Play Cupid without breaking the bank

NEW YORK — With Valentine’s Day less than two weeks away, it’s time to start planning what you want to buy your loved ones. But a big expression of love doesn’t have to come with a big price tag.

“You can make your money go a lot further. You just have to be creative,” says Lindsay Sakraida, features editor at deal aggregator Dealnews.com.

Some tips:

Clearance bins: Now is the time to buy winter clearance items like cashmere sweaters or leather accessories at up to 80 percent off, Sakraida says.

According to research done by dealnews.com, prices usually tick up for jewelry in the first two weeks of February from January.

If you can’t buy now, you can try to offset those price hikes by looking for a coupon from sites like ice.com, Limoges Jewelry and Netaya.com. Start looking now for coupons that can take an extra 15 percent to 30 percent off.

Financing: Wal-Mart Stores will offer for the first time a financing deal for six, 12 or 18 months on a jewelry purchase made in the store with a Wal-Mart credit card. Kay Jewelers is also offering special financing.

Compare via smartphone: Check sites like thefind.com, which allows shoppers to get the best prices for more than 320 million items from more than 500,000 stores. Thefind.com is offering a new price match feature that will let you know which stores are matching their rivals. Thefind’s app lets you scan bar codes in stores and will provide a list of retailers that carry the item, prices and whether it is eligible for a price match.

Flowers: Scrutinize the delivery costs, says Fiona Dias, chief strategy officer at ShopRunner,. Some sites can charge $15 to $25.

Romantic dinner out? Jodi Furman of the blog Livefabuless. com, says it can be just as romantic to get gourmet food and prepare a meal at home.