How Much to Spend on Valentine’s Day Gifts

“Valentine’s Day is not that complicated. Give, and you shall receive,” says Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima in Teleflora‘s sexy, seductive 2012 Super Bowl ad.

With the growing commercialization of Valentine’s Day and the help of florists, jewelers and chocolatiers, both women and men have set high expectations on gift giving. When love is in the air, it’s easy to go overboard, but how much gift giving is enough to fulfill these Valentine’s Day expectations without overspending?

Maybe there shouldn’t be a connection between the size and cost of the gift with the quality of your love, but we’ve created a formula to make sure you’re on the safe side…

According to the National Retail Federation, the average American will spend about $116 on Valentine’s Day this year. The average man plans to shell out more than twice as much ($159) as the average woman ($76). To keep up with the Joneses, the approximate amount you should spend on Valentine’s Day depends on your household income relative to the average American’s ($49,445) and whether you’re female or male.

Guys, take your household income divided by $49,445 and multiply that by $159. Or, simplified:

Women, take your household income divided by $49,445 and multiply that by $76. Or, simplified:

No matter how much you’re spending on Valentine’s Day gifts, be a savvy shopper and get the best deal possible by comparing prices, looking for coupons and earning cash back on your purchases with Extrabux.com.