My canny Valentine . . . love on the cheap
Last week the always lovely Mad Flowers was offering roses for delivery on Thursday through two deal sites for €49, a price that included a box of chocolates. We know that is not much use to you now, but it will still offer a good service this week with prices starting at €80.
Another great flower shop, Appasionata, has traditional bouquets for €100 but we liked its “medley of ruby red and funky pinks” which comes in a “tray of milk-bottles”. The price of €50 (which includes delivery) also appealed.
Sparkles for less
Bubbles are a must, and all the big supermarkets are trying to coax people to splash out on what they say are heavy discounts. Supervalu is selling Gran Troya Cava Brut at €10 compared with its normal selling price of €22. It has Pierre Darcy’s Champagne down from €48 to €22 and Grifon Prosecco, which was €11.49, is now €8. Now these prices might look amazing but they come with a warning. We couldn’t resist having a look at some of the options and were less than impressed to see that Asda in the UK was selling the Pierre Darcy Champagne last Christmas at a discount of £10 (€11.57). It claimed it had a full price of £23 (€26), which is a long, long way off the €48 Supervalu says it would normally sell this bubbly for. Similarly, the Valentine’s cava it is selling can be found elsewhere in Europe for less than €10 year round. For its part, Aldi is selling Monsigny Pink Champagne Brut at €24.99. In Aldi’s UK stores, the same champagne costs £12.99 or €15.
Dine in à deux
Call us a curmudgeon but Pricewatch does not think restaurants are a great place to be on Valentine’s Day. Diners are shoehorned into every available space and tables for two are pushed so close together that you can hear the rows of the grumpy couples surrounding you. Oh and you know those special Valentine’s menus? Well, the thing special about many of them is the price, which will be a whole lot more than it is worth.
We’re not blaming restaurants – it is an inexplicably busy night and they have had a very lean January. But it’s not for us. A meal cooked at home is a much better bet. If you can’t cook or don’t have the inclination, you will struggle to beat the Marks Spencer dine-in deal, which is running all this week.
For €25 you get a starter, a main, a side dish, dessert, a bottle of cava and a box of chocolates. marksandspencer.ie
Go solo
If you’re single, don’t fret – celebrate instead. While couples all over the world are spending money they don’t have on tat they don’t need, you can have a low-cost day and it is not just next Thursday that will save you money. Add up the cost of Christmas, birthday and Valentine’s Day presents over a lifetime and a person is easily worse off to the tune of at least €20,000.
