Budget-Friendly Gift Ideas

 
With the holiday season comes the pressure of gift buying.  If you’re currently in a relationship or trying to win someone’s heart, you’re probably wracking your brain for the perfect gift.  And if—like most of us—you’re on a strict budget, you may also be wondering if there’s any chance you can find a gift that is both worthy of your partner and gentle on your checking account.

Allow yourself a sigh of relief.  Your mom meant what she said when you made her that macaroni birthday card in kindergarten; a little creativity does go a long way.  Here are a few ideas for meaningful gifts on a fixed budget.

Personalized Notebook or Planner.

Find a moderately-priced planner or—if you have a list-maker or journaler to buy for—an affordable notebook.  Then embellish each page with a meaningful quote or a special message from you to your partner.  You can write directly in the book, you can print your words out on colored paper and glue them in . . . whatever works for you.  Not only is this a thoughtful gift, but your partner gets little bits of your love as she uses the notebook each day for the next year.

365 Sweet Nothings

You may want to get an early start on this one . . . it takes a while.  The concept is pretty simple, though.  Find a little decorative box or jar (or decorate one you find at a craft supply store) and fill it with 365 slips of paper, each one with a message from you.  Keep them simple, like “I love your laugh” or “Remember that time we spent an entire day watching Woody Allen movies?”  To mix up your material, you may also want to include some famous quotes that make you think of your partner.  Check out sites like QuoteGarden.com and ThinkExist.com.  When you give this gift to your sweetheart, let him know there’s one message for him for each day of the year.

Collage or Shadow Box

Your relationship is a collection of a million special moments.  Chances are, you’ve collected memorabilia from your favorites.  Dig up old photographs, ticket stubs, postcards, etc, and choose the few that mean the most to you.  Then make a collage or arrange them in a shadow box as an homage to your love that your significant other can hang up and admire.  If you’re feeling truly ambitious, make a scrapbook documenting your relationship or your time together in the last year.

Thrift Store Find

Never underestimate the power of the thrift store.  It’s true, your significant other is probably not into body suites with pit stains, but if you dig a little deeper, you may find a unique piece of jewelry or the favorite childhood game he hasn’t been able to find in stores since his mom sold it at a garage sale.  Sometimes great things come in secondhand packages.

The ________ of the Month Club

Enroll your sweetheart in your own, made-up “Something” of the Month Club.  Maybe it’s the Home-Cooked Meal of the Month or the Sporting Event of the Month or the New Restaurant of the Month.  Think of something you know your partner wishes the two of  you did more, and let your gift be a promise in writing that you’ll fulfill that interest once a month.  It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.  Just be sure to follow through.  If you lose your gusto and cancel the club in March, you will never be allowed to forget it.

It may be clichéd, but in gift giving, it really is the thought that counts.  Big, fancy things are nice, but the average person is much more interested in gifts that come from the heart . . . gifts that remind us that we are known and loved by the people who mean the most to us.  Give from the heart, and your partner probably won’t think to wonder what it cost you.

Planning a Romantic First Date

First date is something nearly everyone gets a bit nervous about it. First date is very important with someone that you really like. It’s hard not to be boring by planning something that’s so mundane and routine that it shows no imagination whatsoever. There are some things to take into consideration as to what a creative and fun first date can consist of. The following may give you some ideas to get you started:

For the athletic couple: This is a way to spend time together and do something you both enjoy, such as engaging in some physical activity. Plan a bicycling day trip or hike. Take along a picnic lunch and let your destination be a beautiful view to enjoy while you eat.

For the water loving couple: You can go for a lovely sail on a lake or river. If you have access to a nice boat, it’s possible to sail out to an island for either a picnic on the beach or lunch in lovely seaside restaurant. Make a day of it. The time spent on the water can be a wonderful way to talk and get better acquainted.

For the fine arts couple: Even in cities where you may have visited museums and other cultural locations, it’s always exciting to see them with someone new that also loves them. It may even have the effect of seeing it with a fresh eye. There are also plays that you can attend together. You may even end your date by taking turns reading to each other from a book that moves both of you.


For the fun loving couple: People that have a wonderful sense of humor usually enjoy attending comedy clubs and seeing famous comedians. This is an evening of laughter that can be quite memorable. Following the show, you may want to go out for dinner and drinks while still comparing notes on the show.

For the childlike couple: Carnivals and fairs bring out the inner child in everyone, but if you already have good contact with YOUR inner child, this will only emphasize how much fun going on carnival rides and playing games for prizes while eating a huge cone of cotton candy can be. You may even get to steal a kiss or two in the Tunnel of Love. A trip to the zoo or the circus can also bring out that childlike fun.

Nothing gets a potential relationship off to a great start like organizing an amazing first date that hits all of the high notes of the favorite things you have in common. This is the perfect way to bond with each other and start to build off of those things you have in common.

Also, don’t feel that all of your dates have to be organized. Try spontaneity on occasion and see how that works out. You can just wake up one morning and invite this person to have breakfast with you. That can begin a lovely day of playing tourist in your own city, having lunch and ending it with dinner. What could be more perfect?

Online Dating and Safety

Online dating has become an accepted way of meeting and getting to know people for friendship and prospective romantic partners. It’s so convenient to do things this way since you never have to even leave your home to get the ball rolling. You can visit a variety of online dating websites, or you can hop in and out of some dating chat rooms. It’s also possible to get acquainted with someone you’ve come into contact with in your favorite forum. There are so many ways to do this.

One of the biggest concerns with online dating, however, is the issue of safety. Most of the time this applies to women rather than men, although there are definitely some women that can be just as dangerous as the most frightening of men. In addition, it’s difficult to tell who you can trust and who you need to avoid at all costs. There’s just no sure fire way to know. That’s why safety is so very important.

While you can’t always be 100 percent positive that you’ve hooked up with someone completely trustworthy, you can at least take some sensible measures that give you an advantage in this area.

The first one of these is to never give all of your personal information right off the bat. Sure, you need to give someone your first name, but there’s no reason that you should offer your last night along with your phone number and street address. All you need to chat with each other for a while is first names. Some people even go so far as to use aliases in the beginning.

Talking online is relatively safe. You can chat privatly and get a lot of your questions answered about someone while you’re getting to know each other. When you’re ready, you can move things along by chatting via webcam. In this way, you can see each other, which can tell a lot about what someone is really like. This, too, is a great way to get acquainted while remaining safe.

When you’re ready to meet face to face, make it during the day at a very public place. It’s also a good idea to take a friend along with you. That friend can sit somewhere else where you’re in full view, or they can join you until you give the signal that you’re comfortable enough for them to leave. It’s also a good idea to use your own transportation and meet in the agreed upon location.  In this way, your address is still safe and you’ve got your own way to “escape” if you feel the need.

Never meet someone until you’re completely 100 percent comfortable with that person. There are many ways to run background checks on people these days, too. That’s something else that you may want to consider. It’s also a better idea to keep your home’s location a secret until you’ve been dating for a while. When you’re fully relaxed and confident that someone is safe for you to be seeing, then you can open up a bit more. Until then, never take anything at face value.

I Love Him but He’s a Terrible Kisser

Kissing is one of the most intimate things that two people can do with each other. It’s almost as intimate as the act of sex because you’re connected in a truly physical way, especially if you’re using your tongue. When you think about it, you can practically call it Mouth Intercourse. It’s so intimate, in fact, that there are people that will have sex with someone but won’t kiss them unless they’re in love with them.  Anyway, you get the point.

Yes, kissing is a beautiful act. However, there are a significant number of people on the earth that just don’t know how to kiss. This can, many times, be a complete turnoff for some women. They may be very attracted to a man and have all kinds of things in common with him, but the first time they kiss, he slobbers all over her face or sucks at her tongue like a vacuum cleaner. Either way, it’s not conducive to endearing him to her. The only way out of that situation is if the two of them have already formed a bond of some sort so that it’s not imperative that he knows how to kiss well.

If you’re a woman whose partner doesn’t seem to have to slightest idea of how to kiss, there are some ways to handle the situation so that it’s not a total disaster. First of all, though, you need to decide if you care enough about him to make the effort. If everything else about him is perfect, then you may want to try to see what you can do about turning his kissing into something more desirable.

Since men can be rather sensitive about such things as being told that they kiss like a Hoover, you’ll probably need to find a way to show him rather than tell him how you want to be kissed. This doesn’t have to be easier said than done, either. Pick one of those times when you’re sort of just having an impromptu make out session and play with the kissing part. If he tries to dive right in, slow him down by nibbling a bit on his bottom lip. You have to take control of the pace in order to get him to pay attention to what you’re doing.

Now, if he just refuses to follow your lead and keeps diving back in like the slobbering Hoover, you may have to tell him in words that it really turns you on to kiss slowly at first. If you can slow him down, you’re got a great chance of teaching him some new kissing techniques. Granted, he may never turn into the best kisser you’ve ever been with, but if you can get him to try out some of the new things you’re showing him, he’ll at least become more exciting as a kisser. It will also let you know that he’s open to learning new techniques, which can be applied to other parts of your love life. That’s ALWAYS handy information to have.

Signs that Your Woman is Cheating on You

 
Everyone knows that men cheat all the time. It’s almost like it’s in their DNA or something. If it’s genetic, they just can’t help themselves, right?  While that’s probably a lot of nonsense, something else to consider is that women also cheat. They may not cheat quite as much as men, but they DO step out on their men for various reasons. Sometimes they’re better at hiding it than their cheating male counterparts, though. There are signs, however, that you can look for if you think your woman may be cheating on you.

They include:

Accusing YOU of cheating: This is a way of diverting the guilt from herself to you. Even worse, is if you’ve cheated on her before, she may give herself permission to get even with you by cheating. Either way, she knows what she’s done and figures that you may be doing the same thing. 

Starting to look her best when she goes out: When you notice your partner suddenly dressing to the nines when she’s supposedly going grocery shopping or to the gym, you may want to investigate why she needs to look so gorgeous. 

Telling you she needs some space: While this doesn’t always mean she’s cheating, it can mean that she wants you out of the way so she’ll be free to meet a lover. 

Hinting that she’s not happy: If your partner is telling you things like she needs more romance in her life, and that she loves things like getting flowers and love notes, you need to take her seriously. You see, if YOU don’t hear what she’s telling you, someone ELSE WILL. 

Making a new best friend that you’ve never met: In this case, it’s not so much that she’s made a new best friend and you’ve never met this friend, it’s that she’s suddenly spending lots of time with this new friend. In addition, she always has an excuse for why it’s not a good time to meet her. 

Changing her plans at the very last minute: For example, she’s gone out for a night on the town with the new best friend that you’ve never met and calls you around midnight with some excuse for why she’s just going to crash at her friend’s place for the night. 

Your friends are telling you she’s cheating: Of course you don’t want to believe something like that, and she’s told you it’s not true. However, if more than one person tells you they know she’s cheating, it’s probably true. 

Suddenly wanting to keep close tabs on you: When your woman is cheating on you, she needs to make sure that she’s not likely to run into you while she’s doing it.

Making excuses for not having sex: This should be a huge red flag, especially if she was always raring to go in the past. Now, all of a sudden, she’s too tired, doesn’t feel well, or has the most frequent and longest periods in history.

Has no interest in the relationship: She probably doesn’t care enough to even argue with you anymore.
You may think that these are all pretty obvious signs of cheating but you would be surprised at how many of them that men actually miss.

How to Tell if He’s Mr. Wrong

Finding Mr. Right ? Sometimes it’s hard to see that it’s Mr. Wrong you’re having a drink with. While some of the signs are rather obvious, there are other ones that sort of get bypassed until it’s almost too late.

Keep a look out for these signs that he’s Mr. Wrong:

• He talks about all the strange sex he’s had through the years and then tells you that he’s so happy you live nearby because now the two of you can get together for casual sex. (Seriously?)

• He mentions during conversation that you look so young, and then quickly follows that with how much he loves young girls. (Should you leave immediately or call the cops?)


• You’re in bed with an older, European man and having a pretty good time. Suddenly, you realize he’s wearing panties. He might just be kinky or he might be sleazy. (Since it’s hard to tell, you may want to use your intuition.)


• So you’re out with a guy at a theme park and he wins a huge stuffed animal. You think he should give it to you or to some little kid but he petulantly refuses and carries it around the rest of the day. The stuffed animal has its own seat between you on the plane going home. (What a big baby!)


• He’s got a low class job that he’s been doing because it’s fun for several years, yet he seems to always have plenty of money. It’s a good chance that he’s doing something shady on the side.


• (You don’t need to take any chances with this one.)What about the guys that want to control everything you do? For example, he instructs you on the “correct” way to hold your knife and fork while you eat and demands that you start eating “his” way.


• (Just because he’s from another country doesn’t mean his way is the only way.)On your first date, he takes you to dinner along with his mother. (Sure, a man needs to love his mother, but this feels more like a Mommy’s Boy.)


• He actually POUTS when he doesn’t get his way. (Do you WANT to be in a relationship with a child?)


• He makes snide remarks about all of your friends, and he’s not even all that careful about them not hearing him. (He’s already trying to control you by alienating you from your friends. This is sort of scary.)

Some of these are obvious and others aren’t so obvious. That’s why you need to pay close attention in the beginning when you’re dating someone new. If you notice something that seems a bit “off,” don’t assume that it’s nothing and that you’re just overreacting. That’s rarely the case. Keep in mind that when you’re able to spot Mr. Wrong early on, you won’t waste any more time on him when you could be out searching for Mr. Right. Do yourself a favor and don’t let new guys get away with anything that bothers you or makes you unhappy.

6 Fool-proof ways to improve your online dating profile

In love - as in the life - image issues a lot. When you set up or change of your online dating profile, is it wise, to present themselves in the best (and safest) light. How will you questions? Simply follow our six steps.

Hey man, nice shot

Smile and have a look at the camera. Select a photo that does not include other people, the huge bug eye sunglasses you love or pound makeup. Keep in mind - your appointments you want to see. What does not work, according to researchers at the much OKCupid dating site announced: a flirty look on both sexes in the search path from the camera - probably to someone else. And keep in mind that generate excessive cleavage and drunken party shots a lot of feedback, but probably not the way you look.

(Not) Lie to me

The truth is, many people exaggerate their profiles - usually on height, weight, and income, but also about things such as age, marital status and as the last, that "most recently used" photo was taken. The temptation, fib is understandable, but unproductive. Lies finds out whether at your first meeting if you are looking 10 years older and 6 cm shorter than your online itself... or later show up if you are involved with someone and the stakes are higher. You do not use self or from your travel details - for this kind of grief.

Quirky vs. creepy

Mention your passions - that is, how well start talks. But stop to examine how potential data interpret what you say for a second. Horror and suspense movies love is fine. Say you've watched silence of the lambs 300 time could scare away some people. Save that for later in your real relationship, when your partner from experience knows that you are a healthy and stable person who happens, Hannibal Lecter really dig Anthony Hopkins'.

Avoid Oversharing

A tech talk with alien is basically online-dating. And while online, to find partners, it is safe to assume most people assume that there are always some who are bent on damage go. Be careful what you post, even if you think that it give away everything. If a potential date has your last name and you mention that you have a house in a certain city, for example, he or she could get creative and look roles (the public) in the online tax, your address, find out how much you for your home page, etc. Pay. From there it is a fast here click a satellite picture of your home, yard to see Google, and maybe your car. Protect yourself by minimal personal details serving until someone you know well and have taken more than once personally.

Take it easy

If you can communicate a gift for writing and irony, it's pretty corny set row. Most of us however is best to avoid it something for that, which seem pretentious or crude - or simply not translate also outside the context. It's hard to read people's party intend online – we see not your facial expressions or hear, that your tone of voice - so "where I have all your life been?" hilarious to you but to someone else harmful seem like. As soon as you discover your potential dates in real life, you can have this stupid flag fly. But first you have to make it so they play cool for now.

Seriously, people

How cheesy lines, can make too much kidding around in your profile think suitors (or suit EBS) a joke check online dating. No one likes it, fun, to make or have wasted their time, so people show that they are there, because you are really looking for love. If you are not sure whether your is careless to approach about too much, ask a friend for the detection of your profile and provide feedback.

With the right mug shot, the right information (honestly and carefully displayed) and the right attitude, you will be ready to meet others who are interested in what you are interested in: someone to spend time with, both as offline to find. And perhaps someone silence of the lambs with 301st for the first time to see.