There's nothing quite like having a dozen red roses delivered to make a girl (or boy!) feel special. But it doesn't have to cost the earth to get them there. It's possible to get a bouquet couriered to your door for under £20 compared to £46 that some of the big names charge.

Don't leave it till the last minute though, you may have to pay more for delivery that was free. With most retailers you must order your flowers by Thursday 12 February to ensure delivery for Saturday 14.

Also check whether delivery is by courier or Royal Mail. Courier delivery guarantees specific day delivery where as Royal Mail although cheaper, only ensures delivery on or around a specific day.

The cheapest couriered dozen came from M&S this year for £19.50 but has now all sold out. Here are the next cheapest options we found for courier delivery on Valentine's day.

• Serenata Flowers, a dozen red roses, £26.99, couriered

  Get a dozen red roses including courier delivery for £26.99 from Serenata Flowers. The flowers will be delivered between 8am and 6pm on Valentine's Day. Last orders before 8pm Friday 13 Feb. This time may change depending on stock levels, but we will keep you updated here.

• Debenhams, a dozen red roses, £29.49, couriered

  Debenhams is offering a dozen simple red roses for £29.49 for courier delivery. Order by 4pm Friday 13 Feb for Valentine's day delivery.

Who said a dozen red roses have to break the bank? With a bit of creativity you can make a five pound bouquet look like bunch Elton would be proud of. Decorate them in some fancy paper (circa £1) and she'll be none the wiser. Below is a list of the best budget buys for 12 red roses to pick up in store.

While these are the prices retailers have given for the Valentine's period it's possible they'll reduce prices further in competition with other stores. If that happens prices here will be updated

• Asda, £2 for a dozen sweetheart red roses

• Sainsbury’s, £4.99 for a dozen Fair Trade red roses.

• Morrison's, £4.99 for a dozen red roses.

• Tescos, £5 for a dozen red roses.

• Somerfield, £7 for ten red roses.

• Aldi, £7.82 for a dozen red roses in store.

• M & S, £9.99 for a dozen Fair Trade red roses.

• Lidl, £9.99 for a dozen red roses.

Long stem and specialist roses will cost considerably more that the prices quoted above. Expect short stemmed standard roses for these reduced prices.

If you're buying perfume for your other half this Valentine it's possible to slash the cost by up to half if you know how. The trick is to buy via a specialist online perfume discounter. You can speedily compare the biggest retailers by using a fragrance comparison service like FragrancesCompared* or CheapPerfumeExpert.

Just enter the perfume you’re looking for and it will list the cheapest including delivery. For full details plus more tricks on how to cut the cost of perfume online and on the high street read the Cheap Perfume article.