A short article I wrote in my journalism class at SUNY Purchase on Valentine’s Day 2011.

The total spending for Valentine’s Day is expected to hit $15.7 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. On average, a person will spend over $116.21 on the holiday.

For SUNY Purchase students, there is quite a range on what they’ll do, and the amount of money they’ll spend on their sweetie, for Valentine’s Day.

“Tonight, my girlfriend and I are making pizza,” said Nick Sciretta, junior drama studies major. “It’s a cheap and fun dinner. We don’t need to go overboard. Spending time together is special enough.”

Phil Gallo, SUNY Purchase alum said, “I’ll probably spend about $75 on gifts for my girlfriend. Maybe a little more.”

According to the UNH Researcher at the University of New Hampshire, when it comes to getting that Valentine’s Day gift, “Women are more like foragers and men are more like hunters.” When it comes to selecting a gift, men and women approach the process in “extremely different ways.” Men want to make sure they get the right gift—something that will make their mate feel special, and also something that will not make him feel rejected. Many men feel that the gift should not be something that’s strongly advertised. For women, Valentine’s Day shopping is not a hassle at all. They like to take their time shopping, either in a store or on the Internet. They’re willing to put more time into shopping and ideas, are more creative and generally, they enjoy the process.

For many guys at SUNY Purchase, most of the gift-hunting ideas fall under the amount of money they have.

Joey Doino, senior arts management major, said, “I say I’ll spend around $200. A nice dinner and some gifts.”

As for the girls, like senior arts management major, Sara Ricci, it’s completely different.

“I’d rather be creative and make a homemade gift for zero dollars,” she said. “Maybe I’d spend 10 dollars, but I’d rather be creative.”