It's time to start planning for Valentine's Day, but get ready to spend more on meals

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The countdown to Valentine's Day is kicking off, and if you have not made your reservations yet, you might want to get on that.

If you are thinking it's too early to make reservations for Valentine's Day, remember you only have two more weeks. Making reservations now makes sense, according to Christina Robbins of the Texas Restaurant Association.

"Most restaurants will start accepting reservations up to a month in advance," Robbins said.

So you are already behind. Get those reservations set.

Making the reservations now will help avoid any last-minute issues. Keep in mind that Valentine's Day is the third most popular day to dine out, with more than a third of adults planning to dine out, and you don't want to wait outside for a table.

If your restaurant of choice is already booked up, consider dining outside of the normal window, like around 5 p.m. or after 8 p.m.

When it comes to costs, restaurants, like all other businesses, have raised prices over the last few years. You've seen it already, and you will see on Valentine's Day that prices are up from a year ago.

"Unfortunately, menu prices at a lot of full-service restaurants are up four and a half to 5% across the U.S. compared to last year," Robbins said.

Robbins added that you can get a deal by choosing the Valentine's Day pre-fixed menu.

And one last tip: if you want to avoid the crowds, consider celebrating the weekend before or after Valentine's Day, which falls on a Wednesday this year.

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