Make This Valentine’s Day the Sweetest Ever with These Dollar-Store Picks (2024)

27 Sweet Homemade Valentine's Day Candy Cards and Gifts

DIY Garland

It only takes a few minutes to transform a bag of mini felt hearts into a delightful Valentine’s Day garland. Sold in multi-packs, you just need to grab some Valentine’s twine (available in 3-packs), poster letters (located in the school supplies aisle), and get to work. A glue gun makes the job easier, and the best part? You can customize the message to say whatever your heart desires.

Heart-Shape Cookies

Not everyone has the time to bake Instagram-worthy confections. Thankfully, these heart-shaped cookies do the job without having to spend a single minute in the kitchen. Better yet? No cleanup either. Packaged and sold individually, they’ll have everyone guessing how long it took you to make them. Don’t worry—we’ll never tell.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

From playful kitties to corgis wearing heart-shaped sunglasses, you can’t beat these cute-as-a-button crew socks. Available in men’s and women’s sizes, they come in a variety of patterns and are guaranteed to not only warm your favorite person’s feet—but their heart, too.

Valentine's Day Mantel Decor

With a little inspiration, it only takes a few dollars to make your mantel look like a million bucks. Die-cut felt hearts give a plain mirror a festive feel, coordinating signs add a splash of color, and you can’t go wrong layering these fuzzy pom-pom garlands (available in red, pink, and mixed colors).

'Be Mine' Bar Cart

Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to break out your bar cart and give it some dollar-store love. Plastic sentiment containers work great as wine buckets, themed glassware steals the show, and no tree is necessary to display this festive plaid heart and tinsel garland.

Valentine Treat Bags

Whether it’s for the classroom or an after-school party, these mini cotton heart sacks are sure to please when filled up with sweet treats. Available in red and pink, they’re sold in packs of three. Larger treat sacks are sold in packs of two.

Good Fortune

Whether you’re celebrating with a special dinner or staying in and ordering takeout from your favorite restaurant, these foam fortune cookies will help end the evening with a smile. Sold in packs of 10, the faux treats are available in pink, red, and white—each with its own delightful sentiment stashed inside for your special someone to discover.

Valentine's Day Desserts

Skip the bakery and whip up a dreamy dessert at home. Everything you need, from cake mix to hot-pink frosting, can be found on dollar-store shelves for less than you’d pay for pre-made. Plaid cupcake holders and wooden heart sticks (also from the dollar store) complete your one-of-a-kind confection.

Books of Love

If you want to let someone know how much they mean to you, but just can’t find the right words, let one of these books do the talking instead. Filled with expressions of love, these short-but-sweet books offer a collection of heartfelt quotes ranging from Shakespeare to Ingrid Bergman.

Garden Accessories

Does your Valentine prefer green to pink? No problem. With a wide selection of garden accessories—including plastic pots, gloves, pruning tools, and faux succulents—assembling a gift for your favorite botanist is easy and inexpensive. Top it off with this charming dollar-store “Love” sign, which can stay up long after Valentine’s Day is over.

Valentine's Day Tree

Instead of going with the traditional Valentine’s Day color scheme, give your aesthetic a refresh using a clean, modern theme. While you’re at it, be sure to include these fabulous black-and-jute hearts. Packaged as crafter’s chalkboard tags and sold in packs of 4, they easily do double-duty as pint-sized ornaments. They can be personalized and decorated using chalk.

A Sweet Assortment

There’s no shortage of treats at the dollar store, so why not assemble an assortment for your sweetheart or bestie in an indulgent smorgasbord? Give dollar-store jars and other glassware an easy makeover with ribbons and other accoutrements, then fill them with sweets for a decadent celebration.

Valentine Decor Ideas

Cute and festive, these door mats had us at hello. Best for indoor use, they aren’t made to endure heavy-duty, winter-boot wiping—but they are perfect for greeting Cupid or any other guests that stop by for some Valentine’s Day cheer.

The Gift of Love

Whatever surprises you’ve picked up for that someone special will undoubtedly look better nestled in one of these sweet gift bags. Available in 2- or 3-packs (depending on size), they come in a variety of patterns and are the perfect way to say, "Be my Valentine."

Sealed with a Kiss

No postage required with these love-letter ornaments. Made from metal, they come in red, pink, or silver. Whether you tuck a secret note inside or decorate your Valentine’s Day tree with them, they’re sure to deliver a whole lot of love.

Easy Valentine's Day Decor

No time to spare? No worries. Last-minute decor can be easy and affordable with just a little ingenuity. Fill dollar-store frames with pieces of coordinating scrapbook paper for instant wall art, or print off lyrics to your favorite love songs for display. Attach paper heart doilies to a ribbon with glue (or stapler if you’re really short on time) for an inexpensive Valentine’s Day garland.

‘Love’ Jars

These swirled-glass candleholders are perfect for votives and other small candles; but for Valentine’s Day, give them a new lease as mementos of your affection. Use a printer or jot down the top reasons why your Valentine is special, then fill up one of these pretty jars with them. The candleholders are completely affordable, but the personalized expression of your love will make your sweetheart feel priceless.

Valentine's Day Drinks

Raise one of these champagne flutes and drink a toast to love—or anything else you’re celebrating—this Valentine’s Day. Made of plastic, these fluted heart glasses will take whatever is on the drink menu to the next level. Super-cute red and white striped straws are also from the dollar store.

Heart-Shape Cake Stands

From candles to cupcakes, there’s nothing you can’t display on these ceramic heart-shaped stands. Sold individually, they come in red, pink, and white. Measuring just shy of 4 inches tall, these dainty stands will show off your favorite treasures or are sweet all by themselves.

Miniature Baking Supplies

These petite utensils are ideal for small spaces, campers, or little kitchen helpers. Around half the size of their typical counterparts, they’re probably not practical for everyday use—but are great for kids, gift baskets, your favorite cook, and are just so charming you won’t be able to resist.

Tiered Tray

There’s no better time than Valentine’s Day to deck out your tiered tray with dollar-store finds. With bright, cheery colors to work with, the sky’s the limit! Turn it into a treat bar or use it to display ornaments, plants, signs, sweets, or anything else you can think of.

DIY Date Night

Love is in the air, and it can be on your table, too, when you layer up your place settings with dollar-store dishware. Mix-and-match chargers and plates add visual interest; then complete the aesthetic with one of these Valentine’s Day party plates.

Premium Cards

Why pay full-retail price for greeting cards when you can find premium Valentine’s Day cards at the dollar store? With a wide selection of quality cards to choose from, you’d be crazy to spend more for the same thing.

Valentine's Day Wall Decor

Even Saint Valentine would have a hard time saying it better than one of these playful signs. With so many to choose from, you might have a hard time picking just one.

Felt Rose Wreath

Felt is totally having a moment, and why not? It’s soft, cozy, and looks amazing incorporated into nearly any craft. These felt roses, sold in packs of four (two pink and two fuchsia), are versatile, and simply adorable. Glued to a wreath ring, they make the perfect Valentine’s Day accessory. The only thing felt isn’t compatible with is the weather, which makes this an indoor-only wreath.

Valentine's Day Gift Basket

They say it’s the little things that matter. If so, you’re in luck; there are plenty to choose from at the dollar store. From cuddly stuffed animals and balloons to pencils and heart-shaped boxes, you can put together a gift basket in no time.

Editor’s Tip: To give dollar-store bowls a Valentine’s Day makeover, just apply foam stickers—which can be peeled off when the celebration is over.