Top 5 Poll: What Women Do & Don't Want for Valentine's Day!

It's that time of year that men are put on the spot:

"What do I get her for Valentine's Day?"

The pressure is on to make her eyes light up, make her heart skip a beat and to have her know for sure how much they really care. So, flowers and candy should do that, right? WRONG!!!



But no fear, we have taken the guess work out of it and polled over 50 women to get the REAL & HONEST answers...

The results are in! We polled our readers and our friends to see what women REALLY want for Valentine's Day! AND...what they DON'T want!

Here are the results!

TOP 5 - What she does NOT want:




5. Stuffed Animals - YIKES! This should almost be #1 in my book! What the heck is she going to do with a stuffed animal? Have you seen the teddy bear on Amazon that is $169.99, regularly $379.99? Yeah, it is as big as a full-grown woman. It kills me that men get swindled like that! If you live together, think, "where is that gonna go after tonight?"  Do you really want it staring at you in the bedroom? Eeew. Not even remotely a good idea!

4. Jewelry -   The last thing my jewelry box needs is another necklace that I won't wear! However, Kmart, Zales and stores like the Bon-Ton will tell you otherwise. And OK, I really get that guys could put a lot of thought into it, especially if she is a huge fan of jewelry. But, how many times does he nail her taste? Hmm. I vote zippo along with the women we polled. I love jewelry but have a very specific taste. Leave the jewelry for the proposal or anniversary if you must buy some!

3. Gifts for the home - OK, do we really need to go here? It kills me how many women said they have received a gift to clean or cook with for Valentine's Day? That is just wrong and she will chop your arm off. Enough said.

2. Flowers - There was a slight, and I mean slight disagreement about flowers. A random few said that flowers would be nice because they have never gotten them before. The rest of you felt like he may as well just throw the cash in the trash! One woman suggested a plant, which is OK, but I think we need to be a little more creative on the day we show that special someone just how much we love and appreciate them. Suggestion: Save 1-800-FLOWERS for a random day for no reason...it will mean WAY more to her than today!

1. CANDY!!! - Surprised? Not much! Yes, women love chocolate. But handing her a big box of "Man, I'm gonna feel guilty after I eat these!" will probably not be the best idea. And it is by FAR overdone. There is really NO thought to candy. I love chocolate so much that I eat it every other day through the year. I get heavier just LOOKING at a box of it!

TOP 5 - What she REALLY wants!

5. Surprise Overnighter/Getaway - Let's face it. Women are usually the ones in charge of making most of the daily arrangements for outings like appointments, shopping, kids' school practices, etc. It sure gets tiring. Our women said it would be just wonderful if their other half would plan a surprise for them all on their own! How about planning a surprise date night out for Valentine's Day? The guy can pick the restaurant, the time, the activity, etc. and all the women have to do is get in the car and go! Or, he could print out photos of a surprise getaway that they could take a bit later, even if they couldn't go that weekend. BUT, that does NOT get him out of getting an additional gift for that night! :)

DID YOU KNOW???  The Frugal DIY Mom is also a travel agent specializing in Surprise Vacations and Blind Booking! Visit her website to plan your Valentine's Day surprise getaway today!

4. Pampering Gifts - The majority of women we polled said that they would LOVE a thoughtful gift that was JUST for them. Many women said they would love a pampering gift such as a massage at her favorite spa, a pedicure, manicure, facial, etc.  Or, how about the man doing all of that for her himself? Um, sign me up if there is a guy willing to touch feet! :) Now, if your woman is used to doing this for herself on a regular basis, you may want to choose something else to show her that you were thinking out of the box. :)

3. Dinner - So, we know that there is usually a dinner involved when it comes to Valentine's Day. But, how awesome would it be if the man came home from work early to make dinner for his girl? According to our poll, it would be AMAZING! Our readers suggested that they wouldn't even care if it was boxed macaroni and cheese with hot dogs - as long as the man was thoughtful and tried his best. And, an even better "plus" would be if he did the dishes, too!  Take a peek at my easy recipes!

• Crock Pot Salsa Chicken Thighs
• Easy Spinach Pasta Bake
• Sugar - Free, Low Carb Peanut Butter Cookies
• Crock Pot Applesauce
• Broccoli Cheese Soup

2. A Hand Written Card/Note/Poem - I LOOOOOVVVEEE this! We had MANY women request something handmade or hand-written from their man. Women understand that men generally have a more difficult time verbalizing their feelings than women. But on Valentine's Day, women WANT DESPERATELY to hear that they are loved and appreciated for all that they do. Maybe they have never heard their man say it before? Maybe they are greatly appreciated but have never felt it? Now is a great time for a guy to pull out all of the stops and write down a few lines about their love for that special woman! He will NOT regret doing so, I promise!

The Drum Roll Please...........................

The #1 Gift that Women Want for Valentine's Day is........

A BREAK! TIME ALONE! A "ME" DAY!!!! - Whaaattt??? Women want to be ALONE on Valentine's Day? No, that's not what I am saying. But the planning of one of these days ahead of time would be as close to heaven as a woman can get here on earth. Yes, we love you, men...and we love our families. But, in this crazy world we live in, women are running themselves ragged. Guys, stop and think about the last time they were able to take a shower without hearing a child scream, "Mommy, Joey hit me!". Or the last time she sat on the couch watching her favorite chick flick while YOU were doing the laundry, dishes and dusting? Yes, these gifts may not sound like much, and maybe some men are great about this.  But, alone time is SO precious, especially to a woman who spends what little "alone" time she has catching up on chores or using it to put dinner on the table before you or the kids get home? This is the NUMBER ONE requested gift from over 50 polled women, like it or not.  Plan even a few hours to let her go shopping without receiving the "when are you coming home" texts! :)

So, that's it! Do you agree or disagree with our poll? Please comment below and be a part of the discussion!

Don't forget to share this with the man you know that may be able to use these suggestions! AND, remember to have a great Valentine's Day!

And don't forget to have The Frugal DIY Mom help you plan your romantic getaway today!