Feb. 8--C an money buy you love this Valentine's Day in the midst of an eco nomic slump?

According to a National Retail Federation survey, people plan on spending an average of $102.50 on gifts and merchandise this Valentine's Day. That's down $20 from last year.

But even while spending less, the survey says consumers will continue to buy seasonal standbys. More than a third will buy flowers and 16 percent will give jewelry.

Both numbers are slightly less than those of 2008.

"What I see is people looking for $20, $30, $40 price points ... maybe spending a little less than what they've spent in past years," said David Myers, district manager for Things Remembered, a national chain specializing in personalized gifts with locations at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids and Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville.

Myers' store offers sterling silver jewelry for around $29.99, plus free engraving of the word "love." At Coral Ridge Mall, most of the valentine's gifts sold at Stiers Gifts are in the $10 to $30 price range, its owner said.

"You can get a nice gift to remember the special occasion, but yet, it doesn't break the bank," said Kevin Stiers, whose inventory includes love-themed figurines and picture frames.

If jewelry and figurines aren't your thing, other gift ideas are available. Pat Roland, who runs Personal Assistant To You LLC in the Corridor, said she found a

variety of gift ideas by doing a search on the Internet.

"You could go on and on and list hundreds of different things that are available on the Internet," she said. "You can get photos and personalize just about anything, and they're really not as expensive as people think." Some sites are givingpeople the opportunity to take their own pictures and put them on objects, like mugs and mouse pads, which cost under $15 through PhotoWorks (www.photoworks.

com), Shutterfly (www.

shutterfly.com) and Snapfish (www.snapfish.com). And at Unique Skins (www.unique skins.com), custom skin covers with your photo are priced at $6.99 or lower for cellphones and MP3 players, and $20 for laptop computers.

If you're looking to give that special someone flowers, FTD, 1-800-Flowers and ProFlowers have bouquets starting at $19.99 on their sites.

Another idea from Roland is to create your own gift, like a coupon book that's good for one hour of uninterrupted time or back rubs, or a bag filled with favorite snacks andbeverages.

"This is really the best economic time to have Valentine's Day," said Roland.

"It forces people to be a bit more creative, causing them to think a bit more about their loved ones rather than just running out to the store for some bauble or expensive perfume."

â?" Contact the writer: (319) 398-5853 or brian.siguenza@gazcomm.com

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