Valentine's Day: No skimping this year

NEW YORK (Money Magazine) -- Four out of five spouses will buy a their significant other a Valentine's Day gift in 2007, according to a new survey by Money Magazine and market research firm ICR.

Out of the 756 respondents with a significant other, about half (45 percent) are expecting to spend under $50 on a valentines gift for their loved one. Male gift givers are bigger spenders and on average will shell out $138 on a gift while women plan on spending $74, the survey said.

The survey also showed about 75 percent of men and women with a significant other are expecting a Valentine's Day gift, averaging $100 in value. However, more than one third of men would prefer it if their spouse did not spend anything on them for the holiday, compared to less than 20 percent of women.

The Money/ICR poll was conducted by telephone with a nationally representative sample of 1009 Americans between December 6th - 10th, 2006. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.