FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Love on a budget is a common theme for this year’s Valentine’s Day gifting.<\/p>\n
Even the iconic conversation hearts are leaning into the realities of the current economy.<\/p>\n
Among the new sayings are “share login” and “split rent.”<\/p>\n
WalletHub’s Valentine’s Day spending survey shows two in five people say Valentine’s Day activities aren’t affordable this year, with the same amount of people saying they have a budget.<\/p>\n
ABC PRICE TRACKER: See cost of gas, groceries, housing where you live <\/a><\/p>\n “Creating the budget is the easy part,” says Chip Lupo with WalletHub. “Actually sticking to it, coming up with realistic dollar amounts with a threshold of how much you’re willing to spend on dinner, how much you’re willing to spend on gifts, very important to stick to that.”<\/p>\n Lupo says there are also skeptical sweethearts.<\/p>\n “Eighty-two percent of Americans believe Valentine’s Day is a trick to spend more money,” he said. “That it’s a holiday concocted by the Candy Chocolate Company. Yet, people are still spending money.”<\/p>\n That same survey gives insight into the strain finances can place on a relationship.<\/p>\n “We did find one in four people believe that financial secrets are the worst money problem in a relationship,” Lupo said. “Maybe not so much the amount — just discovering maybe there’s a hidden account that your better half doesn’t know about.”<\/p>\n They also found 55% of people believe budgeting together is the best way to avoid money problems in a household.<\/p>\n “Plan ahead because if you’re waiting until today to book your V-Day dinner or plans, you’re probably just better off getting a head start on next year because you’re probably going to be out of luck,” Lupo said.<\/p>\n There are plenty of affordable options you can still sign up for.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n