What to Get Your Guy for His Birthday

What on earth will I buy for my dad, brother, husband, boyfriend, etc.? As a guy, I often think that buying gifts for women is really difficult. After being married for a few years, it seems though that Laura sometimes has the same trouble finding a fun gift for me. So to help solve some woes or at least throw out a few ideas, I thought I'd put together a gift giving guide with some things that most guys would love. Hopefully you can at least find one something your guy would really appreciate and have fun with.

Dockers Soft Khakis

I bought of pair of these awesome pants this past weekend and really love them. They fit great and look pretty good as well. Not only that, but they are extremely versatile. I wore them to church with some nicer shoes and a button up, but pulled them off with a T-shirt and sandals as well. Excellent!

Amazon Kindle

Now this actually pains me to say, but I'm starting to think that the Kindle would be awesome to have. I'm an Apple guy through and through, but it is tough to beat the price and functionality of a Kindle. I will never be a completely digital reader. I'm too attached to having books in my hand that you can feel and smell and place on your shelf for posterity's sake. Still, if your guy is a reader and wouldn't mind having a few books on an e-reader, the Kindle is the way to go.

Shaving Equipment

 This may sound like a weird one, and I will admit that it is one that I doubt every guy would go crazy for, but I absolutely love my shaving gear. Up until about a month ago, all I had ever used were disposable or cartridge razor blades that you see commercials for all the time. The problem was that I hated shaving, replacements cost a ton, and I still got pretty bad razor burn and redness from shaving with these supposedly super high tech razors. I started reading up on different alternatives and found some articles on using a good old fashioned double edged safety razor. It does have a little more up front cost for the razor, a good brush, shaving cream, and blades, but the shaving cream lasts longer and smells better, the blades are much cheaper, and my skin is much healthier since the switch. I love shaving now, which is really weird to say. There are plenty of good options out there in this category. I have a Merkur razor, a Parker brush, and some Taylor of Old Bond Street shaving cream. 

Newspaper Subscription

Let's face it: as a twenty-something in a busy environment, sometimes the news just doesn't happen. I hate TV news because it seems like a load of screaming men and women who think that the loudest screamer wins. I'm not a huge fan of internet news because the coverage is usually so sparse. But I still love having a newspaper. It is an easy way to stay connected with local, national, and international news so that you can stay informed about what is happening around you. Laura and I subscribe to the Birmingham News. It has decent local coverage and also has enough coupons to make your subscription worth your money (we pay $2 a week, we have had the paper for 2 weeks, we just saved $13 in coupons at the grocery store tonight from coupons we got from the Sunday paper). If you are looking for more in depth national or international news, I recommend the Wall Street Journal. Great reporting, good editorials, and a pretty balanced perspective on things.

Flint and Steel Firestarter 

For the outdoors man in your life, there is this handy fire starter. It would be handy on the next camping trip, or perhaps if he ends up as a guest host on man vs. wild. Just a thought.

Beer Brewing Kit

I'm going out on a limb here, but I like a beer every now and then. If you have questions about that, please feel free to ask me. I have never been nor ever plan to get drunk as it looks like nothing but a bad choice that precedes many other bad choices. But a good beer with pizza or sipping on a dark beer while reading the paper at night is something that I enjoy. For my birthday this year, Laura got me a home beer brewing kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. It includes everything you need to brew one gallon of grain brewed beer. We haven't made it yet, but I think it will be fun to try out.

Netflix

  

Laura and I decided to do the free trial for Netflix in June and we planned on canceling in July. Well, here comes August and we are still enjoying our subscription to Netflix. If your guy is a movie buff, he will love it. Plus, this is a fairly inexpensive option that the both of you would enjoy.

Saddleback Leather Briefcase

This is not a cheap gift. In fact, it is downright expensive. I would have a hard time justifying this except for the fact that (1) it is beautiful craftsmanship that both looks good and is eminently practical, and (2) it has a 100 year warranty. That is right. Your kids and possibly grandkids will be using this bag long after you are gone. Saddleback Leather Company makes all of their bags, including this briefcase, from high quality leather and create each one by hand. This is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill gift, so you would have to save up for a while to make the purchase, but I think it would be worth it.

Give Your Time!

When it comes down to it, most husbands would simply love to spend some good quality time with their wives and know that they are appreciated. I know for Laura and I that I feel like I am constantly busy running from school to one job to the next job to homework to bed with nothing to break the monotony sometimes. When we really settle down and Laura makes a nice meal at home or plans an evening out, I love that. I love knowing that we will be able to spend some quality time together, talking about the craziness going on in our lives and the mundane things as well. At the end of the day, that is better than any gift that she could ever buy.