Simple last-minute gift idea for Valentine's Day

Get Valentine a gift card and tie it to a potted plant. The plant will last longer than roses and won’t cost near as much. Add a simple note revealing your true feelings, which is all anybody really needs on Valentine’s Day anyway.

Go Crazy

If you want to go crazy–buy a collection of gift cards and tie each one to a different stem. Use a theme so Valentine knows you picked cards purposefully (and didn’t just stand at the kiosk grabbing things.)

Some Ideas

- Pedicure and shoe store
- Dinner and a movie
- Clothing store and salon
- Spa and bookstore
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Tennis lessons and tennis store

Or keep it simple and just write that heartfelt note.

Thanks to all who voted in our Valentine’s Day poll and congratulations to Charlene who won the Michael’s Gift Card.

We wanted to know whether or not you think it’s okay to give a gift card on Valentine’s Day when presents are supposed to be tokens of affection, representing how you feel about a person?

The Votes are In

As the poll shows, the answer is, “Yes.” 84 percent of the people who responded to our poll said a gift card is perfectly acceptable on Valentine’s Day. And though 30% would like to receive a gift card, another 30% would like something a little more sentimental–like a handwritten note. In a tough economy, it’s nice to see that simple gifts are appreciated and gift cards, which can save time and money, are welcome.

See full poll results here.

Which Gift Cards?

In the contest, we asked you to name the gift card you’d most like to receive. So pay attention Valentines because here are the most requested gift cards:

• Michaels, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hobby Lobby or other craft supply store
• Target or Wal-Mart
• Visa or American Express
• Bookstore
• Movie
• Restaurant
• Amazon.com
• Sephora

Now some of those gift cards are pretty generic, meaning they can be used anywhere or you can buy any variety of things with the particular gift card. So, in my opinion, you need to work a little harder to make the presentation special. For example, a VISA gift card on Valentine’s Day could be cleverly packaged with things that spell out the word, “Valentine” such as: V for Visa Gift Card, A for apple of my eye, L for love, etc.”

You may have a practical gal or guy on your hands who does appreciate the flexibility of a gift card, but it’s still wise to put a little effort into make it more personal. Check out other ideas in my Valentine’s Day section.

Fun Valentine Gift idea from Michaels

Michaels posted this video on their Facebook page and I wanted to share it with you. Several little gifts are tied together with a ribbon, all stuffed neatly into a shipping tube. As the recipient pulls the ribbon, the presents are revealed, leading up to a big gift at the end. Jo’s finale is a crafty Valentine t-shirt, but I suggest topping things off with a gift card instead.

My Version

I love what Jo has done, but for my taste (and time constraints), I’d probably get a smaller tube and tie just two or three items en route to the gift card. You’d get the same effect without the added expense and effort.

Fun Themes

You could adapt this idea to any occasion–a baby shower, bridal gift, teacher appreciation, or birthday. I see a theme tube as well–maybe a group gift of several gift cards tied to the ribbon. Or a movie gift card tube including snacks and movie tickets with theater wrapping paper on the tube itself. A baseball themed tube with sports page wrapping and baseball cards, sunflower seeds, cracker jacks, and an MLB gift card inside. Oh, a tennis ball canister would work great here as well. Uh-oh, I’m starting to trip over myself with gift card ideas! Seriously, who doesn’t want to open a string of goodies to get to a gift card??! So many possibilities.

Speaking of Michaels

Speaking of Michaels, don’t forget to answer the Valentine’s Day poll to be entered in the $25 Michaels Gift Card drawing. You just might win and then you can march yourself down to Michaels to make your own Valentine’s Day tube! Good stuff!

Kids make bookmarks to go with bookstore gift card.

We just finished a family gift exchange and my kids are THRILLED with the Target gift cards they received. They also got iTunes gift cards from our dear friends and have already downloaded enough songs to keep them singing right through the winter break. My step-daughters gave Paul and I a gift card to the movies and dinner–along with free babysitting. (Priceless!)

Don’t Panic:

If you still have some shopping to do – grab a gift card. Then grab a little something extra so the recipient has something to open and enjoy right away.

We received:

1. Gift card to Fandangowith theater snacks and a coupon for free abysitting.
2. Gift card to Target along with a giant, click-able pen.
3. Gift card to iTunes along with some yummy caramel corn, each with a different flavor hint that we’ve been testing.

We love the gift cards and look forward to using them. And the carefully selected accessories made the gifts fun to open.

Go Electronic if You Have to:

And don’t forget the electronic gift card options if it’s too late to ship. You can try sites like Tango card or Gift Card Mall found on our Links page. You have about 24 hours to finish that shopping list, so take my ideas and get to work!

Wish my iPhone had a flash!

I took my kids to see Toy Story 3 this morning. I don’t normally like the animated flicks, but I chuckled even more than the little ones this time. Toys I hadn’t thought about in years showed up on screen like old friends. (Including a few toys I coveted but never got to make friends with, like that three story Barbie Apartment!) But the best part of the day was using the gift card I found last week to offset the cost of admission.

Saving Money

This little Disney-Pixar flashback would have cost me $45 without the gift card. That’s a lot of money for a matinee, especially when I’m trying to stretch the family budget across a summer’s worth of activities.

While a movie gift card may no longer be the most original gift to give, it’s still a great gift for a kid, teen, family, or anybody who likes to go to the theater. The recipient might not use it right away, but is certain to appreciate it when they do.

Make the Movie Gift Card More Personal

Partner a movie gift card with some movie snacks, popcorn, or something relevant to the movie you think they’re most likely to see. For Toy Story 3, for example, get a slinky akin to the one in the movie. For the new Twilight movie, Eclipse, get a gift card to the movies with some fake blood and vampire teeth. Or, if you’re like me, a movie gift card would go perfect with a purse size salt shaker for the tub of popcorn I’d buy once I got there.

With the kids home for summer, my once quiet work-from-home mornings have turned into a swirl of Legos, Wii games, flying Nerf balls, flying Legos, and a constant barrage of tattle-taling (You don’t want to know about my new threat, ominously called, “The Tattle-Tale Treatment.”). I can barely remember what day of the week it is, much less get anything done. And just when I feel guilty about that, I remember that it’s summer–my kids are old enough to remember the days we share, and young enough to still want to share them with me. What a treasure.

Another Treasure

So today, I shook my head in shame and then threw my arms into a double fist pump when I found an unused movie theater gift card tacked to the bulletin board in my office. ME, the one who spends her days obsessing about gift cards, forgot I had one. Unacceptable!

Then the self-loathing mixed with euphoria turned to anxiety as I wondered if the unused gift card would still be usable. On the back of the gift card, I found a web address on which to check the balance. Thankfully, I still had $21 to spend at the movies. (Back to the fist pumping!)

No More Worries

The good news – as of August 22, 2010, gift card laws are changing in a way that you’re less likely to feel anxious about unused gift cards. The new law says that gift cards can’t expire in less than five years and you can’t be dinged a non-use fee for at least a year. Most importantly, in my opinion, terms such as these must be clearly specified on the card before purchase. No more wondering.

So if I ever find another unused gift card in my possession, I won’t have to worry or wonder about whether or not I can still use it.

Now, my friends…Shrek 3, Toy Story 3, or Karate Kid? Any help here?