Trust me, this is in your best interest. If you want to keep yourself off your girlfriend’s 2010 hitlist, you’d better get your arse into gear. Valentine’s Day is literally less than a week away, and this time – you had better remember!

(Not) coming from a bitter, neglected Brummie girl with a taste for expensive things, here is a guide to getting it right for your Valentine this year. I’ve been wearing my thinking cap (faux fur from Urban Outfitters) so you don’t have to. So if you’re one or all of the following – 1. in Birmingham for Valentines, 2. skint from spending too much time in the local boozer, or 3. just absolutely s**t at thinking of good gift ideas – then use this loving guide that I put together for the low-budget lover. Yes, that’s you, cheapskate.

On a more serious note, I am here to help. I am a girl of much experience – namely as the disappointed girlfriend on Cupid’s favourite day. So if you want Valentine’s Day gift ideas in Birmingham, read on…

Valentines Gifts in Birmingham

1. Flowers – you can’t really go wrong with flowers. As long as you don’t get a £5 bunch from the Esso garage. No, no, no! Seems like a good idea at the time, but trust me, it’s not. Flowers have to be relatively costly and personal, so find out about what flowers she loves and what flowers she is allergic too (rashes aren’t fun) and visit Urban Design Flowers in Birmingham. There are luxury bouquets to suit all budgets.

2. Chocolates – okay, so chocs for Valentine’s Day can be a little bit predictable. And if you don’t get it right, you could run the risk of being called ‘lazy’. This is why chocolates on the 14th Feb have to be extra, extra special. This means making your own, spending that bit extra, or getting some sort of huge personalised chocolate slab. Visit the top chocolate specialist in Birmingham, Chouchoute Chocolaterie, for designer chocolate boxes.

3. The cheesy balloon – this can work. It’s cheap, a little bit corny and you can bring it together with the element of surprise. So here’s what to do. If your Valentines pressie is lacking abit of oomph and sparkle, then wrap it up in a big box and put a personalised helium balloon in it. That way, when she opens the box and a heart shaped balloon saying “I love you Vera!” (assuming that’s her name) pops out from a bed of shredded pink tissue paper, she’ll be too delighted to notice your crappy present. Get a fancy balloon here.

Please note: The above was designed for the low budget prince. If you have money, just get her diamonds. If my tips work for you, I am happy to accept cash donations as a ‘thank you’.