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Buying gifts for men is hard! ideas please

fioratura

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I'm recently divorced and have been with my current "man friend" for about 10 months. The relationship has been such a wonderful thing for me, especially after getting out of a marriage which wasn't the healthiest. He's a wonderful person, a great friend, and adds so much to my life.

My ex-husband was not into gifts...giving or receiving. He just thought the whole practice was silly. I on the other hand, LOVE gifts. I love getting them and I love giving them! They don't have to be expensive or extravagant, I just love letting people know that I'm thinking of them, and I love having little tokens that remind me of the people I love.

Well new guy is turning 35 in August and I'm at a total loss at what to get for him for his birthday. For Christmas, I got him silly inside joke types of gifts, which were perfect because the relationship was still new and more casual, but now I really do want to get him something more meaningful and serious. I just don't know what that could be. What is a good budget even? I'd feel comfortable spending around $300-$400 but I don't know if that would make him feel uncomfortable. We are both professional classical musicians (if you didn't know, classical music is not really where the big bucks are), but I did well in my divorce. I'd love to spoil him with something really nice because I can, but I don't want him to feel pressured to spend too much on me for future gifts. I prefer to buy my own jewelry anyway ;-)

It's been so long since I've been in a new relationship (I was with my ex for 13 years), that I don't even know what the rules are! What have been your best/ favorite man gifts? If I were buying gifts for women, I would be golden. Any and all ideas, opinions, thoughts, and musings appreciated.
 

PintoBean

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How about a dude spa day aka Get him a hot shave?
 

jordyonbass

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What are his other interests? Does he have any kids? We know classical music where you may have options for concerts etc, but is there anything else he enjoys doing?
 

marymm

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If it has only been 10 months, and I'm guessing your birthday hasn't come around yet, I'd go with getting a pair of tickets for a sporting event (if he's into that) or maybe organize a morning hike at your local park/nature reserve or take in an exhibit at your museum and then do a great lunch somewhere... basically, an activity/event-based present.
 

fioratura

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jordyonbass said:
What are his other interests? Does he have any kids? We know classical music where you may have options for concerts etc, but is there anything else he enjoys doing?

So you think an "experience gift" would be more appropriate then an "item gift"? We both travel a lot for our jobs (like we're ALWAYS living out of a suitcase), but it might be fun to plan a trip that's just about relaxing in style and doing nothing productive. Going to operas and concerts is something we love doing, but because it's our profession, it always feels work related. Neither of us has kids and we do have the option to just travel whenever we're not on a gig, so a really nice 2-3 night getaway to somewhere neither of us has been before could be really cool.

Out of curiosity, do you usually find experience gifts are more successful when it comes to giving gifts for men? Besides watches, what else is there?
 

fioratura

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marymm|1466085742|4044744 said:
If it has only been 10 months, and I'm guessing your birthday hasn't come around yet, I'd go with getting a pair of tickets for a sporting event (if he's into that) or maybe organize a morning hike at your local park/nature reserve or take in an exhibit at your museum and then do a great lunch somewhere... basically, an activity/event-based present.

I think you're right...event/activity based present does seem to be the way to go. I think because I love the process of hunting for deals and shopping for special things for myself (you know, like finding the perfect vintage pendant on ebay of whatever), I like the idea of having something to hunt for something unique and cool for someone else, but an item that might not be the best route, especially so early on in the game.
 

luxroman

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I loooove gifts. I'll chip in with my opinion!

I personally would feel uncomfortable getting a 300-400$ gift for my birthday after 10 months, especially being a man... I would feel pressure to reciprocate. My fiancé thinks 3 numbers gifts are huge! Then again, it really depends on everyone's different lifestyle, I'm an elementary teacher with student debt, and he's a young professional as well, so we need to be careful with our money. Have you already seen him spend important amounts of money? What did he offer you for Christmas?

Personally, I find the best gifts are the ones that are really thought through. It seems you did something lovely for Christmas! If you want to gift him an object, think about his tastes... If he's a musician, maybe a fancy nice book on music/his favourite style/composer/instrument? If he does a lot of concerts, maybe a couple of new ties? If he travels a lot, maybe a useful traveling accessory, maybe a bit fancy so he wouldn't buy for himself? Does he have other hobbies? And yes, there's always the classic watch, it's a winner!

On the other side, of course, an outing is always a great idea! A dinner, a comedy show, etc. And then you can spend more and he'll be much less likely to feel pressure because it'd be for the both of you!

Good luck :))
 

jordyonbass

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fioratura|1466086061|4044745 said:
jordyonbass said:
What are his other interests? Does he have any kids? We know classical music where you may have options for concerts etc, but is there anything else he enjoys doing?

So you think an "experience gift" would be more appropriate then an "item gift"? We both travel a lot for our jobs (like we're ALWAYS living out of a suitcase), but it might be fun to plan a trip that's just about relaxing in style and doing nothing productive. Going to operas and concerts is something we love doing, but because it's our profession, it always feels work related. Neither of us has kids and we do have the option to just travel whenever we're not on a gig, so a really nice 2-3 night getaway to somewhere neither of us has been before could be really cool.

Out of curiosity, do you usually find experience gifts are more successful when it comes to giving gifts for men? Besides watches, what else is there?

I wasn't necessarily going in that direction, I was more or less trying to gauge a bit more about him as a person to see where he and I may have common interests so I could recommend something. However if both are you are always busy then a getaway weekend does sound perfect. Mrs Jordy and I have getaways at a particular spot in a mountain range. It's a little cottage with fireplace and hot tub and neat little furnishings that give it a quirky feel. We kick our feet up and do nothing for days and when we come back we're feeling revitalized.

And I'm not exactly a watch guy, I'm so heavy on my hands and arms that I'd be breaking them constantly. So watches aren't always the best gift for a guy! :lol:
 

jaysonsmom

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I like giving experiences too:

Concert tickets, Deep sea fishing trips, Stand Up Comedy (we both love that), 2 Day Disneyland excursion etc etc...
 
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PierreBear

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I find that men don't mind practical gifts at least my husband always appreciates the extra cycling gear I get him. The hard part is knowing what type of bike tire/wheel/gadget that he might actually want, which then I ask the father in law. Is there something related to his music profession that he is wanting/needing but has been holding out on? Since you have that background too, it might be something easy that you can figure out as well. Good luck on the celebrations!
 

Ellen

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I have a husband who does not receive gifts well either. One of the gifts he got most excited about was a car battery charger. I know, but I knew he would like it. lol Don't think you want to give him that. ;))

His brother is an orthodontist and only takes what a family members insurance will pay toward braces. We've never had any that covered ortho, so, they were free for all 5 of us. So, to "pay" him back, I get him nice gifts each Christmas. Buying the guy who has everything (or could buy) is hard. These are two of the more recent gifts I have gotten him.


He and his wife loved this one. They took a train from their condo to the winery and really had a good time. I could tell they weren't just saying it, as his wife really went on about it. And trust me, they have been everywhere and done a ton, so that said a lot to me.

https://www.excitations.com/chicago/Wine-&-Dine-at-the-Winery-for-Two.html?u=ZT0yMTImcD0yMTU0JnI9NCY3NzcmNTU%3D


And this one I just gave him last Christmas. Oh my gosh, he was like the little kid in Christmas Story that got the Daisy Red Rider BB gun lol. He would have already done it (he wanted to right away, but we all said wait til everything is green) but they have bought a house and are renovating.

I picked the Downtown Adventure flight. But the recipient can always change/upgrade if they want.

http://www.cloud9living.com/chicago/fly-a-cessna
 

kenny

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My guy is hard to buy for.
He has everything.

When I ask what he'd like he says something like, "You should just KNOW!"

GRRR! :angryfire: :angryfire: :angryfire:
 

missy

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One of the best gifts I bought my dh was a rock climbing membership. He loved it. Of course he loves rock climbing so that's why I got it for him and if your SO enjoys rock climbing too it might be a great gift. Or perhaps buy a gift certificate/membership for another hobby he enjoys. The thought behind a gift is what makes it meaningful and more special than a generic gift and our guys generally appreciate thought and effort behind the gifts we get them.

Good luck and let us know what you end up getting him. Hope he loves it!
 

vc10um

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I like the idea of an experience gift as well, particularly tickets to see his favorite team. Possibly a custom jersey for said team with his name on it as well?

On a completely different train of thought, with your mention of how much you both travel, my thoughts immediately went to dopp kits and the various other fancy leather toiletry bags out there. I particularly like the ones from Leatherology that you can find here: http://www.leatherology.com/mens-leather-toiletry-bags/?gclid=CPDygfyBss0CFVclgQodXXcKVQ. Paired with some fancy shaving stuff, I think it would make for a great practical but slightly indulgent birthday gift for a relationship of your current length!
 

kenny

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Don't you wish men weren't so hard?
 

monarch64

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Hmm. 35 is sort of a milestone birthday. While I like the idea of experience gifts, the fact that it is something you stand to benefit from as well kind of bugs me. Not you, personally, but having been given things like tickets and trips in the past under the guise of "it's your birthday, let's both go (and do what I'd like to do anyway") I have since dropped experience gifts from my own repertoire.

If you are really looking for something meaningful, you could do a series of gifts based around his date of birth. On his day, 35 years ago, what was the #1 album? #1 video game? A map of the town in which he was born, or a token from the hospital. Birthdays are a celebration of the day you were born, why not give him gifts based around his day and year of birth? You could get really creative with this. It would be a great way for you to say "I'm so happy you were born and that you're in my life."

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1981.html
 

Dancing Fire

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kenny|1466269251|4045450 said:
Don't you wish men weren't so hard?
:Up_to_something:
 

sskim3

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This is an interesting thread. I have many hobbies: men's clothing, shaving (with a double edge razor), hats, golf, billiards.

Like others have stated, usually I end up buying the things I want.

I am sure he has hobbies where there are some must haves that he wants but just haven't pulled the trigger on.

It is really the thought that counts. Last year, my girlfriend (ahem... fiancé) got me a ferragamo wallet. With the same funds, I would have gotten a different wallet since I am sucker for shell cordovan leather and all things made in USA for apparel and accessories.

I appreciated the gift and use it everyday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

chroman

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I'll stand up as an not-so-much-into-getting-gifts fellow.

Experiences and adventures are nice as life is always too busy to spend enough quality time together. The disadvantage of things is I can feel guilty if I don't use them enough. Like somehow I'm underappreciating the gift.

Are there things he maybe has always wanted to do, but never pulled the trigger on for whatever reason? Maybe something that has a way to try it out without a big investment in stuff (take a lesson in X from a master in their facility, etc)?

And I'm with Jordy on the lack of watch thing. Its awkward when typing all day, and having something on my wrist sort of gives me the heebeegeebees.
 

fioratura

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These are all really great and helpful ideas! Thanks so much for your input...I'm slowly narrowing down options and coming up with ideas. I just arrived home yesterday from spending 3 weeks in Europe with the BF and he mentioned multiple times during our travels on trains, busses, and planes, that it was really time for a new suitcase...one that wouldn't keep breaking, had 4 swiveling wheels, and a great warranty. Because we both travel so much for work and basically live out of suitcases, this would be something that would enhance his life a lot. Does anyone have luggage that they absolutely adore?
 

autumngems

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Relaxing weekend away, say B&B and a ballgame if he's into that type of sport
 

girlyglam

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I always struggle with getting gifts for my guy, and I tend to go for more practical items for him because he appreciates getting something he needs and rarely is there something in particular that he really wants. But I always want to get him something more "fun"...I lucked out last Christmas by getting him an Xbox One. He really wanted one but was way to practical to buy it for himself, so that was a hit. No clue what I'm doing for his upcoming birthday though!

Anyway, I'm mildly obessed with The Sweethome/Wirecutter for reviews, and thought you might be interested in the following if you're looking at luggage:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-carry-on-luggage/
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-checked-luggage/
 

fioratura

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Thanks girlyglam! I didn't know about wirecutter and that carryon that they recommend looks PERFECT! I love the 4-wheel spinner one with the removable garment bag! I think that will be the perfect gift! It's practical, something he has mentioned he needs, but a more luxurious model than he would probably buy for himself. THANKS for all the help! I would still love to hear any other ideas you may have for future gift giving events :)
 

daneshpastry

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I'm a guy - for what it's worth. A lot of the suggestions here are interesting, but not things I would want.

Ask him directly what he wants. Or tell him to send you ideas. I hate the guessing game - if it were me, I would just want to be asked what I want so I could send you a link. With my significant other, I send various ideas, and he can pick one, so it's a bit of a surprise.

Romantic? No. But some guys are just more practical.

I'm recently divorced and have been with my current "man friend" for about 10 months. The relationship has been such a wonderful thing for me, especially after getting out of a marriage which wasn't the healthiest. He's a wonderful person, a great friend, and adds so much to my life.

My ex-husband was not into gifts...giving or receiving. He just thought the whole practice was silly. I on the other hand, LOVE gifts. I love getting them and I love giving them! They don't have to be expensive or extravagant, I just love letting people know that I'm thinking of them, and I love having little tokens that remind me of the people I love.

Well new guy is turning 35 in August and I'm at a total loss at what to get for him for his birthday. For Christmas, I got him silly inside joke types of gifts, which were perfect because the relationship was still new and more casual, but now I really do want to get him something more meaningful and serious. I just don't know what that could be. What is a good budget even? I'd feel comfortable spending around $300-$400 but I don't know if that would make him feel uncomfortable. We are both professional classical musicians (if you didn't know, classical music is not really where the big bucks are), but I did well in my divorce. I'd love to spoil him with something really nice because I can, but I don't want him to feel pressured to spend too much on me for future gifts. I prefer to buy my own jewelry anyway ;-)

It's been so long since I've been in a new relationship (I was with my ex for 13 years), that I don't even know what the rules are! What have been your best/ favorite man gifts? If I were buying gifts for women, I would be golden. Any and all ideas, opinions, thoughts, and musings appreciated.
 

tyty333

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Old thread that someone pulled up to sell something.
 
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