Valentine’s Day is a cause for celebration that has lasted many a decade. The day was made famous for the spreading of chocolate, cards and love amongst couples, friends and family. There are many suspicions to the origin of Valentine’s Day, be it the illegal marriages held by St. Valentine, or some of the less popular theories, like the ever so violent Roman feast Lupercalia, or the Normans’ Galatin day. But whatever the initial cause of celebration was, it is known today for its pricey gifts and overly intense affections.

The general idea is that Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate your love and affection for the people you hold nearest and dearest to your heart, be it a significant other, family member, or friend. But it still begs the question as to why you can’t show them affection year round. Well, maybe not exactly begs the question, but it is still worth noting. This is the common thought with couples who have an aversion to the day. But for those who do celebrate it and go all out, the over the top public displays of affection tend to affect the single crowd in a not so pleasurable way. With all the roses and carnations going around by HOLA, or the snuck bags of candy during class, representations of affection always cost a little something.

With the thrive for getting a sweetheart the best give possible, the cost of these gifts can get really high. The teddy bears have been seen for at least $20 and boxes of chocolates average at least $2-5 for small boxes at Target. And those are just the classics. In this day and age, electronics and otherwise outlandish gifts are also common, even at a high school sweetheart couple level. But again, there are always the couples that insist on doing nothing, or on celebrating a day early or late (which, with Valentine’s Day being on a Saturday this year, may be harder still to avoid).

But just how overrated is the concept of a valentine? Once you leave elementary school and you are not giving a valentine to every single person in your class, it just feels overdone and lonesome, whether you have a honey or not.

Valentine’s Day is all about the love and affection, but it goes hand in hand with the money that seems to need to go hand in hand with it. It is possible to prove affection without lavishing your love in gifts that make your wallet want to run for the hills, with alternatives like hand-written letters, mix CDs, or even just spending time together. There’s more to love than money, and you should not need money to keep the ones you love. Sometimes all it takes is saying those three magic words and staying faithful to your sweetheart. Love is the skeleton key to every door. As long as you maintain it every day, you have a recipe for success.