Best budget-friendly gifts for Valentine's Day
Feb 9, 2010 12:54 PM
Make this Valentine's Day a special one.
For roses, shop at local florists
Shop at local florists to make sure you get the flowers you want. When we checked out national flower-delivery services a few years back, some shipments provided roses with bruised petals, wrong colors, or bloomless stems, and the price, selection, and delivery times varied widely.
With jewelry, get the best bling for your bucks
With their lower markups, online retailers tend to offer better jewelry prices, but as we found with roses, what you receive might look disappointingly different from what you saw on a retailer's Web site. Chain stores also sell their jewelry for less than independent jewelers but sometimes lack knowledgeable staff. Read this primer on buying jewelry.
Mail-order vendors offer sweeter chocolate deals
Mail-order boxed chocolates were better than brands sold in retail stores and cost less, leaving you some cash in hand for other romantic buys. Order chocolate a few days in advance so you avoid next- or two-day delivery fees that can double your final cost.
Vintage Valentine's vino values abound
Our expert wine tasters recently found 30 full-bodied, flavorful wines ranging from $4 to $14 that will match a romantic dinner's food or help set a mood. Check out our latest wine reviews (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, and Zinfandel for reds; Chardonnay Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc for whites), take a look at other varietals on our wine hub, and use our advice on serving temperatures and storage and pairing wine with food.
These espresso machines are the crema of the crop
In our review of espresso machines, the Nespresso Essenza C100, $230, provided a consistently good cup with its premeasured pods and easy cleanup. Other options include the Starbucks Barista, $400, and DeLonghi EC 701, $300, if you want to use you don't want to use pods. The Krups XP720's excellent brewing and frothing performance and automatic cleaning function made it an object of our affection, though it comes with a $1,000 price tag.
Valentine's Day is a time for romance, after all
Many sexual aids are now being sold openly in mainstream outlets like supermarkets, according to "Sex and the Supermarket," which first appeared in our sibling title, ShopSmart magazine.
Read our report on condoms (ratings available to subscribers) to find the models that not only provide the protection you need but also enhance pleasure. Since it comes as a surprise to many that Consumer Reports rates condoms, watch this video to see how we test them.
Essential information: If you're more inclined to give your loved one a digital camera, camcorder, MP3 player, or other electronic gift on February 14, read "For Valentine's Day Gifts, Check Out These Techie Toys." If you're looking for someone special, read ShopSmart's review of online-dating services.
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