I’ve heard people say that the greeting card and candy companies invented Valentine’s Day as a way to sell their products. I’m not quite cynical enough to believe that statement, but I can understand why some people would. Whenever demand for a product is artificially elevated, prices tend to rise as well.

I don’t seem to fit the target demographic of the card companies. Most of the cards from husband to wife begin “I know I’m a jerk most of the time…” or “Just because I never tell you that I love you doesn’t mean that I don’t.” If those quotes accurately describe your relationship, then maybe you do need a day like Valentine’s Day to be forced to express your feelings and be nice to your wife. Like most men, I try to be nice to my wife all the time, so many of the Valentine’s Day traditions seem redundant or forced.

That’s not to say that I don’t buy candy, cards, and flowers, just that doing so isn’t going to make or break my relationship with my wife. In fact, buying too much at Valentine’s Day has gotten me into trouble in the past. My wife gets annoyed when I pay the artificially high prices for select items, such as a dozen roses. She’s repeatedly told me that she’d much prefer a more modest bouquet at Valentine’s Day. Surprising her with roses at another time of year is more cost-effective, and special.

Whether or not to pay exorbitant prices at Valentine’s Day is largely dependent on the giver and receiver of the gifts. For men who normally follow strict financial discipline, overpaying may actually be a highly romantic gesture in the eyes of their significant other. A recipient who has shown highly frugal behavior might instead get upset to see their significant other’s sacrifices undercut by wasteful purchases.

I would never suggest that you cut back on spending for a holiday like Valentine’s Day. If your purchases bring joy to the recipient and improve your relationship, it may be money very well spent. Just take the time to consider your reasons for buying and whether or not your purchases will have the desired effect.

How much do you spend on Valentine’s Day presents?

To help build rapport with customers, many retailers have been relaxing their return policies this year. Even still, you may see vastly different policies implemented between different locations of the same store.

After Christmas, I had to return an item to Old Navy without a receipt. I didn't expect to get much for the item since it had likely been placed on sale before Christmas. Even with that expectation I was surprised that I would only receive $5 for an item that probably had cost at least $25. To make matters worse, I would get the money in the form of a gift card mailed to my home for use at a later date. With these limitations, and the low inventory available at that store, I decided not to make the return.

A few days later, I tried again at a different location. This store's inventory was much better as was their liberal return policy. They honored my return at the non-sale price of the item and allowed the credit to be used the same day. Given the fact that they were having a huge sale, I ended up leaving the store with twice as much as I was trying to return. I understand that all Old Navy stores are part of the same parent company, but I am much more likely to shop at this second store in the future.

If you find that a store is not giving you a fair price for a return, consider returning the item to an alternative location. If you live near a state border, you may even try returning the item in another state. To help avoid this situation altogether, carefully examine the return policies of stores, save your receipts, or include gift receipts when giving items as gifts.

Have you gotten more than usual in return for items this year?

In recent years, LL Bean has always offered free shipping on orders placed in time for Christmas delivery. This year the offer was still available, but not to all customers and hardly advertised at all.

I actually waited a while before placing my Christmas order, hoping that free shipping would become available. By Thanksgiving, I had received at least three of their catalogs and still hadn't seen a free shipping promotion, so I placed my order. When it arrived, it also contained a $10 gift card for a future purchase. If further orders resulted in the same gift card, then I essentially only paid shipping the first time. The gift card would cover subsequent shipping. This wasn't quite as good as the normal free shipping promotion, but it was better than nothing.

The story of LL Bean promotions doesn't end there. In early December, my dog received a coupon for free shipping. This may sound strange, but I had previously purchased one of LL Bean's great dog beds and shipped it in my dog's name. I suspect that after December 1st, LL Bean decided to entice previous customers and recipients (including my dog) who had not yet made any Christmas purchases. Customers who had placed orders may feel slighted by this strategy, but I suspect few even realize that free shipping was offered to anyone this year. Also the $10 gift card, mentioned previously, largely should have appeased those customers as well.

I suppose the lesson learned from this experience is that it may be worthwhile to be listed multiple times on certain mailing lists, under different names. That way you'll receive the offers for customers who do make purchases and those who do not. Depending on who gets the best offer, you can decide how to place your order. In my case, my second LL Bean offer was placed in my dog's name using the $10 coupon I had received. So I ended up getting the best of both deals.

Have you seen similar discrepancies from other companies?

Welcome your new fast food overlords.

In a down economy, the titans of industry have thus far proven to be the ones living under golden arches and doling out two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun. McDonald's and its fast food brethren are enjoying success in light of failure all around them, as consumers flock to cheap eats while money is tight.

Last week, McDonald's announced an 80 percent rise in net profit for last year, ballooning from 2.3 billion dollars to 4.3 billion. They were one of only two companies in the Dow Jones industrial average to see a rise in share price in 2008 (Wal-mart and those nutty rollback prices being the other).

The AP quoted McDonald's chief executive Jim Skinner as saying, "2008 was a strong year for McDonald's." It may have been the biggest understatement since the Arch Deluxe sandwich.

McDonald's' success bodes well for the future of other fast food restaurants as well. Many of the same principles that helped build Mickey D's into a powerhouse - value, efficiency, quality - are shared by other fast food luminaries such as Wendy's, Jack in the Box, and Burger King. Each of these restaurants should stand to gain with the economy turning for the worse. Those consumers who aren't satisfied with McDonald's can easily turn to any number of other quick options for the cheap grub they desire. Things are looking up for the Carl's Jr.'s of the world.

The secret weapon for these big players in the battle for Americans' dollars is the value menu, that bastion of calories and affordability. Some places even choose to call it the Dollar Menu or the 99-cent Menu, just to make it clear to consumers how serious they are about offering cheap eats. McDonald's made the value meal (a historic collection of burger, fries, and a drink) famous, and they are leading the charge for a la cart options, too. Their radio ads and commercials are a constant reminder that the economy is a lot less bleak with a $1.00 hot fudge sundae. What recession, says the dollar menunaire.

If affordability is the name of the game when it comes to dining out, then it is no wonder that the restaurant biz and the scores of high-priced eateries are struggling. As money grows tighter, there is a trickle-down effect that happens in fine dining: the steak-and-lobster crowd visits more chain eateries, the chain crowd visits more diners, and the diner crowd visits more fast food restaurants, and the fast foodies order more Big Macs. It's survival of the fittest (and cheapest) in a way that would have made Darwin proud.

How can the sit-down restaurant compete in today's economy? By being more like McDonald's, of course. Change and adaptation are necessary; it would appear, judging by the numbers released last week from the National Restaurant Association (the other NRA). Their restaurant index - a measure of factors like sales and traffic, extracted into an all-encompassing report - has been setting record lows on a monthly basis, and there are no signs of stopping.

It may be time for a value menu or two. Cheap prices are one of many ways that restaurants are trying to boost business and save money. Other trends include smaller portions and a reduced staff; restaurant owners are desperate to try anything that works. Perhaps starting a fast food franchise would have been a better option.

Their growth could not be more opposite from the struggles from the traditional sit-down restaurants. McDonald's recently ran off a string of 55 consecutive months of increases in global same-store sales, a remarkable feat considering the world economy's current state. Traditional restaurants are getting left in the dust, and the success of McDonald's and other fast food chains begs the question: What will the future hold for these heavy hitters?

It is interesting to think that the nation's food industry could soon be run by fictional folks like the Hamburglar and Dave Thomas' daughter. Depending on how long the economic crisis drags out, the fast food restaurant may be the last restaurant standing once the dust settles. So when the economy builds itself back up, the Dairy Queens and Chick-fil-a's may suddenly find themselves calling all the shots.

In this fast food future, we may see our first fine dining Hardee's, complete with dinner reservations and a coat check. The posh downtown restaurant that hosts executive dinners and high-powered business lunches might have its own ball pit and refillable soda station. Weddings and anniversaries might be catered with Whoppers, street vendors might be hawking Jumbo Jacks, and dear old dad might be cutting the Thanksgiving Baja Chalupa.

The more popular these fast food chains become, the quicker we are to realizing a fate similar to this. And who's going to stop it from happening?

Even still, who's going to object?

A world in which Ronald McDonald rubs elbows with the surgeon general is a world that Americans would not necessarily hate at this point. We have no one to blame but ourselves for the French fry avalanche that we've begun. McDonald's reports that the average number of customers their restaurants serve each day has reached more than 58 million. Add to that number the diners at other fast food stops like Burger King and Wendy's, and it is easy to see how prevalent these fast food giants have become.

McDonald's and Co. are here to stay. They are posting big numbers, they're growing with customers, and before we know it, they might just take over the restaurant biz.

So long as they keep the special sauce coming, don't expect anyone to complain.

One of the side effects of having my credit card stolen is that I've been forced to carry more cash. The experience has reminded me not only of my normal reliance on my credit card but also how much easier it can be to spend cash.

On the first point, it has been really enlightening to notice how often I reach for my credit card. That has become my normal habit to earn as many reward points as possible, and this only works well for me since I always pay off my balance in full each month. Not having my card available (until the replacement for the stolen one arrives) has actually felt like a real burden. Having a card on hand can lend a sense of security since credit is almost universally accepted and could help to overcome nearly any short-term emergency situation.

It may sound strange to say that it's easier to spend cash, but for me that's really true. For some people, the abstract nature of credit makes it the easier method to spend, since the physical limits of available cash may help you to consciously recognize how much you are spending. For others, like me, cash burns a hole in their pockets. Since I'm not used to carrying it, when I do have some cash I feel more inclined to spend.

My recent experiences with cash have been very insightful. Trying such an experiment could have a similar effect on you. Those who normally use cash could try using their credit card more. This group should only use credit in a responsible manner, namely spending only the amount that they'll be able to pay off in full when the bill arrives. Diehard credit card users could try a week using only cash. Going outside of your financial comfort zone may highlight habits (good and bad) that you didn't even realize you had.

Which form of money do you use most, cash or credit?