Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Friends

I will never forget Valentine's Day my freshman year of college. I wasn't dating anyone and I was feeling a little blue about the fact that it was Valentine's Day. It felt like everyone on campus had someone, like I was literally the only one without someone. Okay, I was probably exaggerating this - but I was feeling blue and all that.

Then one of my friends came running across the quad with a big bunch of red roses. She handed me one. "Happy Valentine's Day!" she said to me. "I always think of my friends on Valentine's Day, not just a special relationship." I thought that was so cool, and since then I've tried to do the same. Its really not such a bad idea.

There are so many ways that you can do something sweet for your best buds at this time of year, and they don't have to cost you a pretty penny. Here are some ideas to inspire you to think of the perfect way to say "Happy Valentine's Day" to all of your pals.

Send an e-card. At this point everyone and their grandmother has e-mail. Some people have more than one e-mail address. So an e-card is a great way to say Happy Valentine's Day. There are tons of websites offering free e-cards, just do a google.com search for "free e-cards" and they will all come up.

Send (or hand deliver) a snail mail card. Yes this is the old fashioned way, but still very popular. Hallmark even has an entire line of cards that only cost 99 cents. Most cards cost between $2 and $3 and then include the postage. This is a great idea. You can get something humorous, something that will make them laugh out loud on this February 14^th.

Sweets for the sweet. The stores are full of chocolate and many other tempting sweets. Why not get some of this for your buddies? A great idea now is hot chocolate, because it can be enjoyed over time, and especially if you live in a cold climate, this will be a great treat that will really be savored during the winter.

Other type of treat. This is great if your buddies are not so much into the sugary type of sweets. Other ideas include boxes of herbal teas, or gourmet coffee or perhaps an exotic fruit. This is a very thoughtful type of a gift, especially if you know someone doesn't like, or really should not have sweets.

Flowers. Now flowers can really be pricey during Valentine's Day. The cost of red roses can literally triple during this time. But other types of flowers, tulips, carnations, sunflowers for example - they will typically stay the same. Be unique and different. You can get great deals on flowers at the grocery store.

Little plants. A great gift for a friend during the middle of winter is a little plant. There are some nice flowering plants, like a Christmas cactus. Or there are just lots of pretty leafy plants that you can find. A plant store will have a great variety.