Heart shaped chocolateValentine's Day is nearly upon us. If you're trying to find a present for your loved one, or even one to treat yourself, why not save some money at the same time.

The internet is rammed full of codes and offers to help you save a few pennies on the day without looking cheap.

Money-saving guide


Earlier in the week we gave you details of how to get a free box of Valentine's Day chocolates and here I've rounded-up the best bargains on chocolates and flowers for the day.

Valentine's Day voucher codes
Firstly, the following deals all use voucher codes from the two websites; MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and VoucherCodes.co.uk.

Interflora: When you buy any flowers from the Valentine's Day range you'll also get a free set of chocolates. To benefit just enter the code 'february14' at the checkout before 15th February.

Bunches.co.uk: You can get 10% off any bunch of flowers for the big day if you order before 14th February and enter the code 'VDAY2013' at the checkout.

Flying Flowers: Another 10% offer on bunches of flowers, this one has a longer expiry date of 10th March and you'll need the code 'AFFVAL' to get the discount.

Debenhams: There is a slightly bigger discount of 14% available off any bunches of flowers from Debenhams online with the code 'MVCVD' if ordered before 13th February.

Marks & Spencer: If you're heading to the high street staple Marks and Spencer for your romantic gifts, there's £5 off selected flowers online and free delivery until 10th February.

Hotel Chocolat: There is a 10% discount available at Hotel Chocolat if you enter the code 'MVC10EX2' at the checkout.

Thorntons: Although the shops are closing, you can still buy Thorntons goods online. Right now there's free delivery on orders of more than £25 until the 10th February and £5 off the Valentine's Day heart collection.

Cashback deals
The two leading cashback websites are Quidco and TopCashback. I've listed the best deals with both for chocolates and flowers for Valentine's Day.

When you buy something online through a cashback website you'll be paid a percentage of your total spend back. Retailers pay the cashback websites to list their items, and some of this money is then passed right back to the customer.

However, the savings aren't instant and it normally takes around one month to get the cash into your account. For more information on these websites read our article on the best cashback websites.

The top Valentine's Day deals from Quidco:
Hotel Chocolat: 10% cashback and free delivery when you enter the code 'QUIDCOSPRFD2' at the checkout before 10th February.

Green & Blacks: 10% cashback and a 10% discount if you enter the code 'VALENTINEWG10' at the checkout before 14th February.

Interflora: 6% cashback available and you'll also get a free box of chocolates when you enter the code 'lovehearts' at the checkout before 15th February.

The top Valentine's Day deals from TopCashback:
Hotel Chocolat: 10.1% cashback on all online purchases. This deal has no expiry date.

Thorntons: 8.08% cashback on full-priced online purchases until further notice.

Chocolate Trading Co: 7.07% cashback on all purchases and a 7% discount when you enter the code 'LOVECHOC7' at the checkout before 18th February.

Flowersdirect: 14.14% cashback and a 10% discount until 10th February.

Debenhams Flowers: 15.15% cashback on flowers and gift purchases.

Bunches.co.uk: 13.13% cashback until 10th February and a 10% discount on orders made before 14th February with the code 'TOPVDAY'.

Flying Flowers: 12.12% cashback and a 10% discount on Valentine's Day orders when you enter the code 'AFFVAL' at the checkout before 10th March.

Interflora: 10.1% cashback if you order before 10 February and a 7% discount on orders of more than £25 with the code 'february14'.

How to save even more money
If you're looking for something really original for Valentine's Day and want to save even more money, why not make your own chocolates? Our sister website Lovefood has a list of the 14 best edible Valentine's Day gifts to get you started.



Things you needn't buy new

  • Books
    <p> Most books, after being read - or half-read - are left on the shelf to gather dust. Websites like Amazon and eBay give sellers a place to recoup money from books and for buyers to grab a bargain. Expect to pay 30% or less of the high street price online for a used bestselling paperback. Charity shops, car boot sales and the local library are also great places to look for cheap books.</p>
    Books
  • Cars
    <p> According to Auto Trader, new cars can lose up to 54% of their value within one year of leaving the showroom. Of course, buying a used car is never an easy thing to do, and shouldn't be taken lightly. For those who know a thing or two about cars, buying privately can save thousands of pounds. For those less confident of their ability to spot a potential money pit, used car dealers usually provide warranties with their motors.</p>
    Cars
  • DVDs
    <p> The price of DVDs has dropped dramatically over recent years, with many large retailers selling new releases for well under a tenner. Buying used DVDs online is an extremely cheap way to shop, but leaves the buyer open to illegal recordings and scratched disks. Go to most film rental shops, though, and they will have buckets of ex-rental and pre-owned films which have passed their quality checks.</p>
    DVDs
  • Games
    <p> There are several games consoles on the market, and thousands of games to play on them. Latest releases excluded, it's possible to pick up games for a fraction of the new price. So much so that even the gaming shops themselves are getting in on the action, selling pre-owned games, accessories and consoles.</p>
    Games
  • Musical instruments
    <p> A good guitar, piano or violin that has been well looked after will play a good tune for many a year. What they will lose over time is the odd nought at the end of their asking price. Pianos, which are too large to fit in many modern homes, often sell at auctions for spare change. Check your local newspaper, go online to places like musicalads.co.uk, musicalinstrumentsales.co.uk, or, of course, visit the local music shop for bargains.</p>
    Musical instruments
  • Sports equipment
    <p> OK, so a lot of sports equipment should definitely be bought new. Things like goalkeeping gloves, cycling shorts and cricket boxes should only ever have one owner! However, high cost items like treadmills, weight benches and weights, snooker tables and kayaks, can be bought at vastly discounted rates online, at places like Gumtree, or in the ads section of any local paper.</p>
    Sports equipment


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