Ladies looking to buy something for your boyfriend, look no further, I've become sort of an expert on this, or at least I like to think so anyway.
My boyfriend always likes his gifts or at least pretends to and he's a little picky. So, if you have a picky guy, too, I hope this list helps out.
1. Hats
Hats don't seem like a lot, but to some guys, their hats are the world. Baseball caps. Cowboy hats. Toboggans. They'll pretty much love any hat, especially because it came from you. Hats are also fairly priced, so you'll be able to get him more than one gift.
2. Knives
My boyfriend has tons of pocket knives. He always carries at least one. One year I bought him one and had his name engraved in the blade. If you do this, however, make sure the blade is stainless steel. If it's not, it will rust if used a lot, which doesn't make for a very good keepsake....oops.
3. Something that goes along with their interests/hobbies/major/job
I don't know what your special guy's interests are, but my boyfriend loves duck hunting and welding so I go online and try to find what I can that has something to do with either of those things. If he's the hunting or outdoorsman type, try Academy, Bass Pro Shops, or Gander Mountain!
4. Clothing
Everyone always likes new clothes. And hardworking guys, that don't care if their clothes get dirty, could always use some new ones.
5. A Cooler
Last year my boyfriend mentioned something about wanting a cooler for Christmas. I thought about getting him a Yeti, but he said that those were really expensive and he didn't want me to spend that much on one thing, especially since I don't have a lot of extra money. I agreed that I wouldn't buy him a Yeti. I ended up finding him a cheaper but equal cooler at the local Atwoods store. It is a Sub Z brand. He loved this present. For a solid month, he showed it off to all of his friends. I felt very accomplished. He still uses it now, and it holds ice just as well as a Yeti. He has since found another cooler that was also reasonably priced, so he bought it so he could have two. It is a Polaris brand, and it works just as well as a Yeti, also.
6. An I.O.U. for a free back massage.
It's free and makes a good companion gift to some of the other's listed above. What guy will turn down a back massage? And, he'd rather have it come from you than a professional. (Be careful, though, you might spoil him and have him expect a back rub all the time.....But he's worth it, though.)
Guys frantically trying to figure out what to buy your special lady, I'll take you right into the heart of a woman.
Honestly, whatever you buy her she will love just because it came from you. So, don't stress. We're really not as picky and complicated as you think we are.
1. Food
I know what you're thinking...."food? Seriously?" No, no, no, trust me. Once my boyfriend bought me a gourmet wheel of cheese for Christmas (No, it wasn't the only thing!) That cheese wheel has been one of my favorite gifts. I have a bit of a cheese addiction, though. But find whatever your girl's favorite food is and buy her that. Don't make that the only gift, though, or that could get ugly. If he had given me only cheese for Christmas, I still would have been happy about the cheese, but c'mon man. Not cool. Buy her something else to go along with it, but throw in some food. (P.S. Non-perishables would be ideal, but others are acceptable as long as you put them in a bag and not wrapping paper. Chocolate probably isn't a good idea, since it melts. If it needs to be refrigerated, refrigerate it until time to give it to her then quickly throw it in a cute Christmas bag before giving it to her. Also, wrap it separately if there's a chance of it spilling on clothes or any other gifts.) Also, I wouldn't do a gift card for food. If you do food, it has to be the actual food itself.
2. Clothes/Shoes
Women love clothes and shoes. We already have way too many, but we'll definitely take more. Ask her mother or best friend for her size, though. Don't guess wrong....unless it's too small. That would be okay. I don't know how my boyfriend always gets my size right, but fortunately he does. Also, monograms are really in right now, so maybe incorporate that into some clothing. A really good, easy website for monogramming is https://marleylilly.com/. If you don't know what a monogram is, it's the thing that has girls initials all cutesy on their shirts, hats, bags, mugs, etc. Also, the correct way to do a monogram is first name initial on the left, last name initial in the middle, and middle name initial on the right. If you buy something from the Marley Lilly website they do it for you once you put in the initials in normal order. My boyfriend bought me a shirt with a monogram at the bottom and a vest with a monogram on the left shoulder if you need ideas.
3. Hats
This isn't just a guy thing. I know this sounds gross, but a lot of girls like to throw on a baseball cap when their hair looks greasy. You could do the monogram here, too on a plain hat from Wal-Mart. Your mom probably knows someone that can embroider the initials on. Or a brand name or sports team that she likes would also be nice.
4. Purses, Hand Bags, or Wallets
Every girl could always use a new purse or wallet in her collection. Wristlets are really in for high-school and college-aged girls. They have a handy wrist strap and a place for your keys in addition to holding your money. Some even have a spot for your cell-phone. Some good brands are Vera Bradley and Michael Kors (a little pricey, but totally worth it). A cute little key chain accessory would be nice to go along with this, also. My boyfriend bought me a Vera Bradley wristlet a couple of years ago that I still use today.
5. Make-up.....well a gift card for make-up.....and tips for gift cards in general
Must check out make-up websites with links to the gift card page:
https://www.ulta.com/ulta/giftcards/giftCard.jsp?c...
http://www.sephora.com/giftcards?icid2=gifts_giftc...
READ: If you do a gift card, I wouldn't do just that. I would buy her a very thoughtful gift such as one above (not the food one, though) as well as a gift card for make-up. I know you probably won't know all of the details of her make-up taste, so let her pick some out for herself. Also, if she doesn't wear make-up a lot, this could be taken as an insult, so only do something make-up involved if you know she wears a lot of make-up and is really into it. But the gift card rule could apply to another store that you know she really likes, if she doesn't wear a lot of make-up. Another gift card option is a certificate for a professional back massage. My boyfriend has given me a couple of certificates for this. Honestly, I would have been okay with him giving me the massage, but the professional lady that I go to is really good, also. After getting a professional massage, you feel so relaxed and in a good mood. So, if you wanna put her in a good mood, get her a massage.
Remember these two rules for gift cards and do NOT break these rules:
1) Don't give her just a gift-card. It's not thoughtful enough. Give her a very thoughtful gift in addition to this.
2) Don't get a $5 gift card. That makes you look cheap. You don't wanna look cheap in front of your girl, unless you've been dating a while, then she already knows and is obviously okay with it. :)
6. Jewelry
You can never go wrong with jewelry. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. He's bought me three necklaces, one of which he gave me the matching earrings for my birthday. So, that's an idea, too, if her birthday is near Christmas!
Bonus for both genders: Something sentimental.
A picture frame with pictures of you or of the two of you together. It's cheap and it has a lot of meaning. My boyfriend gave me a frame with all of his senior pictures for me to hang up in my dorm room. I've given him my favorite picture of the two of us in a frame. I think he liked it; he has it propped up in his room.
I hope this helped some of you out there who have been racking your brains! I know I used to for the first couple of years!