While Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a day in which we celebrate love in all of its forms, it has also become a day on which most people who are involved in romantic relationships expect to receive a special gift from their partners. Afflicted by an inability to think outside of the box, many people will usually resort to giving their Valentine one of the more traditional and rather cliché gifts such as chocolates, flowers or an oversized teddy bear. The truth is that if you really want to show your partner how special he/she is to you then you are going to have to put a little bit more thought into the gift-giving process. Despite what the advertisements want you to believe, you don’t have to rack up an obscene amount of debt just to please your partner on Valentine’s Day. Second only to the gift of your love and affection, the best gift that you can give to your sweetie is one that shows him/her how much he/she means to you and luckily for you, there are plenty of ways to do this without having to drain your financial assets. The key is to give something that comes from the heart and shows that you actually put some thought into it.

Think about what your partner’s individual interests are and brainstorm possible gifts that are likely to appeal directly to those interests. If you haven’t been dating long enough to know what kind of things he/she is into then keep it simple but thoughtful by making or personalizing something that your partner is likely to enjoy. Generate some ideas by checking out the gift suggestions below.

• Get Creative - Show your Valentine how special he/she is to you this year by doing something creative just for him/her. You could create a unique, homemade Valentine’s Day card with a personal and romantic message or perhaps write an original song or poem that reflects how you feel about your partner. Another way to get creative is to design your own love coupons and create a coupon book for your partner. What the coupons are for depends on what you are willing to offer and what you think your partner would most appreciate. Some ideas for love coupons include things like “get out of an argument free coupon”, “your pick movie/date night coupon”, “sensual massage coupon”, or “breakfast in bed coupon”.
  
  
• Photo Gifts - Nowadays just about anything you can think of can be turned into a personalized photo gift. Photo calendars make particularly great gifts that you can customize with your favorite photos of you and your partner. You can even highlight important dates like birthdays and anniversaries or maybe future date nights to show that you are thinking ahead.
  
  
• Something Sweet - Any old box of chocolates just won’t do. If you must give your sweetheart something sweet for Valentine’s Day, at least spice it up a little bit by giving it a more personal touch. Personalizing your own bag of M&Ms is a great way to put a new spin on a traditional Valentine’s Day gift. You can add a special message for your partner on the M&Ms and even include a picture of the two of you. If your partner isn’t a fan of M&M candies, you can always arrange for a cookie bouquet or other edible arrangement instead of a traditional flower one.
  
  
• A Good Book - If your partner loves to read, pick up a copy of a book that you think he/she will enjoy and give it a romantic touch by writing in a special inscription.
  
  
• Special Events - Surprise your sweetie with tickets to a special event that he/she has been wanting to go to. This can be anything from a concert to a play or a sports event.