Okay fellas, we all know that there are going to be a handful of occasions each and every year where we are going to be buying our lovely wives a gift – birthdays, anniversaries, holidays.
Unfortunately, even though we know this, we still struggle to buy a gift for the woman that we love. Over the years that my wife and I have been married, I’ve made just about every gift buying mistake that you can think of.
Lingerie (to which she asked if I thought it was my birthday)…guilty.
Truffles when she was dieting (ouch, the ensuing guilt trip may scar you for years)…guilty.
Clothing of the wrong size (ouch, don’t do this one either – and don’t trust the labels inside their current clothes as there are no guarantees that is still her size, trust me)…guilty.
I could go on and on but I think you get the point.
With today being my wife’s birthday, I have recently gone through the process of buying her a gift and thought that I would share with you the lessons that I have learned on how to buy the perfect gift.
In all honesty, you’re going to kick yourself when you realize how easy it really is to buy the perfect gift.
Prepare yourself.
Are you ready for the Unofficial Guide to Buying Your Wife a Gift?
Step #1 :: Listen To Her
Did the lights just dim?
I know that is an Earth shattering revelation but I guarantee you that a few weeks to a few months before the special occasion, your wife will be dropping you hints left and right in casual conversation. Unfortunately, we are usually trying to listen to SportsCenter while trying to make it look like we are listening to every last word.
More often than not, we miss these hidden suggestions and end up buying a gift that we think she wants. Only on the rarest of occasions did your wife actually mention that she has been wanting to purchase a new vacuum – and even if she did that doesn’t mean she wants it for her birthday.
Traditional advice is to never buy your wife a tool or appliance for her birthday. If it is associated with her doing more work, it is probably not the best gift.
However, a few years back I purchased one of those fancy, colorful, do-everything kitchen blender mixer magic maker things as a Christmas gift and it went over very well.
Yes, I know that I just said that tools and appliances don’t make great gifts but the reason that this gift went over well is because I followed the second step of the Unofficial Guide to Buying Your Wife a Gift.
Step #2 :: Ask Her
Again, such a simple thing to do yet we often overlook in the desire to purchase the perfect gift.
While some might say it lacks romance or creativity, I would ask them how romantic or creative it is to see your wife in the customer service department returning the gift that you thought she would love as much as you did.
I don’t know about you but when it is my birthday, I truly enjoy getting something that I want and I don’t enjoy it any less if I had to tell someone that I wanted it.
By asking your wife what she would like for the special occasion, you will avoid the risk of misunderstanding the hints she had been trying to give you for the weeks preceding the special day and save yourself from the panic of rushing around the mall on the night before as you rack your brain trying to remember anything that she said to you.
When you ask your wife what she truly wants for the second time, as the first answer will likely be that she doesn’t want anything (yeah, don’t do this one either…guilty), you will ensure that you buy a gift that she does in fact want.
George Foreman Guarantee
Following the two steps of the Unofficial Guide to Buying Your Wife a Gift comes with the guarantee that you will purchase a gift that makes your wife happy.
If she isn’t happy with the gift, then you did something wrong.
In recent years I have followed these two steps with fantastic results, whether it be the time the two of us escaped for a long weekend in Boston and Salem or more recently when the long-awaited little blue box from Tiffany & Co arrived under the Christmas tree.
The next time you need to buy your wife a gift, refer back to this guide and let me know how it goes.
Now, it is just about time for my wife to open her birthday gifts – if you don’t hear back from me, ignore this Unofficial Guide to Buying Your Wife a Gift and buy her that lingerie!
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I find the free gifts sometimes work well too.
Like a coupon book for various things.
- Massages
- Take a long bath night
- Night out on the town
etc…
Gary Jones :: BlueFur.com’s last blog post..Dot-ca Reaches One Million
These are good tips. The Man is really good at getting me gifts. I must say that even if you don’t listen to her or ask her, a blue Tiffany box (with something Tiffany in it of course) is ALWAYS a safe bet!
RubiaLala’s last blog post..WonderWalk
Nice – these are so simple yet often overlooked by most men. We all probably put to much thought into gift giving.
I wrote an article very similar to this when I was looking for a gift for my wife.
How To Find Her A Great Gift
–Tyler
Tyler @ Building Camelot’s last blog post..The Lost Art Of How To Write A Love Letter
Good advice. But what if she subtly and obviously hinted a thousand times that she wants you to buy a tropical island for her birthday? =P
Kelvin Kao’s last blog post..My First Fantasy Basketball Championship
I hope you are collecting these witticisms and making them into a book. These are well done and you’re a FUNNY guy with insight and experience. You got any older brothers…? LOL
Deb Gallardo
The Story Ideas Virtuoso’s last blog post..Story Ideas – Beginning With?
I like the advice Derek as it can be quite stressful trying to get gift buying right – as you say we’re all too familiar with the consequences of not! My wife’s birthday is 3 weeks before Christmas so I have to come up with two ideas in relatively short succession. What it means is I usually employ your #1 AND #2 to create some options. In fact, I still buy for our kids too which means some extra ideas are always needed in the pot. At the end of the day…she’s worth it
!
Simon
Simon’s last blog post..Sunset on the highway
These are great steps toward getting your wife a gift. Let’s face it, we men screw it up bad sometimes. I really like this list to make your best attempt to get it right, or “gift it right” as the case may be
Damien Riley’s last blog post..My Guest Blog is up at BEPLAYFUL.ORG: On Grocery Cart Races
Being the “practical” wife that she is, on our anniversary recently we only went out for a simple japanese food buffet dinner. My colleagues called me cheap!
And lastly, Derek, if we didn’t hear back from you after your wife is opening the gift, it could also mean that you are being severely rewarded!
The Blue Box always goes over well.
Jared’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday – Playground Paranoia
Give your wife jewelry! Custom jewelry for mother’s day is a wonderful idea.
@Kelvin Kao my suggestion would be to make a model island and give it to her. It would definatelly be cute
Gary Jones :: BlueFur.com’s last blog post..Branding 101 – Choosing a Mascot
Nice. My wife and I keep updated gift lists – we use Amazon.com wish lists as idea starters. It’s useful because we can access it from anywhere and don’t have to remember anything.
cory huff’s last blog post..A Stay at Home Mom’s Wish List
Yeah this is awesome, but in order to surprise my other half, it is a requirement to spill my financial guts all over the side walk for rediculously overpriced nicknacks that they all seem to covet so prodigiously. Not that she expects it, but to get her really smiling, it’s a necessity. So anyway, can I borrow some money?