Valentine's Day is near ...

 

Splurge or Scrooge: how generous is your boyfriend on Valentine’s Day?
We may all like to believe that 'it's the thought that counts', but how many of us, upon receiving a pair of socks or tea towel set for a birthday from our partners, can really claim to be over the moon? Or, after having received the same boring toiletries set for three years running at Christmas, can fake convincing raptures of joy? The answer: not many. 
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, top online fashion retailer Very.co.uk has carried out a survey to shed new light on how generous men are prepared to be when it comes to the most romantic day of the year. So, does your boyfriend rate as a Splurger or a Scrooge? 
It used to be that receiving a simple card from an admirer would deliver a big enough thrill on Valentine’s Day, but with the occasion now coming second only to Christmas as the biggest card and gift-giving occasion of the year, expectations are a little higher. 
Sadly, these expectations may end up being dashed, as almost a third of the men questioned planned to spend a miserly £15 or less on their wives or girlfriends this year. At the other end of the scale, a minuscule 4% said that they would be splurging out £250 or more on a present - putting big spenders in the minority. 
Things looked up when men were asked about how romantic they are, however, with an impressive 7 out of 10 admitting that they do make an effort to buy special Valentine’s gifts for her. Only a minority of just over 1 in 10 revealed that they have never bought presents or taken their partner out for a celebratory meal on Valentine's Day.
Having revealed that men aren't generally prepared to spend a fortune on their other half – although before women get too smug, a whopping 4 in 10 of them plan to part with only the same paltry sum when they buy their partners’ gifts – will it be the thought that counts instead?
The jury is out here too: almost a third of women questioned said they'd been on the receiving end of a disappointing last-minute gift in the past, indicating that women won't be fooled by a shoddy effort. Fortunately, when it comes to the ideal kind of Valentine's gift, both sexes seem to be in unison, with women citing jewellery as a favourite, and men agreeing that this is the top choice for their partners. 
With 4 in 10 men admitting to being totally indifferent to Valentine’s Day, it seems that there's a danger that Scrooge may win out in many households this year. Reassuringly, though, 9 in 10 men said that (given the opportunity) they'd prefer to spend Valentine's Day with their girlfriends over Mila Kunis, Tulisa Contostavlos, Beyoncé, Cheryl Cole or Kylie Minogue - so even if your boyfriend is a bit reluctant to splash the cash, it's likely that his heart is, at least, in the right place.