When it comes to buying gifts for the girlfriend there are plenty of pitfalls. Whether you’ve been together one year or ten, there are some items that you should just not go for. Here are a few pointers on what to avoid that will make sure you keep the beautiful femme in your life, in your life.
Book Tokens
No, no, no, no, no. For book tokens read any gift certificate type deal. They’re not only a pain to use, but they also scream impersonal. Buying a book token, even if she loves reading just shows that you’re lazy, haven’t being paying enough attention to know what book she’d actually like or that you don’t really know her at all. All of which are bad.
A Puppy
The whole ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas’ sentiment should be adhered to. Especially if you’re not entirely convinced the girl you’re buying for might not be for life. Obviously when we’re talking about a puppy any living creature is the gist we’re going for. It’s just not cool. Wrapping a cute beastie up in a box is just asking for trouble.
Kitchen Appliances
Feminism is a good thing. A really, really good thing and buying your missus a food mixer sends all the wrong messages, even with the best of intentions.
Lingerie
Ok, this isn’t as much as a ‘don’t’ as other entries on this list. However it is a tricky thing to get right. Firstly you have to avoid it being a gift for you as much as her if you catch my drift otherwise it’s just a bit naff. Equally you’ve got to be confident of size, style and colour. Not as easy as you might think. Returning lingerie that your bed mate bought you because it doesn’t fit, or is something you’d never wear is just depressing. It’s an intimate gift, so don’t risk it if you’re unsure.
Perfume You Saw In A Commercial
Gifting to your partner a bottle of her favourite sent is a good thing to do. What is not a good thing to do is pick a scent your saw on TV. We all know how it is. Perfume ads are ridiculously sexy, full of gorgeous people and totally incomprehensible, we all want a piece of that. But be strong. Also picking one because you like the shape of the receptacle it is contained within is not a good enough reason either.
Off-The-Shelf Jewellery
Right. Can you afford something expensive or do you know a cute boutique which sells jewellery made by independent artists? If the answer to these questions is no, don’t by jewellery. Quirky, individual and budget prices are fine if you know where to find it and have the skills to pick something she’ll like. If you’re more traditional, and bling is your thing, you’ve got to stump up the moola. Anything else is just posturing.
This list is not comprehensive, there are other gifts to avoid, however follow the above and you’ll be on the right track. She’ll be happy, you’ll be happy and as a couple you’ll be all cute and lovely. Good work!
Dan Smith is a gift-buying guru and spends a good proportion of his working day coming up with wedding gift ideas for online retailer Find Me A Gift.
Good post Bellaisa. I have to admit that buying vouchers is a common present idea I hear guys talking about again and again.
The excuse is always “because I don’t know what she likes”. Sometimes I think whether this is true, or just sheer laziness!
Lol Hiten. Women are always dropping hints about what we want. It’s just a matter of listening!
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Why do men always try to find excuses when it comes to getting gifts for their girlfriend its is so simple. All you need is a girl likes to feel pampered, so if you don’t know how to send her the gift of sending her somewhere that will know how to pamper her.
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Agreed! Pamper us!
Bellaisa recently posted..A Successful Date Depends on Successful Chemistry
Yeah, my hubby does the perfume fault all the time, despite I give him all the hints about my favorite scents.
I even came to a point when I told him that the perfume he gave me smells disguisting and I am using it to scent the toilet with. 
I have no idea why he isn’t listening.
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That’s hilarious!
You’re going to have to stock up on your favorite perfume so that you have too much, and he can’t buy you it anymore of it. It will be interesting to see what he buys in it’s place.
Bellaisa recently posted..A Successful Date Depends on Successful Chemistry