19 Affordable Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas For Men

Are you running out of time to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your significant other? Check out these affordable and thoughtful last-minute gift ideas for him!

Why does February 14th sneak up year after year? Seriously, wasn’t it just Christmas like two days ago?

My go-to for last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts for my husband is usually DIY, Dollar Tree, or Amazon Prime (because what procrastinator doesn’t love 2-day shipping right to your doorstep?). I rarely go spendy; most of my gifts cost less than $20 and many are free!

19 Last Minute Thrifty Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas For Him

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1. Create a Movie Night in a Basket

Your local dollar store is great for grabbing everything you need for a great low-cost movie night in a basket. There you will find movie-size candy boxes for just $1.25, microwave popcorn, and a basket to put it all in.

For the movie you can pick one out from a Redbox near you. You might also be able to snag a free promo code for the movie; sites such as Money Saving Mom list free Redbox codes when they become available.

You could also find something on Netflix, Disney+, or whatever streaming service you have.

2. Bake His Favorite Sweet Treat in The Shape of a Heart

Sometime during the week of Valentine’s Day every year, I take the time and spend the effort to make my husband a batch of his favorite gingerbread cookies in the shapes of hearts. He always gives me a big smile and a kiss when he sees the full cookie tin when he gets home.

I have also made sugar cookies in the shape of hearts and breakfast biscuits that I topped with sausage gravy the morning of Valentine’s Day. Pretty much any baked good can be made in the shape of a heart with a bit of effort and imagination.

Of course, you could also make up some homemade chocolate fudge and place it in a Valentine-themed container from the dollar store.

3. Complete a Task on His Honey-Do List For Him

If you have a man whose love tank is filled with acts of service, surprise him by doing one task he usually does for you. For me, this has been getting out early in the morning to shovel snow off the driveway so my husband can sleep in just a bit more before work. I can shovel snow, but usually don’t because my husband does it for me.

You could tackle something more significant, too. These days, YouTube can help you do just about any DIY project that has been tugging at the guilt strings of your man’s heart whenever he looks at it on his to-do list.

4. Get Creative With Post-It Notes

I wrote a post on using Post-its to express love on Valentine’s Day. Post-it notes are inexpensive, readily available, and come in pink, making them the perfect tool for a creative and thrifty last-minute Valentine’s gift.

Psst…Do not go too cheap with Post-it notes. Spend the extra on the actual Post-it brand, especially if you plan to dress in them. 😉

5. Fill a Love Jar

Grab a glass jar with a lid and fill it with reasons why you love your man. He can choose to read them all at once or one a day. There are so many possible variations of this idea. Fill the jar with special memories between the two of you or date ideas that you could explore.

6. Grab His Favorite Candy Or Snack And Go Corny

All you need is his favorite candy or snack, a pen, and either a Post-it note or a piece of paper and tape. Write a corny note on the snack.

Here are a few examples for you.

• Reese’s Pieces–“I love you to pieces!”
• Fish crackers or Swedish Fish–“Of all the fish in the sea, I am glad you are the one for me.”
• Pop Rocks–“You rock!”
• Crush Soda–“You are my crush forever.”
• Gummy Worms–“Hooked on you.”
• Red Hots–“You are so hot.”
• Muffins–“You are my stud muffin.”
• Gummy Bears–“Life without you would be unbearable.”
• Donuts–“I donut know what I would do without you.”

If I didn’t cover your significant other’s favorite snack, chances are, Pinterest has.

7. Plan Date Nights For The Rest Of The Year

I don’t know about your man, but although my man loves date nights, he hates planning them. To know that he doesn’t have to answer the question “What do you want to do?” for an entire year would be a gift he would love to receive.

This is another excellent use for a jar. Fill it with date night ideas you can afford and gift them to your hubby. On date night, you or he gets to take an idea out of the jar and enjoy your evening doing whatever date idea you picked.

8. Plan An Evening Of Couple’s Massages

You don’t need to visit an expensive spa to enjoy couple’s massages. What you need is to set the mood. Turn off the lights and light a candle or two. Purchase a massage oil in a fragrance you know you both will like. Warm some towels in the dryer. Have some romantic music playing in the background.

9. Have A Love Letter Waiting In His Inbox

It might be too late to send a love note through the snail mail, but you still have time to send a love letter to his email inbox!

10. Buy Him A Pair Of Satin PJ Boxers

These aren’t that pricey and have pretty good ratings.

11. Relive The Girlfriend And Boyfriend Days

Remember when you were just getting to know each other and talked for hours, answering each other’s questions? Relive those days with this set of conversation starters for couples that a well-known marriage expert created.

12. Give His Beard A Gift

If your guy is crazy about his beard, this beard kit is well-reviewed and inexpensive.

13. Give Him Plenty Of Time To Watch ESPN

Do you have a sports-loving guy? Get the kids out of the house for the afternoon, or perhaps even the whole day, and tell him all he needs to do while you and the kids are gone is watch as much sports as he wants–uninterrupted!

14. Turn Your Bookworm’s Commute Into Reading Time

A year-long Audible subscription might be out of your budget, but how about a month? With their new Audible premium plus membership, your spouse will enjoy one book to keep and then as many audiobooks as he wants from their exclusive membership library.

15. Give Your Napper A Gift That Lets Him Nap In More Places

I have yet to meet a man who doesn’t love a long afternoon nap. Let him enjoy that in more places with the gift of a hammock that packs up small–so it can go where he goes.

16. This Is The Perfect Gift If The Two Of You Love Playing Video Games Together

Remember those best friend heart necklaces where your friend got one half of the heart and you got the other? Well, now they have keychains for game-loving couples that are just as sweet! There are no hearts, though, just game controllers.

17. Keep His Head Warm For The Rest Of Winter

Carhartt hats come in many different colors and are super warm!

18. Fill The Entrance Of Your Home With Love

This balloon kit includes 14 heart-shaped balloons in various sizes, gold balloons that spell out I Love You, and 500 artificial rose petals. All you need to create a loving welcome for your loved one on Valentine’s Day.

19. A Book For The Guy Who Loves Strange Facts

The Book of Unusual Knowledge will keep your strange fact-loving guy filled with new and strange information to share for years.

 

Are You Wanting To Give A Thoughtful Gift?

Small, simple gifts are best appreciated when they suit the receiver’s love language. For instance, I know my husband is a service guy so I make him cookies or shovel the snow. If your man is more of a quality time guy, he would probably like the movie night in a basket gift. Not sure what love language your man is? Check out the Five Love Languages book. You can also visit the 5 Love Languages website and take the free quiz.