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?