5 Inexpensive Valentine’s Day Gifts for a Someone Who Loves to Read

I was online window shopping when writing the last cheap Valentine’s day gift guide, and kept seeing unique things that I would LOVE to have, as a reader, if my fiance got me these things as gifts. I’ll have to email him this post as a hint-hint when it goes live.

I just had to make a whole new post for a gift guide for a reader, with all of these great products out there.

All of these great and different options are under $65, and I just love them. As somebody who reads upward of 50 books per year, I feel that I know readers quite well, as I am one.

If your wife, fiance, or girlfriend (or even if you want to get a Valentine’s day gift for your mom who loves to read) loves to read, these are all amazing gifts.

Shoes – Dictionary Quotes – Toms.ca. Toms donates a pair of shoes to children in need, every time a customer buys a pair of their shoes. They are not only socially responsible but these dictionary quote shoes are adorable!

Bike Bookends – Bicyclegifthub.com – There are plenty of bookends out there but these bicycle bookends are adorable. I’d love to have those on my bookshelf!

Wrist Worms – Sandrajuto.bigcartel.com. Readers will know what I mean when I say that these would be so useful. In bed, when you are all cuddled up but your wrists have to be out of the covers to hold up your book? Yeah, these are like socks for your wrists.

Blanket – Monnogrammable Throw – Potterybarn.com. I’m one of those people that would rather curl up on a comfy chair with a blanket on a Friday night after work reading, rather than go out. I would love this blanket for that exact purpose!

Kindle Case – Chevron Monogram Kindle Case – Zazzle.com. I personally don’t read books in their paper form, I’m more of a e-reader rat. I love this case, and I think monogrammable is perfect to show thoughtfulness. Zazzle has a lot of cases, for different devices as well.

Does your partner like to read? Do you covet any of these things for Valentine’s day?

Four Awesome But Inexpensive Valentines Day Gifts For Your Wife

I’ve seen a lot of Valentines Day gift guides that sort of suck (and if they don’t, they’re way to expensive for one commercial “holiday”!). I thought I’d do my own, inexpensive gift guide for Valentines day for the woman in your life (with gifts under $60).

My fiancé has never really been very good at Valentine’s day, birthdays, or Christmas. In his defence, I’ve never been very good either, leaving us both in a place of knowing what we, ourselves, want, but not what the other person wants.

While Valentine’s day has long been thought of as a commercial “holiday” that Hallmark made up to get more money out of you (though now Hallmark has Valentine’s Day ecards available that will save you money) it’s still nice to do something special for your spouse on February 14th.

One day, I was working at my retail job in the mall in my first year of college, and a young man came in to buy his girlfriend a pair of shoes for the big V-day. He didn’t know what to buy her, so he asked us for our opinions. We asked him what she needed the shoes for, and he launched into a story of the elaborate things he was doing for his girlfriend on Valentine’s day, including renting a skating rink (in it’s entirety), having a dinner catered, bringing her dancing in a limo, and buying her a new expensive pair of shoes, dress, and jewelry set to go with the festivities.

While it is so sweet that he was able to do that for his Valentine, most people don’t expect anything that elaborate.

Valentine’s day doesn’t have to be exceptionally expensive, but if you’re on a budget, here are some inexpensive gifts you can get for your wife, girlfriend or fiancé to spoil her a little.

Mug – Monogrammed Mug from Anthropologie.com (pick her first initial or your last, and fill it up with chocolate or, even better, samplers from below).
Tea – Winter’s Collection from Davidstea.com (or pick and choose some samplers based on her personality)
Umbrella – Legit’s a Beautiful Day Umbrella from Modcloth.com (we’re almost into spring and no woman wants to be caught without an umbrella. This one is so cute!)
Scarf – Luxembourg Scarf- Cerulean Tiger by Stella and Dot (warm and chic, perfect to carry her into spring)
iPhone Lenses – Classic Kit for iPhone and Android (perfect for the woman in your life who wants to capture special moments without lugging around heavy cameras).

What’s your favorite inexpensive Valentine’s day gift you’ve ever gotten? What’s the best gift you’ve ever given your significant other?

Easy Ways to Trim Costs with Minimal Sacrifice

Budgeting has common benefits and challenges. You can improve cash flow to slash debt faster, start investing or build an emergency fund. A better perspective on your personal finances also helps make more informed decisions.

However, cutting expenses beyond the obvious can be difficult. Aside from drinking fewer lattes or brown bagging your lunch, other expenses may seem inevitable.

Thankfully, there are painless ways to economize your life without increasing liability or going without necessities.

Here are a few ideas:

Review Your Home Insurance:

As the largest purchase most consumers will make, many homeowners choose low deductibles to protect their houses. This peace of mind comes with higher insurance premiums.

Even a slight increase in your home deductible provides instant monthly savings. This money helps finally put a dent in principal balances on debt or start saving for retirement. Much like Elliott Broidy and other risk managers, homeowners should review their holdings for practical coverage.

Many home policies have excessive coverage. This includes insuring the land against fire or flood damage. Unless you use the property for farming or to generate other income, this is unnecessary for most homeowners.

Upping the deductible by just $500 protects a home against damage and leverages better cash flow to improve your balance sheet.

Buy Your Own Car Parts for Auto Repairs:

Car repair shops charge high markups on auto parts that can be purchased at most local supply stores.

The cost of brake repairs, suspension work and transmission repairs can all be reduced by supplying the parts. Simply ask if the shop installs customer supplied parts. Midas is a national chain with locations that may install your auto parts.

In most instances, the labor for car repairs is covered by the shop, while parts are under manufacturer warranty.

Refinance Your Car Loan:

With loan rates near record lows, you may be overpaying for car financing, especially for auto loans signed over a year ago. In addition to lower monthly payments, your first due date will be 60 days away. This provides additional relief to meet monthly expenses or set aside money for that month.

Raise Your Auto Insurance Deductible:

As your car ages, major repairs become less practical. The cost of fixing transmissions, engines and auto body damage could exceed an older car’s value. Many drivers do not adjust their car insurance policies to reflect depreciated value. Adjusting your auto deductible to practical levels will slash premiums and boost cash flow.

It is also a chance to check your policy for overlaps. For example, if you have AAA membership, rental car and towing services are often covered.

Switch Cell Phone Plans:

In a fast paced world, texting and data have become favored modes of communication. Unlimited text and web browsing with reduced talk minutes are more than sufficient for most consumers.

No contract cell phone plans are now offered by nearly all carriers and provide maximum flexibility. A simpler plan also limits lengthy conversations to in person meetings, which can strengthen relationships.

While chit chatting has its own value, a basic plan could also spare you from many time consuming and idle conversations.

Summary:

Family budgets often have excess overhead that adds little value. Since personal finance is dynamic, comparing recurring costs to your current needs is a fast way to improve cash flow.

Suburban Finance

Author: Admin