If you want to buy flowers, but need to stick within a small budget, tips on buying discount Valentine's Day flowers can help you find the best deals. As long as your gift of flowers looks nice, the recipient won't know or care how much they cost. The best Valentine's Day flowers are ones that come from your heart.
Buy Flowers at a Roadside Stand
While roses may still reign supreme as the floral symbol of love, many modern women appreciate unique floral bouquets more. If you live in a climate that doesn't get harsh winters and snow, you can find great, affordable flowers at roadside stands. These rustic flowers can be tied up with twine and cost less than $10 for an impressive bundle. Since the farmer who picked them wants to see them used and sold, you might be able to haggle the price or ask for which ones are the oldest and offer a lower price for those.
Give Valentine's Day Flower Coupons
The cost of flowers around Valentine's Day skyrockets, but you can save money with an IOU of sorts. Give your Valentine the gift of free love coupons that includes a coupon for a dozen roses or bouquet of pink flowers. She can cash in that coupon to you after Valentine's Day and you can buy the flowers at a lower price then.
Buy Waxy Flowers
Flowers with waxy petals may last longer than flowers with thin, frail petals, so you can buy them earlier to save money before prices and demand go up. Wax flowers are often used as filler because they're small, but you can typically find them at grocery stores. Tulips have waxy petals and even look pretty as they're dying. Calla lilies, flamingo flowers, and buttercups are other types of flowers with waxy petals.
Buy Flowers at a Grocery Store
Most grocery stores today have some type of flower section. These bouquets may come from local supplies or travel far and have a short shelf life, which is what makes them cheaper than those from flower shops. Look for bouquets that feature a variety of flowers or colors to get the most impressive look. The assortment has more of a hand-picked quality than a bouquet of all-white carnations, for example.
Buy Flowers at Big Box Stores
From Walmart and Sam's Club to Costco, even big box stores sell flowers. Since they're known for their discount prices, you're sure to find options that are cheaper than florist bouquets. You can usually find potted flowers, flower bunches or bouquets, or floral arrangements, so browse for the cheapest option. Flower bouquets at Sam's Club, for example, start as low as $17 for a 27-stem assorted jumbo bunch or $8 for a 12-stem multi-colored daisy bouquet.
Befriend the Local Florist
Head to your local flower shop to save money on processing and delivery costs. If you get to know your local florist, they'll more than likely be thrilled to help you make a purchase that fits your budget. They may have flowers leftover from a cancelled order or large event they can use to create a custom bouquet for you at a discounted price since they need to off-load the excess. For long distance relationships, one trick to finding discount Valentine's Day flowers is to learn the phone number of your loved one's local flower shop. By calling the florist directly to place your order, you will avoid the wiring fees associated with most flowers sent from afar.
Browse Discount Sections From Online Florists
There are dozens of online flower shops where you can buy flowers or arrangements, and most have special discount sections, Valentine's Day offers, or free delivery for specific purchases.
- Floral company FTD features a sale section that includes discounted delivery deals on bouquets and arrangements that are marked $10 to $20 below normal retail value.
- Set your own price and trust the florists at Teleflora with their Deal of the Day option. While the lowest price you can choose is $50, you'll be getting a unique bouquet that's worth more than what you're paying.
- ProFlowers features a special sale flowers page, with some arrangements available for five or ten dollars less than their list price and others included because of their overall value.
- 1-800-Flowers.com allows users to search by price to stay within a budget and also offers a sales page.
- Shop the sale page at FromYouFlowers.com where you can find over 200 options that are each less than $30.
Order Flowers in Advance
If you plan to order flowers online, some companies will let you buy a month or more in advance and set the shipping date for a specified future date. Since flower prices are often cheaper even in mid-January, ordering then could save you money. The cost of same day delivery can also bust your flower budget, so this is another way around that added cost.
Purchase a Flowering Plant Long Before Valentine's Day
The time when flowers for Valentine's Day is the cheapest falls in the beginning of January, which is too soon to buy standard bouquets. However, you might be able to snag a flowering plant for a good price around this time. Then, when Valentine's Day approaches, you can cut the flowers from the plant to make a bouquet of your own.
Choose Flower Pickup Instead of Delivery
If your florist charges an additional fee for delivery, pick up the flowers yourself. Then carefully plan your presentation to add extra romance to your gift. Perhaps you can bring them to your girlfriend's office for a surprise lunch date or place a vase of flowers on her nightstand as you offer her breakfast in bed.
Buy Wholesale Flowers and Arrange Yourself
Cut out the cost of arranging the flowers and buying costly vases or wrappings by buying flowers wholesale. You'll get more flowers for the same cost as a pre-made arrangement. Buying wholesale requires a bit more work on your end as you'll have to prep and package the flowers, but it can save big money.
Skip the Vase
Cut back on costs at the florist by asking them for one of their specialty arrangements, only ask them to skip the vase. This may not be their favorite tactic, but it will save you money. You can then add the arrangement to a vase you already own or give the flowers as a bouquet.
Ask for Cast-Offs
Florists, grocery stores, and even gas stations will all determine a point where flowers should no longer be on display for sale. Head into any store that sells flowers for Valentine's Day and ask if you can browse the ones they're about to throw out. They may give you these flowers for free or give you a deep discount for buying them. You might have to pick through a few old bouquets to make a new one.
Buy One Big Flower and Embellish It
If you can't afford an elaborate bouquet, feature one beautiful flower with some great filler or packaging and add a romantic card that emphasizes how there's only one of her. Whether you choose leaves or filler like baby's breath, you'll spend less on the bouquet without losing any of the sentiment.
Ask for a Discount
Many stores feature discounts for senior citizens, military members, students, or even AAA members. Look for florists or stores that carry flowers who offer a discount to a special group you belong to. You might even be able to snag a friends and family discount just for asking.
Look in the Produce Section for Bouquet Fillers
If you can manage to find a couple cheap flowers, you can include them in a unique bouquet by shopping for fillers in the produce section. Banana leaves, fancy lettuce, or even fresh herbs might be available for less than floral fillers and they give the same greenery look.
Look for Coupons and Sales in Newspapers
Search the paper in late January and early February for discount coupons and sale offers from local florists. National magazines and newspaper supplements may also contain coupon savings and special offers from FTD, 1-800-Flowers, and other nationwide services.
Cheap Flower Shopping, Care, and Gifting Tips
Although you're looking to snag a deal, you don't want to give your Valentine a bouquet of half-dead flowers. Once you find some discount flowers you want to buy, double check a few key things.
- Make sure the stems are still firm and rigid. If not, you could cut the flowers down and create a short arrangement.
- Give them a gentle shake to see if flower petals start raining down. You don't want to buy any that will be bare by the time your love holds them.
- If you get them home and find some of the leaves are browning, wilting, or drying, cut off those dying parts ASAP to help the rest of the flower thrive.
- Use a sharp knife that is not serrated and cut the bottom of the stems at an angle to make them last longer.
- Get them in water with plant food as soon as you get home to help the flowers stay nourished until just before you're giving them away.
- Take the flowers out of their cheap, plastic wrapping and wrap them in tissue paper, craft paper, or butcher paper, whatever you have on-hand.
Valentine's Flowers for Any Budget
Of course, a dozen long-stemmed roses are a traditional Valentine's Day gift, but you will also pay a premium for that tradition in February. Be both original and budget-conscious by looking at other types of flowers and stores you might not normally consider for floral purchases.
