Xmas shopping for a lady friend

[shoreman1782]

Thanks again for all the input, fellas. Appreciated. I haven't totally settled, yet. I'm just not good at spending lump sums of cash on one thing, and that's making it difficult - I can't spend a lot of cash for myself on one item, either.
So far, she's got a wool skirt from J Crew, a Skagen watch, a cashmere blend sweater she can wear to work, and a silk scarf/waist tie thing. No handbag, no non-functional jewelry. She may get something else, we'll see.
Brian SD, I happen to agree with you. Part of me, when I opened the iPod, said what the hell are you thinking? Of course, the rest of me was already cataloguing, organizing, then reorganizing my music, and planning playslists for any possible occasion. Chuck Klosterman said the iPod is the one piece of technology that he owns that has no negative effect on his life at all.
We guys have to help each other out on this by curbing the one-upmanship. A girl in my gf's department got a genuine LV bag for xmas. That's gotta be $500. It's just "giving above your means"; he's a waiter, she's in retail. It's goddamn annoying.

 

[nightowl6261a]

Hey, my wifes best friend got a 4K ring for her 20th, what do you think that did to me on mine this year? Wait til you get married, it gets so much better, yeah right.

 

[sam]

shoreman: This one-upmanship is insecurity on a man's part. I think many guys think they have to buy her affections.

 

[nightowl6261a]

shoreman: This one-upmanship is insecurity on a man's part. I think many guys think they have to buy her affections.

Are you married?
If so, then you must be one lucky guy, it is not one-upmanship, but more a game of shut'em upmanship....sometimes it is easier to give more and get less heartache, than to give less, and get less in return.

 

[artdeco73]

Thanks again for all the input, fellas. Appreciated. I haven't totally settled, yet. I'm just not good at spending lump sums of cash on one thing, and that's making it difficult - I can't spend a lot of cash for myself on one item, either.
So far, she's got a wool skirt from J Crew, a Skagen watch, a cashmere blend sweater she can wear to work, and a silk scarf/waist tie thing. No handbag, no non-functional jewelry. She may get something else, we'll see.
Brian SD, I happen to agree with you. Part of me, when I opened the iPod, said what the hell are you thinking? Of course, the rest of me was already cataloguing, organizing, then reorganizing my music, and planning playslists for any possible occasion. Chuck Klosterman said the iPod is the one piece of technology that he owns that has no negative effect on his life at all.
We guys have to help each other out on this by curbing the one-upmanship. A girl in my gf's department got a genuine LV bag for xmas. That's gotta be $500. It's just "giving above your means"; he's a waiter, she's in retail. It's goddamn annoying.

shoreman,

Having had a chance to think about it a bit...

As many have pointed out, a present need not be expensive or seem expensive, as long as it is memorable. Do you and your S.O. travel? How about a weekend away? You might need to stretch the $200 budget a bit, but hopefully not a whole lot. A night at a quaint bed and breakfast and a nice dinner? There are some nice places out in Western VA, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, Front Royal area, etc. About a 3-hour drive from Baltimore...

Regards,
Tony

 

[whitsang]

I would suggest you buy her something that she can't buy herself at Nordstrom (i.e. don't shop at the store where she works or buy anything Nordstrom sells). I'm sure there are plenty of things she'd like from Nordstrom, but put some thought into it - figure out something she won't expect and surprise her.