How to Get Valentine's Day Roses for Less Than $25

The one thing that always gets me about Valentine's Day is that many places raise prices so high that it puts the strain on the pocketbook of the regular Joe. Not to mention the fact that you need to make dinner reservations well in advance if you want dinner at a decent place. Try showing up at any restaurant on Valentine's Day with no reservation and you will be waiting for hours and that is if you even get a table. After years and years of planning for way too long and spending way too much on this special day, I decided that enough was enough. I was tired of spending nearly $100 on roses, the one thing that EVERY girl expects from her significant other on this day.

Valentine's Day is famous for flowers, more specifically roses. How much do you end up spending on roses? I have seen a dozen go for $50 on Valentines Day and that is just a bouquet, no arrangement, no nothing, just wrapped up in some green paper. Put them in a vase with some baby's breath - $80. Want them delivered? I don't even want to think about that. Here is what I do; I don't go to the usual flower shops. I go to local grocery stores, think of the larger chain type stores. Many times they will be having a special and I put in an order for a dozen red roses, this usually costs me $15 to $20. Here is a hint: Be sure to put your order in early, at least a few days or a week before the big day. Then I pick up a nice vase at the store or at a discount store for a few dollars. When I pick up the flowers, I arrange it myself in the vase with some baby's breath. It is really not that hard to do. Then I either deliver them to her place of work or have them waiting on the dinner table when she comes home. This is much more romantic than having some sweaty delivery guy drop them off. What girl does not like to see her man surprise her with roses at work? She will be the talk of the office after that. Guess what? You just saved yourself a bunch of money and looked like Prince Charming.

What if the grocery stores are raising prices too? No problem. Here is what I have done to alleviate that. Just pick up the roses the day before and arrange it. One Valentine's I was strapped for cash. The cheapest place I could find was $40 if you picked up on the 14th. The cashier let me in on a secret; she said they were selling them for their normal price of $14 the day before on the 13th. I had to improvise. I picked them up and arranged them in the vase the day before. You could also do the same and put them in your refrigerator overnight.

Who says you have to spend all that money and make florists and retailers rich on Valentines Day? Not me. If you are the average Joe, spending that much money on roses is just way too much. Try out my tips and you will be saving a ton of money, as well as making your special girl smile on Valentines Day.