NRF projects Valentine’s Day spending to increase by $2 million

Amaya Baker
Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day is a day to shower those you love with gifts, appreciation, gratitude, and affection on. 

It is also a day where some spend a lot of time and money with the one they love. It can be a very expensive day for everyone but especially college students. There are many ways to save.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) about 52 percent of the population plan to celebrate while the other 28 percent do not celebrate the love day at all but sometimes still plan on marking the occasion somehow. On average consumers spend on average $192.80 on Valentine’s Day alone. 

Consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, up from $23.9 billion in 2022 and one of the highest spending years on record, the NRF projects.

NRF reports that standard V-Day gifts include candy, cards, flowers, going out, and jewelry. Candy is gifted the most by a whopping 57 percent of the population, cards are gifted by 40 percent, flowers follow slightly behind with 37 percent, 32 percent choose to treat their partners to a night out, and only 21 percent choose to buy their partners jewelry. 

McKenzie Armstrong, a junior biology pre-med major from Nashville Tenn. said she has a special gift planned for her boyfriend.

“I plan on gifting my boyfriend an electric drum because he is a musician. This is not a cheap gift, but it’s him”.

Other Jackson State students like to keep it simple because they simply cannot afford expensive gifts. Darren Smith, a junior biology/pre-med major from Natchez, Miss said he wishes he could give his girl the world.

“Valentine’s Day is a day that feels very pressured because I obviously want to show how important this person is within my life,” Smith said.

Not all college students can afford to buy their partners expensive gifts for Valentine’s Day and that is okay.  Here is a list of three inexpensive V-Day gifts college students can give to their partners for under $20. 

1. 1. 101 Reasons Why I Love You: A Fill-In-The-Blank Love Journal For Couples
      Cost range between $7.99 to $15 on average. Whether you’re in a long-term relationship or just starting out, each prompt is carefully crafted, with a wide mixture of both light-hearted sentences and deep topics that ignite intimacy and strengthen your relationship.

   2. Decorated Valentine’s Day Mug Date
      Cost range between $5 to $10. This price covers all materials needed to decorate the mugs. It’s creative, engaging and interactive. And it really shows your partner you want to spend time with them
      
      
   3. A Romantic Picnic on a lawn
      Cost ranges depend on the type of food or items gathered for a picnic. Get out and have fun play Frisbee, play catch, play badminton, kick the soccer ball around, fly a kite, or even teach your date how to throw a football

Stanley Powell, a sophomore theatre major from Crystal Springs Miss. said the best gift will always be chocolates and flowers because it’s simply the best gift to give. 

“The gift does not have to be expensive because it’s supposed to show affection how much you love them rather than how much you are willing to spend on them.” 

Alandria Jones, a sophomore childcare and family development major from Jackson, Miss., agreed with Powell and said she does not think gifts always have to be expensive but she believes the man should cater to his lady.

“Honestly, the perfect gift to give a girl for Valentine’s Day would be a date or outing in a nice setting filled with whatever the girl truly enjoys,” Jones said.

Valentine’s Day should be a day of love, regardless of the price tag of a gift. The real gift is the quality time spent with those you cherish the most.