As a "young man" I'm constantly being told that I'm impossible to buy gifts for, so inevitably end up with the gift of cash or vouchers around Christmas time. I'm not complaining, cash is always great, but sometimes something more personal might be in order, so I decided to create a list of gift ideas for all the bewildered girlfriends, mothers, wives and sisters out there.
The biggest thing to think about is what's actually going to get some use when choosing a gift, so think practically. There's nothing worse than spending a bunch of dough on something that's never going to get used (although in saying that, this doesn't automatically mean buying endless pairs of socks and underwear is a great idea).
Grooming products always go down well because they're always going to get used, and most dudes don't particularly enjoy having to go buy them.
I've recently started to use old fashioned shaving soap and a shaving brush and it turns out that it out-performs shaving foam/gel tenfold. Not only is it much easier on the skin but it's actually cheaper and lasts for ages. I found this handmade shaving soap for $7 and this shaving brush for $24 as a good starter, but there are also full shaving kits available ranging about $50 up to $150 if you're feeling generous.
Once you've got new shaving gear you'll need somewhere to keep and carry it and that's where a new toiletry bag comes handy (especially for travelling over the summer). For something a little different I found this custom, made to order leather toiletry bag that can come with personalised embossed initials. At $55 they're a bit expensive but because they're quality will probably last a lifetime.
Something else that undoubtedly gets a lot of use is a man's wallet (the equivalent to a woman's hand bag), this comparatively small object can hold everything a guy needs. One of the biggest problems I've had with wallets is how bulky they can be sitting in my back pocket. I've noticed a new trend of wallets, being as small and as thin as possible while still fitting all your cards and cash, and made out of quality leather. They're simple, do the job, and look good too. I've found an example here for around $90 but I've seen them range from $50 up to $150.
Most guys are into electronics whether its tablets, smart phones, or gaming, but these sort of things are always hard to buy for someone else, and let's face it probably too expensive for most. It seems no one can get enough of is battery power for all these devices, and that's where this mobile power station comes in. Making it possible to charge devices on the go, at $80 USD or about $100 NZD it's pretty reasonable and would be surely welcome for anyone with portable devices.
Finally, it's coming up to BBQ season and of course it will be the man's job to get the grill going and cook the meat. The one thing that sucks about using the BBQ though is having to clean it after you're done (or before you start, because you "forgot" to last time) so anything to make the job easier would be great. This "woody paddle" BBQ cleaning tool is something a bit different, used while the BBQ's already hot, it forms grooves in the wood to fit perfectly around the grill to make and easy job of scrap all the crusty stuff off the grill. And $40 it doesn't break the bank at all.
