Valentine’s Day Gifts Guide

Christmas and Valentine’s Day are the most financially demanding holidays. And as such, they bring the best of family/relationship/shopping bloggers/columnists/advisors with numerous lists of Valentine’s Day gifts for him, Valentine getaway for hers; I even ran into a Valentine’s Day gifts for pets guide, with suggestion to send a Valentine card to a friend’s pet, signed by the pet, obviously. Sweet.

Following the success of my Christmas gifts posts, I thought I’d provide another reasoned gift guide for the upcoming holiday, but as I browsed the net looking for cool alternative gifts for your loved ones, I thought I’d shed the light on some of the most, well, interesting Valentine’s Day gifts ideas available online.

• Buy stocks or share your shares with your loved one (a thoughtful gift saying I’d love till stock market falls).
• Nintendo brain age (I love you but I wish you were as brighter as when we started dating)
• Luxurious backgammon board (“For couples with a competitive streak, challenge your wits against each other” in other words, for couples who need a fresh new reason to pick a fight)
• Vacuum (it was on the what not to buy list. What kind of people need to be guided not to buy cleaning devices on a traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other?)

At this point, I got tired, watered my computer budavase, took a bite of a chocolate wii avatar, and got into the love tub.

Christmas Gifts Dilemma

On one hand, everyone is talking about recession and about the necessity to avoid unnecessary expanses. On the other hand, it’s holiday gifts time, so… The web is filled with advice and suggestions: best gifts under $15, worst gifts for girlfriends, top gifts for yourself, gadget gifts for geeks, gifts for gamers, golfers and even gifts for backgammon people!

Well these are all brilliant ideas, really. But looking back at the Christmas presents you recall the most, probably it will not include a digital frame right? In my opinion a Christmas gift has to be useful, but not in the simple sense of “hey, I just ran out of garbage bags, do you mind buying me a pack for Christmas?” And if not useful, at least let it be surprising, something that would bring a smile on the recipient faces, whatever their sports/board games preferences are. So, after deciding on these criteria and following a thorough research, I’m proud to bring the best of the best budget Christmas gifts for 2008:

As soothing as a spa treatment yet costs less: “Keep Calm and Carry on” T-shirt, available in variety of colors and sizes, price begin at £20. (via treehugger)

Talking about keeping calm, these cute looking furry creatures would take the holiday tension out of you in more than one way: they are soft and pressured and they spit out things you would not dare to say out loud like: “You’re a pencil necked bottom feeder” or “Eat crap you goofy looking pecker head!” (the exclamation mark is a quote too). Now on sale £3.49 (via find me gift).

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The kids might hate you, but their parents will adore you! Instead of buying another noisy plastic battery gulping toy doomed to be covered with dust before Easter, not to mention a real pet, adopt a penguin on their behalf! The adopting family will be able to choose a name for the penguin and they will get photos and updates from its natural habitat, somewhere in South America. Just like taking care of a real pet, without the mess, noise and the frequent visits to the vet. $49 via treehugger.

Multifunctional sponge for those who feel an irresistible urge to sing under a hot flux of water – it rubs off the dirt and poses to a microphone.
$6.99 via- insound.

More original than a sweater and more useful than a scarf – a USB hand warmer. No excuses for not sending thank you emails this year. $5.99+shipping via ebay.