Fact: A great deal of Valentine's candy never leaves the wrapper or box, and ends up at the dump instead.
William Rathje was an American archaeologist who studied garbage. He was a garbologist who oversaw The Garbage Project. Rathje and his team's study of garbage were able to bring to light the intimate details of everyday consumers. They could give incredibly accurate statistics about the region or neighborhood they were asked to study. One of the things their study found is that while nearly all Halloween candy is consumed, a great deal of Valentine's candy never leaves the wrapper or box, and ends up at the dump instead.
The average American spends $136.57 on Valentine's Day. That's $2 billion on flowers, $1.7 billion on candy, $4.3 billion on jewelry, and $1 billion on cards, according to the National Retail Federation.
Most Americans can't afford Valentine's Day. A whopping 57% of Americans have less than $1000 in the bank and 30% have no savings at all. You should have a minimum of three months salary in the bank as an emergency fund.
Considering that Valentine's Day is a secular holiday (technically not secular by origin but I can make a solid argument that it is, in fact, at least in the modern sense, secular) should you really be spending so much on arbitrary material items that end up in the trash? Does the love you share with your significant other require validation with gifts? Have you considered that the reason we spend so much money on crap for Valentine's Day is because society tells us to do so?
Consider making dinner with your special someone and sharing a bottle of wine or a dessert. Celebrate in a way that's right for you, but think about how much you can really afford. Give gifts that are meaningful and will be appreciated. It isn't what, or how much you give, or where you go out to dinner, but whom you choose to spend it with and what you can do together.
And forget the candy.
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