personalise each one. My hand went numb but the feeling came back eventually. Flowers are lovely to receive but they die, let’s not beat around the bush so if you are buying a gift, or are receiving something to mark the occasion wouldn’t you rather something useful? Underwear is useful before you ask. Even the tiny ones. This list might sound a bit eclectic but, they are things I reckon would be popular choices as Valentine’s Day gifts.
I am a recently converted fitness fanatic and one thing I wanted for ages was a pair of wireless headphones. The several pairs I had broke as I didn’t spend money on them so investing in a pair for someone who might like these is a great buy. I’ve tried so many when I’ve been at the airport putting in time, I’ve narrowed it down to my favourite pair. Sony make lots of them, but the WH-H800 h.ear on 2 Wireless headphones are great. If your loved one travels a lot (like mine does) they are noise cancelling so if you want to snooze on the plane you won’t hear much (just take them off for the safety demo). The are incredibly light and great to work out in for that reason alone. The colour range is good, but I love the pale gold personally. Hint. These start at €127 depending on the colour and are in Argos (I’ve checked).
If you want to gift something more romantic, but still practical, think about a coffee machine. The cost of these has decreased drastically over the years. Nespresso have taken over the world along with George Clooney and have aligned themselves with lots of different manufacturers. My first one was by Morphy Richards and lasted nearly ten years. There are a huge amount to choose from; I think it’s a good idea to go and look at them in the shop as they vary in size. If you are a filter lover (another hint) take a look at Wilfa, they make filter coffee in seconds and they are less than €200. You’ll save some pennies by making your coffee at home and taking it to work in a keep cup.
Next up, is a good one. We nearly all work with some kind of laptop right? Some of them are huge. And I think the tablet is going to make a come back. On my London commute I’ve noticed a lot of business travellers taking out small devices with mobile keyboards instead of a computer. So I went to investigate with my friends at Huawei. They gave me the Media Pad M5 to try out and it’s a super tablet. Big enough to watch a movie, but small and light enough to go in my bag. It works on Android and you can add as many apps as you see fit. I added in things like Evernote (which I use to write blog posts and features) as well as a mail app to have user friendly interface. Gmail drives me mad sometimes. This tablet (which they gave me as a gift) costs about €300 but there are so many to choose from for all kind of budgets. I did check out what Currys etc etc have and depending on what you want it to, they can start at €100.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a present for this Hallmark day (I ask for things that cover multiple occasions, so I generally merge Valentine’s Day with a birthday), there are lots of ideas for under €50. And this is where an “experience” comes in. I love getting vouchers for a manicure/pedicure which is a little treat and a bit of time to yourself. I have often given my hubbie a hot towel shave voucher; he would never go for one on his own accord. But my favourite idea is going to something together and that doesn’t have to be limited to February 14th. Look at concerts, museum exhibitions or events coming up that you can book and plan a date around. Some gigs cost less than €20 and if you add in a pre-theatre restaurant deal, you can plan the most romantic night that doesn’t cost a fortune.
Now go forth and spread the love.
x
