Alternative Valentine's Gift

[OSUBearCub]

So I find myself with a Valentine this year and I'm thinking about the traditional Valentine's gifts.  Chocolates and flowers seem pretty tired and over-done to me.  Also, with my general penchant for best quality for the money, the selection of chocolates available locally are lacking.

Question:  Would you appreciate receiving a box of gourmet cookies from a local bakery instead of chocolates?

[4alpacas]

Question:  Will there be chocolate in the cookies?

To simplify the situation, why not make the cookies?  I think it would be very thoughtful.  Plus you can tailor the cookies to your Valentine's preferences. 

[OSUBearCub]

Question:  Will there be chocolate in the cookies?

To simplify the situation, why not make the cookies?  I think it would be very thoughtful.  Plus you can tailor the cookies to your Valentine's preferences.

My date is somewhat less Mustachian than I am.  Also, I suck at baking lol

[trailrated]

So this was a few days early, but a lady friend of mine has known I have been wanting an old school blue jeep for quite some time. I saved up for it and discovered this site while I was in the process of doing so. And now I can't bring myself to pull the trigger and get it even though my dream car would only cost around ~$7,000. I found that my money can be better put to use elsewhere.

That being said, she sent a package to my house a few days ago and I opened it and she had written an amazing letter that was wrapped around a hotwheel package with a blue jeep in it. I laughed, and thought it was one of the coolest most thoughtful things I have received in a long time. All and all she maybe spent $10 including shipping it, but it was incredibly special and is sitting on my desk at work as I type this. Every time I look at it it makes me think of her and puts a big smile on my face.

Point being, you don't need to spend a lot on something... it just has to show that you care.

[minimustache1985]

Question:  Will there be chocolate in the cookies?

+1 from a chocolate lover! 

OP, Cookies are delicious.  But really anything thoughtful should do the trick, like PP said the important part is that whatever you go with shows you care.  A card ($1 store!) with something nice written in it goes a long way.

[CommonCents]

Chocolate, cookies and flowers all still fall into "traditional" gift category to me

Try cooking her dinner.  Offering a back massage.  Writing her a letter.  Doing something personal and creative for her.

[4alpacas]

Question:  Will there be chocolate in the cookies?

To simplify the situation, why not make the cookies?  I think it would be very thoughtful.  Plus you can tailor the cookies to your Valentine's preferences.

My date is somewhat less Mustachian than I am.  Also, I suck at baking lol

I think cookies would be thoughtful.  Any special sweet treat would be a good substitute for chocolates.  I frequently bring macarons* to events, and people go crazy for them. 

*They're relatively inexpensive in the frozen food/desserts section of Trader Joe's.  I just repackage them in a cute box. 

[AllieVaulter]

Cookies are delicious!  I think that's a great substitute for flowers or chocolates.  As others have said, the thing that will determine the impact of the present will be the thought you put into it.  Does your Valentine like chocolate?  White chocolate?  Red Velvet cookies?  Or even canolis?  The more specific you can make it, the higher the impact value of the present. 

My husband makes a mean ice cream cake.  There's no baking - crushed oreo crust, Grasshoppers around the edge, half chocolate ice cream, a layer of hot fudge, and then mint ice cream on top.  I LOVE it when he makes it for me.  But it also speaks to all of my favorites:  chocolate, mint, and ice cream.  :)

[Rural]

Store-bought cookies, lovingly iced with chocolate store-bought icing. That's personal, and not subject to your baking abilities. :-)

[wordnerd]

I hate chocolate, so yes. I generally prefer activities over gifts and non-traditional gifts over trite ones. I would love to get cookies, but you know your SO (and their love language) better than we do.

[Juslookin]

The answer to your question for me is yes, if the cookies were sugar cookies with royal icing.

Previous posters have already said it and I would agree, something personal. What is your Valentines favorite? Chocolate? Vanilla? Fruity flavors? A favorite candy, desert? Brownies? Oranges?

You do not have to spend a lot of money, my. DH will often get me my favorite little something, one year a bag of Reese's, he fills up a little red gift bag (dollar store or our gift bag stash) and he will attach a note, one year he'll write a silly little poem, or another year he might write a list of ten things he loves about me.  Silly things, like he loves it when I cry at the maxwell house commercial at Christmas. He loves it when I let him win at Wheel of Fortune.

Valentines day is all about the grand romantic gesture, not $$$$.

[caliq]

Hell yeah, cookies are awesome.  DH used to go to the Italian bakery in town and pick out a little box of goodies on random nights after work.  It was really cute :) It's best when you actually know what types she likes or might like, cause then you earn brownie points for paying attention.