No matter what they say, you should always get something for Valentines Day. The gift doesn’t need to be big or costly and like most things… there are some key ways to save!

Here are my favorite ways to save on Valentine’s Day Flowers.

How to Save on Valentine’s Day Flowers

1. Choose a different delivery day – Instead of having your flowers delivered on Valentine’s Day, have them delivered the day or two before. Shipping rates drop significantly for any day other than Valentine’s day.
2. Skip the vase or other add-ons – Many florists, both online and in-store, will try and up-charge you the price of a vase to include in your flower delivery. Vases can cost as much as $20. Chocolates, Teddy Bears, and other items are also favorite add-ons they promote.  Many of these items are sold for double or triple their normal price!   
3. Use a coupon – Most online sites always have a coupon code.  Before you place your order make sure to search for deal.  One place to check is daily deal sites like Groupon for deals on national and even local sites.
4. Roses aren’t the only flower – Switch up the flowers in your bouquet and you can save almost half!  Red Roses are at their premium price for Valentines day, so consider other popular, and cheaper flowers like the tulip, carnation, daisy, iris and others.  
5. Consider another color rose – If you really want roses then go for another color.  Pink, yellow, and white are half the price of red.  (on ftd.com a dozen red long stem roses is currently $49.99 online, versus 1 dozen mixed color roses for $19.99)
6. Shop local – If you can deliver flowers yourself, you should not shop online.  Most online sites charge extra fees that are never in the quoted price you first see.  The $19.99 bouquet quickly goes up to $40 with a $18 delivery and service fee.  Online sites are tricky though and never show you the final price until you’ve written the card, entered the address, and all the other details.  
7. The cheapest option still says I love you – The best deals are in the grocery stores!  The flowers may not last quite as long, but the price is unbeatable.  Get a dozen roses for $9.99 at Whole Foods or Aldi.  You’ll need to arrange these in the vase yourself, but you can probably handle that and you saved a good $10-$20.  
8. Give a Lasting Bouquet – My favorite flower is one that lasts a lot longer than a week!  Consider getting a small potted rose, or other plant that she can keep.  For $10-$15 you are giving a plant they can enjoy all year.

Use the day as an excuse to do something you should probably do more than once a year.