Valentine’s Day is a big day for many restaurants and retailers. You can bet special Valentine’s Day dinner menus and things like chocolate, roses, jewelry, and perfume are in high demand with a high price tag. But what happens the days following Valentine’s Day? If you knew, you would see why it may make sense to celebrate the occasion a few days later.

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been celebrated on February 14^th by couples and sweethearts as a day where you can express your love and appreciation for one another, but who’s to say you can’t do it on February 15, 16, 17, 18 or another date!

By doing so, look at the different ways you can save!

• Restaurants: You don’t need a menu specially labelled for Valentine’s Day to enjoy a romantic dining experience and good food. Often times, specialty menus are priced higher for the same dishes on the regular menu. Yes, they may throw in a heart-shaped dessert or a free glass of wine, but that’s something you can throw in as a surprise on your own after dinner as you unwind at home.
   
• Chocolate: Who doesn’t love a box of chocolates?! But the reality is chocolate doesn’t stay fresh forever. Once Valentine’s Day is over, you can expect prices marked down big time! This is particularly the case with high-end chocolate specialty shops. Even at the local drugstores like CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Duane Reade, you can see huge clearance sales on chocolates packaged in pink and red.
   
• Roses: Much like chocolate, roses are also a marked up around Valentine’s Day. They also don’t have a long shelf life. After the holiday, you can bet there will be deep discounts to the marked up price tags seen leading up to the holiday. The roses have to go, and go fast, before they wither!
   
• Jewelry: From diamonds, necklaces, bracelets, to earrings, there’s savings to it when you wait it out a week or two past Valentine’s Day.
   
• Perfume: Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that make perfume sell, so when there’s stock left over, you can bet retailers are looking to clear the shelves to make room for newer inventory. Expect savings here as well!

Just remember, you don’t need a designated day for love to say, “I love you!” It can happen every day. Also, it’s not about how much you spend, but rather the thought that counts and how you chose to spend that time together.