Valentine’s Day is thought to have originated from a Roman festival that was celebrated in the middle of February. The first celebration of the holiday was in the year 496.

Ever since that day, Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually every Feb. 14. It is a celebration of love and affection. Many people go out and spend money to buy flowers and other items for their loved ones.

Freshman Maria Garcia felt the need to buy her mom something special on Valentine’s Day to remind her how much she means to her.

“I always buy my mom flowers or chocolates for Valentine’s Day; I feel like it’s just a way of saying that I love her,” said Garcia. “This year I bought her flowers, with my allowance I paid $25 for flowers.”

While consumers go out and buy gifts, sellers accumulate a massive amount of revenue from the commercialization of this holiday.

The article “Valentine’s Day 2019: How much money will you spend?” from recordonline.com projected the United States to spend $20.7 billion on gifts for their loved ones.

Although money is spent on Valentine’s Day, people also benefit from the holiday. People are out selling flowers in the streets on Valentine’s Day. It is one of the few days where many people go out and buy flowers.

Caterina Andreano and Emily Shapiro of ABC News gathered statistics on just how much money is actually spent on flowers.

“Loved ones are also expected to spend $2 billion on flowers, according to the NRF (National Retail Federation),” wrote Andreano and Shapiro in their article “Valentine’s Day by the numbers: See how much money is spent on flowers, candy, and cards”.

Those who sell flowers on Valentine’s Day make a lot of money at the end of the day.

Valentine’s Day is the day where people can show their loved ones how much they are appreciated. However, it is also the day where large amounts of money are spent. How does Valentine’s Day impact you?