Gift giving for V-Day

In this modern age of massive commercialism, unremitting capitalistic tendencies, and the indefatigable appeal of the almighty dollar, I somehow am still amazed at how unavoidable consumerism has come to be. For one thing, I am continually blown away by how much couples will spend on each other during the holidays. Now make no mistake, if you are in an important, worthwhile, and lasting relationship, and are financially stable, I see no reason why you can't spend a lot on each other. But when it comes to couples that have only been dating for a short period of time, or are in high school, or college, or are just starting out, isn't it a little ridiculous to spend hundreds of dollars on each other? Hundreds of dollars that could be spent on any one of the numerous monthly bills you are struggling to pay, or tuition, or books, or perhaps, you come to the realization that you should cut up your credit cards and stop spending money you simply do not have? In the spirit of responsible spending--as in the case when it applies to gift-giving within couples for Valentine's Day, I highly suggest you check out this great little article at CNN.

For online shoppers

If you'd rather avoid the frantic and often chaotic over-packed malls this holiday season, I for one do not blame you. However, browsing items online is difficult when you are buying for someone and you are not sure what to get them. The simple efficiency of the internet eliminates the tactile nature of what happens when you go through a store and get to pick up items, feel them, or even smell them, which may often help you to decide what to purchase. For these instances, I've found a website called, very simply, Gifts. This is a great creative resource that you can use for gift shopping year-round, and has a variety of categories to help you narrow your search, including gender, age, occasion, etc. If nothing else, this tool can even help you decide what to get before you go out to the stores themselves, by helping you brain storm and sort through ideas.