• February 1, 2010

Looks like couples are tightening their Valentine's Day belts again this year, with the average American spending just $63.34 on gifts for their significant other or spouse, compared to $67.22 last year.

That's from the latest National Retail Federation/BIGResearch poll, which also reports that total spending for the holiday -- at $103 per person -- is more or less in line with last year's total of about $14.1 billion.

Last year's drop was the doozy, when consumers said they planned to spend an average of $102.50, down from $122.98 per person the previous year.--Sarah Mahoney