Actual values are the type of values one would see in a field of study such as economics. An employer would value his employees for their capital and sees value in them only for the sole purpose of his business. These aren't exactly invaluable values because if one employee leaves, the employer can just find another one to replace his value. These values are valuable but not invaluable so that they cannot be replaced by anything else.
There are certain values in this world that transcend actual values and I like to call these invaluable values. These type of values are found beyond the professional world. You can find some of these values in things like relationships. When someone dates a person, they aare valuing them for something that they cannot easily replace. It could be that they care for them in a certain way or that they give really good kisses. These values are invaluable and can't exactly be given a value. Yet at the same time, they are values. These are harder to find than valuable values and they are even rarer to find in a professional, serious environment.
In the dystopian world of The Handmaid's Tale, these invaluable values have become eradicated. They are seen as an evil to this world where women are basically walking reproductive factories. This makes the women no longer invaluable for their relationships as they are seen only for their sex.
This is why Offred is trying to find something she can't exactly describe. However, she know it exists and that is why she craves it. She is seeking an invaluable value.
