Ideas for cheap, appreciated V-Day gifts

Let me start off by saying that Valentine's Day is not the most important day of the year. It was a holiday invented for card companies to sell more cards. However, Valentine's Day gives you an opportunity to tell the people who are most important in your life that you care about them. That's what makes this day special.

There is no other day specifically designed for sweethearts, friends and family to show each other they care without any other considerations or traditions. It is because Valentine's Day is so trivial that it makes people feel special when you recognize them on this day.

With all this out of the way, the question remains of what to give people to show you care, especially considering that most of us are students without a big budget. But it's OK, because you don't need to spend a lot of money to make someone feel loved.

The easiest thing to give on Valentine's Day is a card. This is where your art skills will come in handy, even if they haven't progressed much since fourth or fifth grade. A handmade card makes the person you give it to feel like you spent more than five seconds on his or her gift. It's easy to take a trip to the store and grab the first thing you see, but if you make it yourself, you get the "aww," or the "that's so cute." Those words will make it worth all the effort.

The next, most traditional gift for Valentine's Day is flowers. This is where a little creativity can be really appreciated. Roses are lovely, but not everyone likes roses, and they're a little cliché, not to mention they can be pretty pricey. Different flowers have different meanings, and often a single flower can make just as big of a statement as a flashy arrangement.

If you pick something unique and can explain why you picked it, you'll get lots of points. Try a pink carnation, signifying gratitude, a daisy for innocence, a forget-me-not for remembrance or a yellow tulip, which says you are hopelessly in love.

Grocery stores are filled with candies emblazoned with hearts and pink this time of year. While candy makes a great gift, there are a lot more personal things you can do that taste way better than conversation hearts.

If your significant other loves chocolate, why not give him or her their favorite kind, rather than a heart-shaped box half-filled with things they probably won't like. If you've got the time and the courage, you can bake or make a dessert. You can never go wrong with chocolate covered strawberries or brownies.

If you're feeling literary this Valentine's Day, why not take a trip down to one of the bookstores downtown to buy a used copy of Shakespeare's sonnets or another volume of poetry the two of you can read together. You could even check out a copy from the library. If the weather permits, a small picnic might be the perfect complement to this romantic date.

Don't be scared that there's nothing for you to give or do if the object of your affections isn't into candy and flowers. Who says Valentine's Day has to revolve around these things? It's better to give something specific to the person you have in mind because that teddy bear with the heart pillow might just sit in the corner and gather dust.

Do something together — maybe taking a bike ride, working out, going to dinner or volunteering somewhere. The important thing is to be together, not what you do.

Whether or not you want the main theme of your Valentine's Day to be sweet and sentimental, there are always things you can do to show the people in your life that you care — even if all you do is call your mom and tell her how much she means to you.

Make it a point to tell people that you love them, not just on Valentine's Day, but every day of the year.

Allison Mermelstein is a junior in English. The opinions expressed in her columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Mermelstein can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.