Valentine’s Day Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

They call it the “day of love” so you wouldn’t think anyone could ruin Valentine’s Day, but you’d be wrong. There are some painfully (funny) stories of rough Valentine’s Days out there. If you’ve had one, take heart (see what we did there) you’re not alone. We want to help you not ruin Valentine’s Day and we have 3 ways to help you with that.

Like this guy: James was peeling potatoes during the summer and found a potato shaped like a heart. He thought it was a perfect reminder of love–their love and his love of helping her with the meals. So he put it in the freezer for months waiting to share it on Valentine’s Day. That morning he got it out and wrapped it. By the time his wife opened it, the potato smelled and was leaking goo and turning black. She said, “ I didn’t know if it was a thoughtful gift or a death threat.”

Or this girl: One boyfriend received a homemade card from his new girlfriend that said, “Good for one new set of glasses.” His girlfriend had broken his earlier in the week while they were making out. After he read the card, he guaranteed her there weren’t going to be any more make-out sessions.

Or this rocket scientist: One husband’s wife started the New Year off by saying she wanted to get healthy and lose 30 pounds. So when Valentine’s Day rolled around he got his wife a super fancy new scale with Bluetooth to her apple watch to track her calories. You can guess how that went over. He may have thought it was helpful, but, a safe bet is – never give your girlfriend, spouse, or boss a scale as a gift.

We want you to have a great day this year, so we have 3 Ways to Guarantee THIS Valentine’s Day Rocks.

1. Give gifts based on their Money Personalities.

Be sure to think about your honey’s Money Personalities – not yours – before you buy their gift. Through our research, we’ve found every person has a primary and secondary Money Personality that really drives how he or she feels about money. If you’re dating a Saver, that’s good information. Because believe it or not diamond earrings are NOT a welcome gift to every woman. If you’re dating a Saver it may pain her to put those pricey rocks in her ears when she thinks, “I like H&M’s trendy jewelry for $6 just as much”.

On the other hand, if she likes nice things then get her a NICE THING. Coupons, sales, and off-brands can be for other days of the year, but treat your special person in your life special on this day. It’s okay. You won’t go broke by spending some extra cash on Valentine’s Day.

If you don’t know your Money Personality (or his or hers yet) send them the link before the big day and save yourself the trouble. Click HERE to discover yours TODAY!!!

You don’t want to ruin Valentine’s Day by not knowing how they’ll feel about the money you spend on them.

2. Agree on the amount of money and effort you’ll spend before the big day.

Valentine’s Day is a HUGE deal to some people and not others. Be sure to talk about it BEFORE-hand so no one gets their feelings hurt and the night is a disaster. Certain personality types really love to plan so the concrete discussion will be the first gift they receive for the holiday. You aren’t telling them what you’re going to get them. You aren’t going to ruin the surprise or ruin Valentine’s Day by tossing out a ballpark number for each of you to spend within. Remember: destroying the budget may destroy the mood.

As a good rule of thumb, Forbes Statista reports: $19.7 billion spent on Valentine’s in 2016 men spend $133 on women, women spend $62 on men AND the average American spent $26 on their pets for Valentine’s Day. We suggest you spend that additional money on your spouse and toss a fifty-cent Milkbone at your pet. You invest in your relationship and the dog won’t know the difference.

3. Ask if they’d like a practical or fun gift, don’t assume you know.

Ask which type of gift they’d like best this year. Money Personalities greatly affect someone’s happiness with a gift. Risk Takers love getting something totally unexpected. The more out there the better. I (Megan) got Taylor a new set of golf clubs one year and I was a total hero! He never expected it and every day that he gets to hit up the course or the driving range, it reminds him that I love him and his Risk Taker nature, even though that’s totally not how I’m wired.

Along those lines, I like practical gifts, like having my car detailed or running shoes or even a new appliance for the kitchen. Taylor used to think those were “boring” and would try and think of “out there” gifts to give me, but once we really talked about our personal preferences, he saw how even though those type of gifts don’t thrill him, he likes to buy them know because he knows that I’ll like them.

So a good tip for all days of the year is to think of your mate first. In gift-giving…and most all other situations for a happy life. Listen and learn their likes and dislikes and give gifts or write poems or wash their car for them based on how they view money, the agreed-upon budget, and whether or not they like practical or fun gifts.

That’s 3 ways to not ruin Valentine’s Day, but guarantee your Valentine’s Day will rock.

As always,

Taylor & Megan