Finding the ideal Valentine’s Day gift can seem like an impossible task — especially when trying to strike up a balance between something thoughtful and something not too ‘smushy’ and clichéd.
Whether you’re buying a Valentine’s Day gift for your partner, your best friend, or even your mum, our list of gift ideas below is bound to contain something that says “I love you” in ways you haven’t thought of before.
So, whoever you’ve asked to be your Valentine this year, treat them to something more than a bunch of flowers and a soppy card with our list of unique, budget-friendly gift ideas.
For the Plant Lovers
Let’s start off by turning some deep-rooted Valentine’s Day traditions on their head – plant pun intended. Typically, a bouquet of a dozen red roses (or just a single rose) is given as a gift on Valentine’s Day and, while sometimes you can’t beat tradition, we think the world might be missing a trick by ignoring the other floral options available.
There are a number of houseplants and flowering plants that lend themselves nicely to the Valentine’s Day theme — in color, shape, and symbolic meaning. So, why not try something different and give your loved one any of the following for a living gift that will last and brighten up their home?
- String of Hearts – A trailing houseplant with miniature leaves in the shape of hearts.
- Peace Lily – An ornamental plant with delicate white flowers that symbolise peace, harmony, and tranquillity — as the name suggests).
- Hoya Heart – Also known as the ‘Sweetheart Plant’, this succulent has thick leaves that look just like the top of a heart.
- Heart Leaf Philodendron – A luscious trailing plant with large, bright heart-shaped leaves.
- Red Anthurium – A romantic-looking plant with bright red, heart-shaped flowers.
If your Valentine is a plant lover, you get extra points for this one. If they’re notoriously bad at overwatering or killing their houseplants, on the other hand, there are plenty of indestructible versions that they can even assemble themselves from LEGO’s range.
“Matchy-Matchy”
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? So, why not use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to go “matchy-matchy” with your partner or best friend? We’re a fan of this gift idea because, technically, you’re also buying yourself a gift, offering a great opportunity to treat yourself on the sly while sharing the love.
Treat your Valentine to a coordinated gift to bring you closer together. This could be a matching magnetic key chain that fits together or matching PJs, shoes, or even phone cases. Whatever you opt for, make it an occasion and remember to wear or bring the item the next time you meet up to keep the love going!
Foodie Gifts That Aren’t Just Chocolate…
Another Valentine’s Day tradition that could do with a little revamp is the chocolate. Ok, we’re not complaining, we love chocolate as much as the next person — we literally have an entire collection of chocolate-themed posters. That being said, we think we can all do a little better when it comes to gifting food-based treats on Valentine’s Day.
Is your Valentine a wanna-be chef? Then give them a set of seasonings to add some more flavour to ther dishes. Have they gone Vegan this year? Then a cookbook on tofu and other plant-based recipes will help them feel inspired.
For the sweet tooths among us, Valentine’s Day-themed candy hampers are all the rage and can be customized, too. If they’re more into drinks than snacks, why not gift them a fun kit that you two can make together like this Boba-making set?
Whatever you choose for the foodie you love, just know that token chocolates are most definitely out, and custom delicious gifts are most definitely in.
Experience Gifts
In recent years, experience-based gifts have soared in popularity — and for good reason too! For one, they’re unique and help create memories that last long after the gift has been unwrapped. But, more importantly, experience gifts are a way to spend quality time with your loved ones doing something fun that you both enjoy.
So, if quality time is their love language (and gift-giving is yours), this is the perfect solution. Whether you take your mom to pottery painting or to see her favorite musical, or you push the boat out (literally) and book a boat ride for you and your friends/partner/situationship, experiences are a gift we can get behind.
Heart-Themed Homeware
If your Valentine is a homebody through and through, you simply can’t go wrong with heart-themed homeware. Well-known household brands like Le Creuset and Stanley have been all over it with seasonal product releases recently – from pink, heart-shaped casserole dishes to patterned water bottles and decorated glass tumblers – there are so many different items to choose from (some more subtle than others).
This gift is perfect for the kind of person who loves to coordinate their home decor and accessories with the seasons. Come on, we all know someone who has separate Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, and Thanksgiving serveware and decor ready to go, right?
The Perfect ‘Galentines’ Gifts
While Valentine’s Day has historically been seen as a romantic holiday, nowadays, it has evolved into a wider celebration of more platonic forms of love too — and BFFs everywhere couldn’t be happier about it.
‘Galentines’ is becoming increasingly popular, so make sure you don’t forget to get your gal pals a little something to show them you love them. Whether it’s a self-care hamper, some face masks, the sweater they’ve been wanting to buy themselves for months, or a cute trinket or plushie like Jellycat’s Valentine’s range, give your girls some love this February.
How About ‘Palentines’?
Let’s not forget about the guys, too! The term ‘Palentines’ has also gained popularity in recent years. So, if you’re Valentine this year just happens to be your bro, don’t worry, there’s a word for that!
You know your best friend better than anyone, so be sure to give them something totally unique — the weirder, the better in our opinion. Some great options include:
- Merch from their favorite show or series.
- A basket of their favorite gaming snacks (especially if they love niche food combinations like pickles and sour candy).
- Personalised items (like a T-shirt with your face on it, just because).
- Tickets to see a new movie they’ve been pining about for weeks.
If They Love Reading As Much As They Love You
Next, we have gifts for bookworms. If your partner, parent, or friend can always be found with their head in a book, we’ve got some great ideas for you for Valentine’s Day.
For the girlfriend, boyfriend, or partner who makes you genuinely question whether books are a third person in your relationship, gifts like these personalized heart-shaped corner markers are an adorable way to subtly tell them to look up from the page every once in a while.
Another great option is to actually buy them books from their TBR (though, don’t expect to get any sense out of them for the next 2-3 business days while they speed read through them all).
When in doubt over what’s next on their reading list, book vouchers will save the day. And if you’re really looking for a steal, tap into the ‘book grab’ trend; this is where people take their loved one to a bookstore and tell them they can have whichever books they can grab in 60 seconds! Willing to give that a go?
Get Crafty
Nearly at the end of our list, we had to add some gift ideas for the crafty couples. A bit like an ‘experience gift’, there are plenty of fun activity- or craft-based gifts that you can buy your Valentine to complete together.
From painting your own portraits of each other to hand molding kits, gifting your Valentine an activity is ideal if their love language is quality time, but they’re also an introvert who prefers a quiet night in to a big night out.
Why not make an evening of it? Order some takeaway, pour some wine, and craft the night away together!
Posters Just For Them
Lastly, they say “to be loved is to be known”, right? Well, what tells someone you know them better than a gift centred around their special interest, niche, or hobby? Whether they’re a PC gamer or a huge anime fan, gifting your Valentine a poster themed around their interest is always a hit.
Share the Love With Displate
At Displate, we have a vast collection of metal posters with unique designs that cover every theme, from superheroes and sporting events to Renaissance art and raccoons. So, no matter what they’re interested in, show them you love them and bring a little fun to their walls with our extensive collections.
Need more inspiration? Head to the Displate blog for gift guides as far as the eye can see. Happy Valentine’s Day!
