I've found that Valentine's day can actually be very cheap, you just have to plan things out. While jewelry, flowers, typical and traditional presents are fine, they are expensive and you can do without them. I just always do something creative and gushy (yes it's hyper-emotional and girly, but she always loves it and she knows how to repay me...). Spending money is not essential, this year I got by with $22 and she cried she was so happy. All I will say is that it involved a nice card, a handwritten note, some streamers, and A LOT of post-it notes.