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Ladies, what tips would you offer guys when it comes to buying women gifts?

Guys, what about tips for the women when buying gifts for guys?

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Such generic questions when gifts should be such individual choices.

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Originally Posted by Donna Brown:
Such generic questions when gifts should be such individual choices.

I couldn't agree more!

You can't very well go out out and buy three bottles of the same perfume for three different women. One may not wear it, another may be allergic and that particular scent may not suit the third one's personality. Like Donna mentioned, individual people deserve individual gifts.

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Well, just in case anyone is interested in buying me a personal gift, I like wine . . . reds only please.  

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Originally Posted by Donna Brown:
Well, just in case anyone is interested in buying me a personal gift, I like wine . . . reds only please.  

Duly noted! hahaha

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If you can't figure out what I would like, just hand over your credit card and let me take care  of it.  And...thank you!

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Originally Posted by Ron Bradlee:

Originally Posted by Donna Brown:
Well, just in case anyone is interested in buying me a personal gift, I like wine . . . reds only please.  

Duly noted! hahaha

Thanks, sweet pea.

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Personally, I don't like cash. Very impersonal.

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Originally Posted by Shawn Ishness:
Ladies, what tips would you offer guys when it comes to buying women gifts?

Hopefully if you are buying a gal a gift, you know her pretty well.  As far as tips, observe ... notice any little hints ... her personality.  If she's a practical gal and she hints about something she'd like for around the house but just can't justify getting it for herself ... that might be a good direction to take.  Then and ONLY then is that type of gift okay ... generally those types of gifts are frowned upon by me.    (Unless of course it's the Bunn Ultra-2 Slushy / Granita Frozen Drink Machine with 2 Hoppers that I really believe I need and would improve my life ... lol).

If she's self sufficient and takes care of those kind of things, notice what she wears ...her style ... and match it with a piece of bling to compliment something she already has.  The perfect earrings to go with her favorite necklace ... or a classic bracelet always works for me.  

AND Never never underestimate the power of diamonds ... they ARE a girl's best friend ... not to mention it is my birthstone ... !!!

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I’ve never personally favored ‘hints’ because I feel it too easily borders on passive-aggressiveness which is never truly healthy in a relationship. But just in the general nature of ‘hinting’, many people, both men and women, quite often don’t take the hint, and it’s often not something that can really be attached with fault, yet it possess a strong potential to influence disappointment and worse.

Maybe it might kill any surprise factor, but I feel that if there’s something a person specifically wants as a gift, then I find it favorable to simply communicate it to their partner. And I do mean literally, as in “Shawn, I would like some rubber baby buggy bumpers for my birthday this year!” This leaves no question, but it’s not completely unromantic either because this ‘gift’ in itself is just a gift, but how it’s delivered can be infinitely romantic.

Some time after my divorce, I come to realize, though, that if I truly don’t know what to get for my partner as a gift, then it’s a clear indication that we need to work on the relationship. Conventionally there are many things that get in the way of this, but I think what we value plays a major role in the success and happiness in our relationships. If the circumstances of my job interfered with the growth of my relationship, then I have a choice to make, which ‘wolf’ do I feed, with reference to an old moral story.

Yesterday while watching an episode of “Fairly Legal”, the idea of no gift buying was discussed. In the absence of gifts, a couple simply makes special time for each other. In today’s trifling and insanely busy world, this seems to make sense to me. If I want a new necklace, a new power drill, or whole new set of underwear, I can get that myself. But spending ‘time’ with my partner typically outweighs the materialistic value of tangible gifts.

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What advice would I give for buying gifts for men. My reply is from personal experience. If he says he would like something as a gift, don't tell him that the gift he says he wants is stupid and he really doesn't want it but that he really wants something else which happens to be something that he has voiced he would not want.

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Dude ... dropping hint or clues to a boyfriend is anything but dangerous passive aggressive behavior in a relationship ...  

If the man you are with has so much trouble finding a gift, and is really that clueless ... he really must not know you very well.  

Hints can be a mention here or there ... HINT:  wow look at that lovely shade of blue, I would love to have a vase in that color =  look for a vase in that lovely color of blue and surprise her with it.   Pretty simple actually ... pay attention !!!

Observe her, be attentive ... have half a clue.  If you say hey my birthday is coming up and I want you to get me this.  Where is the surprise or the mystique there ?   B-o-r-i-n-g !  Unimaginative.  I would be more disappointed with that sort of bossy behavior in myself ... and that wimpy behavior by my guy.

I would NOT think a problematic passive aggressive behavior in a relationship would surface in the gift-giving area ... but that's just me.

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Originally Posted by Farmer Up:
What advice would I give for buying gifts for men. My reply is from personal experience. If he says he would like something as a gift, don't tell him that the gift he says he wants is stupid and he really doesn't want it but that he really wants something else which happens to be something that he has voiced he would not want.

I haven't seen this with adults (yet), but I've seen this a LOT between parent and child, and it looks tragically abusive to me. It's an excellent way of training a child that their wants and don't-wants aren't legitimate and can really damage their sense of self. I think you've offered the finest point thus far, thanks