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Giving a meaningful gift during the holiday season is one of the best feelings. But let’s face the facts, gift shopping for any male is hard. Whether it is your dad, your brother, or your boyfriend, trying to find a reasonable and inexpensive gift is difficult.
As a person who has all three of these men in my life, I have struggled to find meaningful gifts that fit my budget for years. I have scrolled endlessly through Pinterest lists trying to come up with good ideas, but those tend to lack creativity. It is tough gift shopping for a boyfriend because you may never know what he wants. So here is a non-generic list of gift ideas for your boyfriend that he’ll love and hopefully won’t break the bank.
1. A Coffee Mug
Whether your boyfriend is a fan of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, this gift offers great flexibility. Coffee mugs come in all different shapes, sizes and colors.
You can get him a traditional mug, travel mug, or even a camping mug. Better yet, you can get one suited for his interests. Is he into Star Wars, sports or has a favorite quote? There’s a mug for that! Want to customize it? Put his name on it, a picture of his pet or best of all, a picture of you. If your boyfriend is 21 or older, you could also get him a fancy beer mug.
2. Camping Gear
Is your boyfriend an outdoorsy person? Or does he want to be? If so, camping gear is a great gift idea for him. With the wide variety of options to choose from, you won’t struggle to find a quality gift. You can find something from pricier brands like North Face, Eddie Bauer, or REI. For chapter options, you can find what you are looking for from Walmart, Target or Amazon.
Some ideas include a hammock, hiking poles, a first aid kit, a hiker’s day pack, LifeStraws, a compass, cooking supplies or even a journal for him to keep track of his adventures. The options are really endless with camping gear.
3. Hats
Hats, like coffee mugs, come in a plethora of styles to choose from. From beanies to baseball to truckers to stylish hats, you are sure to find one that can please your boyfriend. You can choose simple hats with just a brand logo on the front like Carhartt, Nike or North Face, or you can find hats with designs from places like Life Is Good or Amazon. Hats are so versatile that you can find one for any person.
4. Something Practical
This idea will probably be best if you have been dating your boyfriend for a while. If you know that he needs something, or maybe he wants a higher-end version of something that he uses every day, this is a great opportunity for you to get him what he is looking for. This can be anything from cologne to moisturizer to new socks to a fancy shaving kit. He might not splurge for the fancy brand on his own, but he would love to open it as a present.
5. Sporting Event Tickets
This option can be on the pricier side, but it does not have to be. You can buy him a ticket for his favorite professional sports team, his favorite college sports team, or even a minor league team. You can think outside the box and purchase a ticket to a pre-season game, which could be cheaper. If he is not a sport’s fan, find concert tickets or tickets to another events he would be interested in attending. This gift can also be for you if you buy a ticket for yourself. You just planned a great future date night!
6. A Giant Blanket
Trust me on this one. A giant blanket is a perfect gift for anyone. My boyfriend is very tall, so regular blankets do not always keep him warm and covered. For Christmas last year, I went to Walmart and bought four regular-sized blankets, then enlisted the help of my aunt to sew them together. He loves the blanket and sleeps with it every night. It is also a great idea because a giant blanket fits two people way better than just one. This will be a perfect movie night companion.
7. Personalized Keychain
Chances are, your boyfriend uses a set of keys every day for either his car, his house, or work. Buying or making him a personalized keychain is a great reminder of you that he can see every day. You can order ones off of Etsy that you can personalize to say “I love you,” “Drive Safe,” your initials, or even put a picture of you two. If you do not like any of the options, this is a great small gift you can make on your own.
8. Matching Bracelets
Just like some of the previous gift ideas, this one has plenty of choices to choose from. Personally, I have a matching bracelet with my boyfriend from Pura Vida. We chose ours from there because of the price, the color options, and the bracelets that can be easily adjusted to fit our very different wrist sizes. Better yet, we were able to pick out bracelets that donated to charity when purchased. But if you do not like any of the options from Pura Vida, there are plenty of local businesses on Etsy to find your perfect couples bracelet.
9. Personalized Golf Balls
This gift idea is fairly specific to if your boyfriend enjoys golf. If he does, then this is a great option. Personalized golf balls can be as basic as a sports team logo or as specific as a picture of his favorite pet. You can even put your own face on the balls. This gift is easy but enjoyable for any guy who likes to golf.
10. A Book
There are nearly 130 million books in the world. Even if your boyfriend is not much of a reader, you can still find a book for him. There are millions of fiction books to choose from, but you might have more luck finding what you are looking for in the non-fiction book collection.
Cookbooks, autobiographies, how-to’s, self-improvement, or even history books are great ideas. Explore the realm of graphic novels and comic books if he is into those. A book is truly a great gift to anyone if it suits their personality.
Happy shopping!