Survey Says... Your Gal Wants Jewelry for Valentine's Day

Gentlemen, if you were thinking about giving your significant other a gift card, cash or a vacuum cleaner for Valentine's Day, you may want to read the rest of this posting... It could keep you out of the doghouse.

In a recent survey conducted for Sears by Sentient Decision Science, women were asked, "If you could pick only one gift to receive for Valentine's Day this year what would it be?" Nearly one-third of women (29 percent) said they would choose jewelry.

Runners-up on the Valentine Wish List included flowers or chocolate (20%), perfume (9%), the latest technology product (8%), lingerie (8%), a kitchen or home item (6%), shoes, handbag or other accessory item (5%), clothing item (5%), or a fitness/exercise item (1%).

And while 29% of women would love to receive jewelry on February 14, a new survey commissioned by the National Retail Federation reveals that not enough men are getting the message, as barely one in five (18.9%) are planning to buy jewelry for Valentine's Day.

The NRF expects Valentine's Day purchases to top $17.6 billion this year, with $4.1 billion being spent on jewelry, up from $3.5 billion last year. Couples will spend more than $3.5 billion on a special evening out, $1.8 billion on flowers, $1.5 billion on candy, $1.4 billion on clothing and $1.1 billion on gift cards.

While jewelry is your BEST BET, these are the eight WORST possible gifts to give your significant other on Valentine's Day, according to the staff of ModernMom.com

1. A gift card
WAY too impersonal. This just shows that your man didn't put much thought into looking for a gift.

2. Cash
Even worse than a gift card! Couples should never give each other cash - come on!

3. A scale, vacuum cleaner, anything practical
Yes, you may need these items but V-Day isn't the time for practical gifts.

4. Fake flowers
Yes, flowers are super expensive on Valentine's Day. We get that. But, we'd rather get no flowers than fake flowers.

5. Clothing (especially when it's the wrong size)
A man buying clothing for a woman is a bad idea 99% of the time. If it's too small, then we think we're fat. If it's too big, then we think you think we're fat. And if it's ugly, well, we don't want to wear it.

6. Sugar-free or reduced-calorie candy
Nothing says "I'd love you more if you weighed less" quite like an artificially sweetened treat.

7. Facebook gift
Cute on random days during the year, but a virtual gift for V-day? No thank you!

8. Gym membership
Even if we've been saying that we need to join a gym finally, this is not an acceptable gift. What are you trying to say, anyway? Nothing good can come out of this.