If you still need some last minute Valentine’s Day ideas, check out our suggestions below on how to make Feb. 14th a special day. We have ideas for girls, guys and even the single people out there.

Planning For Your Girl

Don’t panic, put some thought into your gift.

– If someone other than your mom enjoys your cooking, make her dinner. If that is not for you, plan a romantic dinner before Valentine’s Day at a quiet restaurant that isn’t too family friendly. Also, plan it beforehand. Just showing up and being put on a wait because you were just too spontaneous to call and plan ahead is not romantic. To make this even more special, make sure that you know some of her favorite foods if you don’t already. You don’t want to make lasagna, just to realize that afterwards she either hates it or is allergic to one of the ingredients.

– Get a list of her favorite things and come up with something creative to give to her. Making something yourself shows you took the time to plan out and make the gift special. Any guy can give a girl a heart-shaped box of chocolates that he bought from the store, but taking the time to put something together that you know she will like is impressive. For example, find out a few of her favorite things such as candy, animal, color, scent, jewelry; the options are endless. Then you can put together an assortment of them all. It shows you took the time to really get to know her and to make her day special.

TIP Bigger is not always better. A more thought-out and meaningful gift goes a lot further than a huge gift that you didn’t exactly put much time or effort into. This shows that you really took the time to plan out and make her day extra special.

– If you want to go the cheaper route, take a stroll down memory lane. You could take her to a place where you two had a good night or a memorable moment and plan out a night recapping those times. But if that night ended in a heated argument, you might want to avoid those places. Doing so, you are showing that you admire the moments that you two shared and want to keep them going.

– A CD can say anything. It may be lame, but think of some songs that you both enjoy. Or if you really know her, pick some songs that you know she likes. OR, you can make a CD with songs you both know that relate to the relationship. The possibilities are really endless here. This a cheaper alternative and also, there are a few electronic stores that sell CD covers that you can personalize and print out. Or, find out one of their favorite bands or one of their favorite childhood bands and buy one of their CDs.

– Scrapbooking  may seem a little weird to some guys, but it is really not a hard thing to do. Plus, it is really affordable. If you are a couple that has a history and a lot of pictures, this could be a great idea to recap some good memories. Using the Internet, there are SEVERAL ideas and designs to look at. Find some pictures of the two of you and design it to say what you want on the page.

– The “heart attack.” Not taking this literally, the “heart attack” is cutting (or buying) a bunch of hearts and writing reasons why you like/love/care about her and just attack something of hers. It is affordable and thoughtful- a real win/win.

– If you are a couple who has been a short amount of time and never kissed, WAIT UNTIL VALENTINE’S DAY. It might be a little wait, but a first kiss is always extra special on that day. And hey, it’s free.

– Flowers. Find out her FAVORITE flower. It is really easy to get a girl red roses, but if you want to be extra special with this find out her favorite. Be sly about it though, you don’t want to ruin the surprise. Also, instead of just going to the nearest convenience store and buying some, there are several floral locations in the area that will put the extra touch and thought into an assortment so that it doesn’t look like you thought of the idea last minute.

– Believe it or not, you can still put a twinkle in her eye without burning a hole in your wallet. Many think that getting a girl jewelry for valentines day means that it must be diamond and gold or silver. False. Money doesn’t show that you care, it is the thought that really does count. There are several places to buy stainless steel jewelry that looks nice and won’t leave green stains on her skin. You can also find businesses that will customize the jewelry to look and say what you want on it.

These are just a few ideas. The bottom line is to be creative and really think of what she would like. If she is a crush, don’t overdo it. Take Valentine’s Day as a day to get to know each other and go on a date. If you have been in a longer relationship, do something meaningful. Since you have gotten the time to know each other, show her how much you have learned about her and that you listen and remember what she tells you. Just remember, actions do speak a lot louder than words.

Planning For Your Guy

Think… if you were a guy, what would you want for Valentine’s Day?

– Write a very heart-warming letter. A simple letter with a lot of decorations on it that signifies both you and your guy. Remember though to not become too distracted with the details of decorating and focus on the actual letter. Sometimes a simple letter can bring out the beauty in the beast.

-If your guy is a gamer, buy him some sort of t-shirt or accessory relating to a game that he enjoys. For example, a Legend of Zelda Tri-force necklace (does not have to be made out of actual jewelry) or a Skyrim T-shirt. You don’t have to go the extra mile and buy him a life-like replica of the Big Daddy from Bioshock, but a simple trinket reminding him of his favorite video game will help him remember why you’re his favorite girl. Although if you do decide to go with the Bioshock idea, be ready to see your man in tears.

– Make him food. Every guy takes pride in a girl that will cook for him whether it is a 5-star restaurant-quality meal, or a simple burger. Most guys aren’t too picky about food, especially food made by their girl. So make him something that you both will enjoy, such as hamburgers, tacos, or a full course meal with steak, mashed potatoes, and other sides if you are willing to do so. Many professional chefs have often said that the greatest ingredient to a recipe is love.

– Buy him an album of his favorite band. Guys love gifts that are consistent therefore giving him something like a CD will make him happy. Plus it will give him an excuse to not pirate songs off the Internet.

– Take him out to a movie that he may enjoy. Guys’ tastes in movies mainly consist of comedy, action, thriller, and horror. You hear a lot of guys complaining that their girl made them go watch a romantic/comedy, so taking him out first to a movie that he enjoys can open his mind to movies that you may want to watch in the future. If there are no movies that fit the criteria well, then take him to watch a simple Pixar movie. No matter how much a guy may kick and scream at the thought of going to a movie directed towards children, at the end of it he’s almost guaranteed to walk out of the theater with a smile on his face.

-If you are single and friends with a guy that you strongly believe feels the same way about you as you do to him, use V-day as a chance to finally ask him out. Ask him if he wants to hang out on V-day day and plan out events where the spotlight is mainly on the both of you, such as going to a park, going over each other’s houses, or going on a simple walk. If a guy really has nothing planned on V-day and is fully willing to go through the whole day doing nothing but simply hanging out talking with you, chances are he may have the same feelings for you. Don’t do this though with the intention of putting a vendetta against V-day if he says no. There are always other fish in the sea.

Planning For Yourself (Ideas For Singles)

So you didn’t find a sweetheart. It’s OK. There are plenty of ways to make your Valentine’s special without turning into the scrooge toward lovey-dovey couples.

– Who said that Valentine’s Day was necessarily about someone else? Take the day and treat yourself. Since you do not spend the need to spend the money on someone else, spend it on a movie you have been wanting to see on DVD or go out to get yourself pampered. Instead of considering Valentine’s day as “spend all of my time and money on one person until I am broke,” simply make it “Me day” and take the day to yourself.

– If you are not looking to spend the day alone, have a party or invite a few friends over. That way, you are not spending the day alone but still having a good time.

– Have a girls/ guys night out. Pick out a few of your other single friends and get out of the house. Who knows, you might run into another group of the opposite sex doing the same thing. WHO KNOWS, you might even find someone without a date too.

– Play the “everyday” game. So what if it is Valentine’s day and there are couples everywhere being all gross. This does not mean that you have to do anything special. Just because it is February 14th, does not mean that it can’t be just another day.