If you get her a necklace or earrings instead, please make sure they are not packaged in a box that could resemble a diamond ring box.

Guys, these are things you must think about especially if you have been dating the love of your life for 4 wonderful years, but aren’t ready to make that big leap into marriage. Odds are, she’s ready and is just waiting for you to pull out that little ring box. And when you do, you bet it better have a diamond on the inside and a “Will you marry me” coming out of your mouth!

(Otherwise, you will spend days making up for the disappointment she will feel when she sees a pair of earrings instead.)

Not, I’m not here to just tell you guys that if you planned to get jewelry you are doomed to fail… nah, I would never do that Here are some options for jewelry on Valentine’s Day.

1. Put it in a box that isn’t small and ring-box-shaped.

2. Get her a necklace or bracelet to avoid the look of a proposal.

Check out eBillme’s list of Valentine’s Day gift ideas or their list of gift ideas for HER.  (Ladies, for those of you getting ready to forward this post in an email to your boyfriend with “hint, hint, hint” in the subject line, check out the Valentine’s Day gifts for HIM too.) In fact, they have a really great contest running right now. Up for grabs is $600 worth of jewelry, a diamond necklace for her and a Citizen watch for him. Check it the Who’s Your Valentine contest, you might win big!

eBillme's Valentine's Contest Prizes

If you want to stay away from jewelry altogether to avoid the Valentine’s Day from Hades, check out the gorgeous bags at Handbag Heaven. (I particularly love the pink one shown below).

Ribbon Shoulder Tote from Handbag Heaven

Men, if you want to go above and beyond the call of duty this V-Day check out this striking red clutch from The Butler Bag’s new Boutoure Line. The Butler Bag is an amazing bag (I have 2 and love them so very much). Jen Groover created the Butler Bag which has a built in organization system for your purse. I promise, it works!! (The red clutch pictured below is $800, it’s a perfect splurge, but she does offer less expensive bags around $65 and up.)

So get out there and find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your love and come back and let us know what you chose!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Allure Clutch Butler Bag

Allure Clutch - Inside View

The fact that V-Day is my favorite holiday has absolutely nothing to do with romantic dates or even boys for that matter! Whether I’m dating someone or single, it doesn’t matter, Valentine’s Day has always been and will always be my favorite holiday for a few simple reasons:

1. Everything is PINK and RED on Valentine’s Day!

2. I have an excuse to be decked out in PINK and looking all Girly!!

3. There are Flowers EVERYWHERE!

4. People are genuinely happy. (No matter how much they “say” they hate Valentine’s Day).

If you happen to be one of those people who hates Valentine’s Day (you probably call it S.A.D. Day – Singles Awareness Day) do me and yourself a favor this year…Love it instead! I promise, it’s a whole lot more fun if you decide to enjoy it. Go out and buy the little kiddie Valentine’s Day cards that you stick a sucker or pack of lifesavers to – write a little something on each one, and give them out to all your friends! I promise, promise, promise you will have so much fun! You’re friends will laugh and then tell you how sweet it was to think of them (especially the single ones!)

But I really love this holiday because it’s a time to tell those who you love how you feel about them! It’s the one day that it’s “ok” to be all nice and frilly to your friends, male or female. If you’re the type person who has trouble telling people how you feel about them, this is the one day you can do that without being embarrassed. So go ahead, tell someone you LOVE them, LIKE them, ENJOY being around them, or just VALUE their friendship – if no other day, then on February 14, 2010!

Have no fear, this won’t be the only Valentine’s Day post you see from me! So go ahead, leave me a comment and tell me what you’d like to see here regarding my fave – V-day! I’ll even tell you about the brutal Valentine’s Day date I had in college (It turned out ok though).

So what are your views of Valentine’s Day? Do you have plans? Tell me!

Also, if you’re looking for unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas check out eBillme’s Valentine’s Day and then head over to Handbag Heaven for all your handbag purchases! (Men, a pink or red handbag is a great Valentine’s Day Gift Idea, by the way!)

But then I jumped into reality and realize there are some really great places to get the rest of the gifts on my list, and they reside right here in my little white Macbook, ahh the joys of the internet!

Places like Amazon.com, Buy.com, Shoebuy.com, GiftGirl.com, & Shop Debt Free.  And that’s just the beginning!

But even when you have the leisure of shopping from your comfy micro-suede couch, you still have to shop around to find just the right gift for those on your list. Well, GiftGirl.com and Shop Debt Free are two places that help you with the shopping process.

Gift Girl is primarily for those of you shopping for the women on your list and looking for a higher end gift. The guys over at Gift Girl have made it easy for you, all you have to do is put in a few characteristics about the person you’re buying for and let the Gift Girl give you suggestions! Then you just click to buy. Plus, you can save the search for later Birthdays, Anniversaries, etc.

Now, on the other end, Shop Debt Free is similar; the good people over at eBillme have selected gift ideas for Men, Women, and Kids. All you have to do is choose the one you’re shopping for and see what they’ve suggested! Plus, you can pay with cash online through eBillme, and the site offers the lowest prices online, guaranteed! You can’t beat that! Oh and if you do, just let eBillme know, they will pay you the difference… no kidding!

So no matter who you have left to buy for, crank up the computer and get to shopping!

Here are a few of my personal picks:

Silk Sheets – Sale $67.00 (Reg. $129.99)

Cutting Board – Sale $27.95 (Reg. $32.95)

“Angel” Perfume – Sale $27.01 (Reg. $85.00)

So if you’d like to buy me a nice little Christmas present this year, feel free to click on any of those little links above.

You see, every year all the ladies in my family gather in the living room of my house and sort through all the ads in our local paper, cutting out deals, and clipping coupons, Thanksgiving night which is the night before Black Friday. Then we categorize our coupons by store and put them in separate envelopes. It makes shopping day go more efficiently.

This year, things are a little different. Now, we don’t have to wait for our paper to arrive the week of Thanksgiving to get great deals because they are posted online!

Take a look:

eBillme has posted their deals already in their Black Friday section. They have a few Coupon blogs listed where you can print out coupons and take them with you. On the deals page, they have broken it down by category for you, no matter who you’re shopping for, there’s a section of deals waiting for you!

If this is your first year to tackle the craziness of Black Friday shopping, the Tips and Ideas section will definitely help you out!

One other place you can check for Black Friday coupons and info is BlackFriday.info.

Now here’s what I always do to make my Black Friday go smooth:

• Stay Organized. Keep all the coupons organized so you know what coupon is for what store.
• Eat a good breakfast. You will be shopping all day long and you want to be able to start the morning off right.
• Bring snacks. You will get so wrapped up in all the great deals you’re finding and all the money you are saving that you will forget that you’re hungry for lunch until it hits you! Keep snacks to keep you going, you need the energy!
• Get to the mall EARLY. Most malls open around 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. You should plan to be there when they open, if you wait until late morning, all the good items will be gone and the major discounts and coupons will have expired.
• HAVE FUN! Dress is all black, or make t-shirts with anyone else who plans to go with you that say something like “We’re Surviving Black Friday” – (I know, no the most creative thing I’ve come up with but you get the idea!)

Black Friday can be exhausting but so much FUN! And if you decide the big crowds just aren’t for you, there are many Black Friday deals happening online! The deals over at eBillme can be cashed in on at the online stores. Plus, there’s always Cyber Monday!

Leave me comments and let me know what your Black Friday traditions are, or if this is your first year to participate and have questions, let me know! I’d love to help you plan our your Black Friday strategy