Retailers are rubbing their hands together but will you and your sweetheart really feel the love if you empty your pockets on these five all-time Valentine’s Day rip offs?

 

At this time of the year love can send you mad or to the cleaners, or both. In the US women spend around AU$95 on a Valentine’s gift and men really splash out, spending almost double. The trouble is, the price of some gifts also goes through the roof as retailers cash in on the romantic vibe.

 

Here are the five biggest 14 February rip offs and how to avoid them.

 

Say it with flowers

 

One dozen premium, long-stemmed boxed red roses will cost you over $170 for Valentine’s day, only to be wilting within days and dead in a week. If you want the vibe to last longer, consider buying a rose bush that your loved one can plant somewhere  close to her/his heart with blooms eternal. One Perfume Passion rose bush from Treloar Rose (online) will cost you $17.95.

 

The edible bouquet

 

No doubt tastier than your average rose bud, edible bouqets look amazing but $85 or more seems like a very expensive bowl of fruit salad. Add special occasion chocolates or champagne to the bucket and you'll quickly reach a $200 price tag. This is an eat-on-the-spot gift so make sure it’s delivered before breakfast to ensure it is, at least, savoured.

 

A sparkle in the eye

 

It can’t be a cheap Aussie Cuvee on Valentine’s Day but buy well in advance next year so you don’t fall victim to the romantic retailers’ price hike. A 2002 Moet and Chandon 2002 will start at $99.

 

Chocs on the cheap

 

You can pay anything from $5 to over $100 for a chocolate delight. There are chocolates of every conceivable variety and chocolate coatings on just about anything you could imagine. One thing’s for sure though, if you can wait until February 15 they’ll all be a few dollars cheaper. You could buy a chocolate fountain for $29.95 and make your own candlelight fondue instead.

 

Under the covers

 

Voted the cheesiest area of all by the YMM team is the Valentine’s lingerie gift. This one is just too tricky and expensive. If you get the size, style or personality type wrong you could live to regret it right through to next Valentine’s day.

 

True romance

 

A love poem, written in your own hand, a moonlight serenade, a home cooked dinner… The list is endless and the price tag $0.

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