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Valentine's Day: Let's do the numbers

A bouquet of Valentine's Day flowers.

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Let's do the numbers again... this time with a little more love.

All told, we'll spend $17.6 billion for chocolates and bears and balloons and jewelry.

Guys will spend about two times as much as women.

We'll give 150 million Valentine's Day cards.

And the New England Confectionery Company will stamp out 8 billion Sweetheart candies with sayings like "Be Mine" and "#1 Fan."

About the author

Adriene Hill is a multimedia reporter for the Marketplace sustainability desk, with a focus on consumer issues and the individual relationship to sustainability and the environment.