With the holidays right around the corner, guys often find themselves in a pickle when it comes to how much money they should spend when they are purchasing a Christmas gift for the woman they are dating. If you ask your female friends, you’ll probably get a bunch of different answers and it could only confuse you even more.
We’ve asked our experts what they think is appropriate gift giving guide for the various situations you may find yourself in.
New Romances
Those who find themselves in a new romance, let’s say a few weeks to a couple months, we suggest that you purchase something fun and exciting. This gift could be something that reminds you of the first few days you’ve shared. Maybe you went ice skating and you caught her before she fell. You can get a CD of the song that was playing at that very moment and maybe a stuffed animal with ice skates on. Or, maybe you went window shopping one evening and came across a shop where she gushed over a particular nick knack she was fond of — go back too that shop and get the nick knack for a nice surprise.
You won’t want to spend a lot of money on her gift, as you don’t want to seem overly committed. A good price range is somewhere between $20 to $30.
Getting Close
Now let’s say you’ve been dating for three to six months. This gift is a little trickier because she’s going to expect something that is thoughtful and nice, but you don’t want to give her the impression that you’re headed toward matrimony.
Now, for those who haven’t said “I love you” yet, you can get away with quirky gifts like you would get for a new romance, but put a little more thought into it. However, if you had said those three magical words, and you often stay at one another’s house, you can up the ante by getting her a nice set of silk pajamas or lingerie. You can make the gift a little more extravagant by giving her a pair of earrings that fit her style and aren’t over the top like diamonds. You want to make sure any jewelry you purchase at this stage isn’t a whole lot of money. So, even if you forego the pajamas, your gift shouldn’t be more than $100 total.
Love is in the Air
If you and your woman has been dating for more than six months, you’ve probably said “I love you” and may be contemplating a future together. This is when your Christmas shopping is going to get fun. You’re going to have to get her a gift, this much is certain. You may start noticing that she’s dropping you hints of what she wants for Christmas, so you should definitely start paying attention.
However, just because she is dropping hints, it doesn’t mean you have to get her those gifts. You are going to want to set a budget (especially if you have future plans of moving in together or going on a romantic vacation together) that you both have to adhere to. Then, you can look back over the past few months and take note of the things she’s interested in. You should take note of your spending habits when you are with her, and see if she likes fancy things or if she is a bit more humble. A good rule of thumb in this situation is to budget a couple hundred dollars for a variety of gifts. It helps if these gifts coincide with one another in some way. For example, if she’s been saying she needed a new radio for the car, you can get her a nice car stereo, but also pick up a few other things for the car, like new seat covers, floor mats, and maybe a certificate to have the car detailed.
Christmas is a time for showing your loved ones that you care and you enjoy making them smile. There shouldn’t be any pressure to break the bank just to get her a fancy gift. But even after these tips and you still don’t know what to do, simply talk to her. See where she stands with the gift giving and ask what she wants. If you want there to be an element of surprise, ask her what she doesn’t want and go from there.
No matter what your course of action, you can believe she will love anything you get her.