Staying single (and flush) this Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day used to be a time when singles sent anonymous cards to secret crushes. But retailers have since jumped on the bandwagon, and made it all about couples. We asked iVillage singles how they feel about February 14th

'Thank goodness I don't have to waste my money this year on all this tat in the shops! Me and another single friend of mine may go out and get drunk, and see if we bump into any single blokes on our travels!

The day after Valentine's Day everything goes half price and you can buy loads of expensive chocolate on sale. I like the ones filled with cognac and champagne! You can buy lots of stuffed animals on the cheap and disguise them as gifts for your younger relatives throughout the year, and leftover roses on sale can be dried and turned into scented pot pouri sachets and distributed as gifts. So I look at is as a way to take advantage of the post-Valentine's Day sales!' violettablue

'It's great being single on Valentine's Day. Think of the money and time you save. I'm going out with a few of my mates to laugh at all the poor guys' faces (out with their girlfriends) as they slowly lose the will to live!' tp023 (male reader)

'My friends and I are having a 'Singles Day' on February 13th - getting in early - and ignoring Feb 14th.' fatismyenemy

'I am going to treat myself on Valentine's Day to a nice bubble bath, chocolates, a glass of wine and some new batteries for my rabbit!' katie4385

'It is quite hard walking past all the nice cards and flowers and stuff, knowing that I won't be buying (or being bought) any this year. But, I just have to remember that it is only because I haven't met the right guy yet!' fatbob2008

'My son buys me some lovely red roses and red carnations and we buy each other a card.' starflower2004

'I did once get a Valentine's Day card that I loved. It was printed around 1890 and was designed for men, claiming that if a man doesn't get married and have children then he would end up sick and alone with no one to look after him but a drunken, toothless nurse. So forget the warm and fuzzy stuff and go straight to the primal fear of dying alone. That's what gets people together!' sbensimar1