When a special occasion sneaks up on you, finding good last minute Valentine gifts or ideas for birthday gifts may seem impossible.

After all, when you don't have a lot of time to shop, you don't have a lot of time to think about buying gifts, either! So how can you get the right thing when you don't even have time to think about what the right thing is?

Actually, it's easier than you think. The list below breaks down some great last minute birthday gift ideas and Valentine's gifts by how much time they'll take to buy and put together. Got a few days, a few hours, or only fifteen minutes before you're caught out, looking thoughtless without a gift? This list may just save your butt.

Hey, if it does, feel free to send me a thank-you gift. (kidding!)

Feel rushed but still have a little bit of time to pick up a last minute Valentine gift? The truth is, you can get almost anything if you've got a day or two. If you have a few days to shop around, you can generally place an order from Overstock.com or Buy.com or any other online mall and get your order in a few days with expedited shipping.

Whether shopping at a local store or online, some great ideas for last minute Valentine gifts are:

• Robes or other comfy clothes (pajamas, lingerie, etc.)
• Photo Albums or Frames (get a photo printed at a digital photo booth, or buy a gift voucher for photos to be printed for an album)
• Guy Gadgets
• Homemade Gift Baskets

These are just a few ideas. But the truth is, if you've got a couple of days, you can pick up almost anything online or in your local shops. If you're looking for more ideas for these not-so-rushed gifts, I've got some on the following pages:

• Gift Ideas for Guys
• Top 10 Gifts for Women
• Tops 10 Gifts for Men

If the day of a special holiday or a birthday arrives and you've either completely flaked on the day (which means you're probably a man... kidding!) or haven't had time to pick something up, all is not lost.

There are lots of great ideas for last minute Valentine gifts that you can put together in just a few hours. Some of my favorites (both for purchased and free homemade gifts) are:

Romantic Gifts to Buy

Chocolate covered strawberries or cherries: You can buy the fruit and chocolate and make them at home (a nice personal touch!) if you don't have time to head to the mall to buy 'em.

A nice bottle of wine, champagne, or whiskey: Pair it with some nice glasses and a homemade dinner to make it special. My hubby once got me a nice bottle of gin and martini glasses, and we shared wonderful martinis! It was really fun!

Bath products or perfumes: Even if you don't have time to head to the mall or a department store, you can buy these sorts of things at your local drug store or even a grocery store. Assemble them in a basket and buy some scented candles to go with them.

Flowers: Especially if you're shopping for last minute Valentine gifts, there should be flowers available everywhere. Get some on your way home from work if you have to! Or arrange for some to be delivered-- some florists do take on last minute orders.

Romantic Gift Ideas You can Make

A romantic gesture: Some of the best gifts require spending no money at all. Sit down with a pen and paper and think about what makes your partner so very special. And then write it down in a letter or poem. Not good at that sort of thing? Here's a tip: be specific. "Your gorgeous eyes" may make her feel good, but "That Dorito-shaped freckle in your right eye" will tell her you really appreciate her-- and that you're really paying attention.

Cook dinner: Put on your apron and play chef for the evening. A few candles, some good music, and the right menu (I've got a great romantic menu for men and for women right here) and you'll sweep 'em right off their feet, no gift required.

A coupon book: Depending on who you're making it for, this last minute homemade gift can be for, say, sexual favors or for doing the dishes and babysitting. Or a combination of both. But remember... when he or she wants to use a coupon, you've got to follow through!

Homemade goodies: Got all the ingredients at home? Use your time to bake something special as a last minute Valentine gift or birthday gift. Cookies, brownies, a pie... whatever your sweetie loves most! Wrap it with a pretty ribbon and deliver it with a kiss.

Make a playlist on iTunes: If you've got a little time but no money, this is a great last minute birthday or Valentine's gift idea that can be either romantic or casual. Spend some time putting together a playlist for your honey. You can pick songs that he or she loves, songs that make you think of them, or songs that sum up how you feel. Either way, it's a personal gift that doesn't cost much.

Last Minute Homemade Gift Basket Ideas

If you're short on time when shopping for a great Valentine's day gift (and don't have the time or the inclination to make a homemade gift like cookies or a poem), one of my favorite secrets for turning, say, a pile of stuff you picked up a the grocery store or the drug store into something special is grouping it together into a homemade gift basket.

Here are some ideas for homemade last minute Valentine gifts that you can put together out of items found at the grocery store or the drugstore:

Movie Lover Bowl: Grab a large mixing bowl and fill it up with microwavable popcorn, junk-food snacks (like Twizzlers and Junior Mints), sodas, and a printable gift certificate from Netflix.

Sweet Nostalgia: Fill a heart-shaped basket with fun nostalgic candies-- the sorts of things your partner will remember from childhood.

Wine and Cheese: Grab a box or a basket and fill it with a few bottles of wine, some nice cheeses, and crackers. Then spread out a blanket and eat it all together.

Sandwich (or Pasta or Pizza) Addict: This is such a fun idea for a last minute Valentine gift! If your partner is really into any kind of food, make up a basket with awesome sandwich fixins and fun paper plates and napkins, or nice artisan pasta, sauce (or homemade sauce ingredients), and cheeses. You get the idea. Dinner in a basket!

Auto Devotee: Is your partner obsessed with his car? You can put this last minute birthday gift idea together out of things found at the gas station! Grab things like car polish, cleaning supplies, etc., and place them in a plastic bucket. Maybe toss in a couple of car magazines, just for fun.

BBQ or Mexican Basket: Pick up a bunch of different BBQ sauces (and maybe a package of ribs!) at your grocery store. Or put together a Mexican gift basket with beans, tortillas, hot sauces, and more. Have fun with it!

Tea or Coffee and Cookies: Your partner can't make it through the day without a trip (or three) to Starbucks? Put together a gift basket of gourmet coffees and teas and bakery cookies.

Did the phone just ring and your partner remind you to come over for Valentine's or a birthday? Or are you having breakfast with your spouse, and they just asked what they're getting for Valentine's? It's not all over yet!! With this list, you can pull a great gift out of the hat in just minutes. Seriously. Some good ideas are:

Gift Certificates

Sure, you have zero time to run down to the mall and buy gift certificates. But you don't need to! You can buy gift certificates for all kinds of retailers online and print them out right there in front of your computer (or email them, or both). From panic to present it only takes five or ten minutes. Some good options are:

• Buy.com
• Netflix
• Amazon.com
• Gifts.com
• CafePress.com
• Restaurant.com
• iTunes

eTickets or Weekend Getaways

Take a quick look at what's going on in your town and buy tickets! A lot of places offer printable tickets (or you can just print out a receipt or confirmation for your purchase). Don't have any interesting plays, concerts, or sporting events happening? Reserve a room in a nice bed and breakfast for a month from now and print out the confirmation.

Online Courses

From courses to learn about wine to movie appreciation courses to knitting help, there are all kinds of great classes available online. Reserving your partner a place in one can be a great last minute Valentine gift.

Make a Donation

There are lots of different ways to do this, and most of them don't take any time at all. The easiest? Think about a cause your partner cares about, then make a donation to a charity for that cause in his or her name. Then print out the confirmation as a gift.

A variation on this is donating your time. Print out information about a local charitable organization and give it to your partner as a gift. Then inform him or her that you've committed yourself to donating a week of your time to help out (think homeless shelters, animal shelters, etc.) If time's short, you can wait to actually contact and make the arrangements with the charity until you're ready.

Re-Gift It

Now, this last minute Valentine gift idea won't work for anybody who lives with you-- so your spouse or live-in partner is off. But if you received a gift this Christmas that you think will suit him or her well and you're in a panic to find a gift, wrap it up and re-gift it. Just be sure they'll never find out, as this can be a tacky thing to do!

Schedule some Time

Forgot Valentines Day or a birthday and just got caught? This is a gift that you can give on the spur of the moment-- the most last minute of all these last minute Valentine gifts. Pick up your and your partner's Blackberrys (or go to their computer) and schedule a whole day to spend together doing whatever your partner wants. That thing he or she's been dying to do? Now's the time to do it!

Proof of Purchase

Don't like the idea of some of the more general last minute birthday gift ideas here, like gift certificates or donations? Then simply go out and make your purchase online. Buy something great for your partner online-- even knowing that it won't arrive in time. Then print out the receipt and a nice photo and description of the item and give that as the gift. Hey, it's a real gift, they'll really get it, and it's a lot better than nothing!

And if you want, you can fudge the purchase date a little and give the excuse that it simply didn't arrive in time. (Hmm... maybe I'm encouraging bad behavior here?)